Permission wanted

[Sean_D2302]

Afternoon all 

can anyone on here recommend on how to get some permission for some pigeon shooting or help out with some fully insured and licensed live in County Durham and don’t mind travel long as it’s miles away appreciate the help guys 

[snow white]

Be nice to introduce your self first before asking about getting permission we have had to work hard to get our permissions so asking how we get them would be a good idea but believe me they want just come to you have to put time in asking farmers 

[CountryBoyTweed]

    I've been trying to gain a permission for the past two years in the Somerset area. The numerous farmers that I have spoken to have said that (locally) shooting rights are extremely competitive and tend to get offered to those flashing the most money around. He went on to say that those individuals tend to shoot regularly during the game season and use the off-season permission as practice. It's a shame, but then again you can't blame the farmers for turning it into another source of income.  I'm not saying you'll find it as hard as me, I'm just trying to give you a little context. The search continues, in the hope that I find a relationship with a farmer that'll benefit the two of us mutually (sporting & agri help obviously lol). Although jokes a side, it would probably be easier if you were dating a farmers daughter............ 

[bruno22rf]

I've often wondered if a slightly different approach might be beneficial. Permission would be sought but by invitation only i.e. the Landowner meets and checks your references, licence etc and then grants written permission on the basis that you only shoot when invited (for example when the owner sees his crops being attacked), maybe this would help A/ the farmer who is best placed to see his crops and has no concern about you wandering around with a gun whenever you fancy. B/ you get to shoot when the vermin are on the land. Might need a bit of tweaking but it might just get some perms? Just a thought.

[CountryBoyTweed]

4 minutes ago, bruno22rf said:

I've often wondered if a slightly different approach might be beneficial. Permission would be sought but by invitation only i.e. the Landowner meets and checks your references, licence etc and then grants written permission on the basis that you only shoot when invited (for example when the owner sees his crops being attacked), maybe this would help A/ the farmer who is best placed to see his crops and has no concern about you wandering around with a gun whenever you fancy. B/ you get to shoot when the vermin are on the land. Might need a bit of tweaking but it might just get some perms? Just a thought.

Very good shout, but still not viable unless you're a very close friend/relative of the land owner. Why would a farmer offer shooting rights to someone for nothing (no matter how good their references are) when local shooters are willing to pay £100's per year for the privilege. You just can't compete with that.... travelling further away is another option, but the further you go the less likely you'll be able to network/get to know the landowner. Unless of course you have connections to them some how!  I'm somewhat hopeful that a couple of seasons worth of beating will help me network with some likeminded shooters. 

[Centrepin]

Try John Shooter at the NPPC, I belive he has some shooting near you.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

In the Fens there is a new way of gaining permission.

We have a syndicate, the 20 or so Members are vetted by the Syndicate leader, he runs the show and we all post reconnaissance and results and the Farmer often reports birds feeding. When he wants some cover he asks and we go out shooting.

Works very well so far.

[clangerman]

the best reason for farmers to give permission is hearing where they are and what they are eating from someone dressed to go with their kit on board not some day tripper in trainers looking for a perm 

[marsh man]

I dare say that some areas are different to our area , I have never known anybody paying the land owner to shoot Pigeons / Crows ect , giving the farm manager , head keeper a bottle of drink for Christmas is different ,  For the newbie riding around and seeing pigeons on stubble would be a waste of time in seeking the owner out and trying to get the go ahead ,stubble shooting is normally for somebody who have looked after the crop before it was turned into stubble , from a farmers point of view the Pigeons / Crows are doing very little harm on freshly cut stubble and while they are munching away on the stubble they are leaving the standing crops alone .

We all had to start at the beginning and that was finding feeding pigeons and then knock on a few doors , there were setbacks but once you got your first foot on the ladder the second rung was just around the corner , a lot of running about and at times it was frustrating but you carried on and all the time the perms were building up , then you started to attend game shoots and more doors began to open and word got about if you were doing things right , on the other hand if you started to put a foot wrong it would be on the grapevine overnight and your perms would be lost a lot quicker than when you first got them , so tread lightly and only go on what fields you asked to go on and above all go by yourself until you have gained the land owners trust , if you want shooting bad enough you will somehow get it , but sadly it is unlikely to be off the forum .

[TIGHTCHOKE]

17 minutes ago, marsh man said:

if you want shooting bad enough you will somehow get it , but sadly it is unlikely to be off the forum.

I've laways found it odd that hopeful shooters look to a shooting forum for permission. Much better to be on a farming forum!

[London Best]

2 hours ago, CountryBoyTweed said:

Why would a farmer offer shooting rights to someone 

It seems to me that you are confusing shooting rights with permission to shoot pigeons. Or, perhaps, you don’t know the difference. They are very different things. If someone gives you permission to shoot, you do not have the shooting rights.

