advice Advice required - being invited shooting

[GGC96]

So just the other day I received a call from a friend inviting me to go pigeon shooting with him after the farmer had called him saying there were too many pigeons around. He always comments on how he shoots and 100+ bags each time he goes out so after arranging a time and day I took him up on the offer.

On the way to the ground he said he always buys the gamekeeper a drink to keep him sweet which I thought was fair enough.

After a day in the hide with him and only 30 pigeons later we packed up and went to see the keeper. After a bit of chit chat my mate took his wallet out and gave the keeper some money before we bid our farewell. On the drive back he states that he’s given the keeper £100 so I now owe him £50. I was absolutely fine for buying the keeper a drink - I think it’s a decent thing to do, but there’s a fair difference between a drink and £100.
 

Now I know a lot of people pay for shooting, it’s quite a normal thing nowadays. However, is it really the done thing to invite someone shooting - then after the fact ask them to pay when there was no mention of that in the invite? After all if I knew I had to pay I wouldn’t have gone as I really can’t afford luxuries like that at the moment.
 

How should I approach the matter? Should I just give him the £50 but make a point of it for future? Or should I raise it with him that it was an invite and no mention of paying was made before? 
 

any advice would really help! 

[jall25]

Respectfully - he is your friend - you know him and how he will react better than anyone

 

[Rob85]

If you are wanting to get away from it without any aggro I would maybe stump up the £50 and then let any friendship there die off. That seems a bit under hand how he done that as that could have been a payment for anything and he's now getting half his cash back at your expense. And for pigeon shooting? I've never heard of anyone paying to go pigeon shooting unless it's been via using a "guide"

[zipdog]

£100 for one days decoying. Please put me in touch with your mate. How many days does he want a week?

With regards to the situation you asked about, just pay the £50 and say no next time. Life is too short.

[ditchman]

you have been done............pay up...put it down to experience and move