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

I've laways found it odd that hopeful shooters look to a shooting forum for permission. Much better to be on a farming forum!

Also , if you are in a game shooting area like it is around our way , seeking pigeon shooting over the next week or so will be a whole new ball game , say for instance someone saw some Pigeons going on our Beans which are now turning from Green to Black and will be combined in two to three weeks time , he send the land owner a letter or try to ring him up , when the owner receive the letter or answer the call he then pass it on to the estate manager , who in turn pass it on to the farm manager who then pass it on to the head keeper as the Beans are near some game cover and when the poults come home they will go straight into the release pens , the keeper won't want anyone shooting near or even within sight of pens being put up in the game covers so the answer will certainly be NO , he will then get in touch with someone he know well such as myself and advise where to go, or stick on a gas gun for a couple of weeks , like Muncher said in his report on shooting the Rape stubble , after he got the one day permission off the farm manager he then had to get the go ahead from two keepers , if they had said no then no it is , simple as that 

[mossy835]

glad i shoot farms with no game on them,i can shoot where i like when ever i like,

Edited July 30, 2021 by mossy835

[CountryBoyTweed]

12 hours ago, London Best said:

It seems to me that you are confusing shooting rights with permission to shoot pigeons. Or, perhaps, you don’t know the difference. They are very different things. If someone gives you permission to shoot, you do not have the shooting rights.

I'm just quoting what I've been told by several local land owners and a local pest control shooting club. By shooting rights, yes I mean permission to shoot pigeon in the off-season (that's a mis-use of words on my part), and yes people in my area are paying obscene amounts of money for the privilege. 

3 hours ago, mossy835 said:

glad i shoot farms with on game on them,i can shoot where i like when ever i like,

I'm glad to hear someone local managed to get some decent shooting Mossy, all the best with it! 

Edited July 30, 2021 by CountryBoyTweed

[London Best]

You just have to get to know all the farmers in the area, and all the gamekeepers and gain their trust and respect if not actually their friendship. 
I found the first thirty years were the most difficult!

Seriously though, don’t give up and you will find somewhere eventually. Obviously, you stand more chance if the person you are asking actually knows/recognises you. 

But you are right, it seems that these days there is always someone offering the farmer money to buy you off.

Good luck.

[bruno22rf]

16 hours ago, CountryBoyTweed said:

Very good shout, but still not viable unless you're a very close friend/relative of the land owner. Why would a farmer offer shooting rights to someone for nothing (no matter how good their references are) when local shooters are willing to pay £100's per year for the privilege. You just can't compete with that.... travelling further away is another option, but the further you go the less likely you'll be able to network/get to know the landowner. Unless of course you have connections to them some how!  I'm somewhat hopeful that a couple of seasons worth of beating will help me network with some likeminded shooters. 

Don't pay a single penny for my 11k acres, never would pay, I'm providing a service. 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

6 minutes ago, bruno22rf said:

Don't pay a single penny for my 11k acres, never would pay, I'm providing a service. 

Likewise!  

[clangerman]

1 hour ago, bruno22rf said:

Don't pay a single penny for my 11k acres, never would pay, I'm providing a service. 

always thought theres something wrong with me freezing on the rape while farmers are the ones drinking the free scotch 

[JDog]

If anyone asks for 'shooting rights' when looking for permission to shoot pigeons they will always be refused.

There is a former PW member who shall remain nameless who didn't even have a shotgun certificate just over two years ago. Now he shoots over getting on for 20,000 acres.

It can be done.

[12gauge82]

On 29/07/2021 at 16:37, Sean_D2302 said:

Afternoon all 

can anyone on here recommend on how to get some permission for some pigeon shooting or help out with some fully insured and licensed live in County Durham and don’t mind travel long as it’s miles away appreciate the help guys 

The absolute best way is either through people you know, who can vouch that your a decent person or getting out there and speaking to farmers directly, try not to disturb them when they're busy and particularly identify any who are having problems. 

Don't be put off by sour people on here, I don't see any issue asking, at the end of the day it's mutually beneficial, the land owner gets free pest control and you get to enjoy your sport. As long as your courteous and respect the land you shoot on, I'll almost guarantee your shooting permissions will grow once you've got your first one. 

Edited July 31, 2021 by 12gauge82
Spelling

[toontastic]

Around Durham, Northumberland and North Yorkshire there are many shoots. Try and find contact details and offer to beat on as many days as you can manage. You don't always need a dog to be a beater and beating opens doors and introduces you to many like minded people. But remember if you offer to do a day then you must turn up. A bad reputation of letting people down soon becomes known by other shoots. 

Edited July 31, 2021 by toontastic

[Lloyd90]

8 hours ago, toontastic said:

Around Durham, Northumberland and North Yorkshire there are many shoots. Try and find contact details and offer to beat on as many days as you can manage. You don't always need a dog to be a beater and beating opens doors and introduces you to many like minded people. But remember if you offer to do a day then you must turn up. A bad reputation of letting people down soon becomes known by other shoots. 

 

A GOOD dog will open doors into shooting, but people with untrained or bad dogs are an absolute nuisance, and will quickly be sat at home whilst not getting invited out. 
 

I would rather go for a walk on my own than with someone with an unruly untrained dog, as it can ruin the shooting worse than having no dog! 
 

Also a sure fire way not to get invited back into ground, a shoot or beating if the keeper is any good. 

[marsh man]

9 hours ago, Lloyd90 said:

 

A GOOD dog will open doors into shooting, but people with untrained or bad dogs are an absolute nuisance, and will quickly be sat at home whilst not getting invited out. 
 

I would rather go for a walk on my own than with someone with an unruly untrained dog, as it can ruin the shooting worse than having no dog! 
 

Also a sure fire way not to get invited back into ground, a shoot or beating if the keeper is any good. 

I can see where you are coming from LIoyd when joining the beating line or as a member of a rough shoot , you wouldn't normally take your dog beating unless being asked by the keeper who will or should know how steady the dog is , same with rough shooting , you don't want a dog that is constantly chasing Rabbits , walking and hunting beyond the range of a shotgun and turning a deaf ear to any instructions .

With Pigeon shooting a dog is not essential and the sport can easily carried out without one , although having had working Labradors all my life I would now sooner leave my gun at home than my dog , yesterday afternoon I just got into double figures before once again rain stopped play , I don't mind a drop of rain but when it thunder and lightning it is time for me to get back home in the dry , the ones I got I let my dog pick up during the time I was shooting and ones I left he picked up when we were putting the gear back in the motor , as I said a dog is not essential but to me it's half the pleasure of shooting , and a good half at that .

[CountryBoyTweed]

9 hours ago, Lloyd90 said:

 

A GOOD dog will open doors into shooting, but people with untrained or bad dogs are an absolute nuisance, and will quickly be sat at home whilst not getting invited out. 
 

I would rather go for a walk on my own than with someone with an unruly untrained dog, as it can ruin the shooting worse than having no dog! 
 

Also a sure fire way not to get invited back into ground, a shoot or beating if the keeper is any good. 

You seem to be on a bit of a bashing session at the moment Lloyd. Any gamekeeper/shoot captain worth his salt would want an introduction with you and the dog that you were wanting to get involved, so that goes without saying. Friends who have taken young or first time spaniels out beating have also been asked to keep them leaded until everyone, the dog included has the same degree of confidence. 

[Lloyd90]

30 minutes ago, CountryBoyTweed said:

You seem to be on a bit of a bashing session at the moment Lloyd. Any gamekeeper/shoot captain worth his salt would want an introduction with you and the dog that you were wanting to get involved, so that goes without saying. Friends who have taken young or first time spaniels out beating have also been asked to keep them leaded until everyone, the dog included has the same degree of confidence. 

Just speaking facts 🤷‍♂️

It is BY FAR easier to avoid a problem in the first place than try to fix it later. 

Not sure why anyone would feel bashed… 

 

Taking an excitable dog thats never seen game on a shoot and walking it around on a lead all day has potential to cause more issues and dogs don’t learn but sitting on a lead watching. 
 

 

41 minutes ago, marsh man said:

I can see where you are coming from LIoyd when joining the beating line or as a member of a rough shoot , you wouldn't normally take your dog beating unless being asked by the keeper who will or should know how steady the dog is , same with rough shooting , you don't want a dog that is constantly chasing Rabbits , walking and hunting beyond the range of a shotgun and turning a deaf ear to any instructions .

With Pigeon shooting a dog is not essential and the sport can easily carried out without one , although having had working Labradors all my life I would now sooner leave my gun at home than my dog , yesterday afternoon I just got into double figures before once again rain stopped play , I don't mind a drop of rain but when it thunder and lightning it is time for me to get back home in the dry , the ones I got I let my dog pick up during the time I was shooting and ones I left he picked up when we were putting the gear back in the motor , as I said a dog is not essential but to me it's half the pleasure of shooting , and a good half at that .

Bang on mate just a caution to some really. 
 

I saw several people turn up to a shoot 2 seasons ago when it all went ahead before Covid with dogs that had never seen game, they couldn’t let them off lead because they’d not seen any game before hand and the dog wasn’t ready to be on a shoot. 
 

The ones kept on a lead all day got frustrated and a fair few of them ended up making noise and squeaking  due to frustration and others who did get let off I ******** off when let off with the owner regretting taking them. 
 

 

 

Edited August 1, 2021 by Lloyd90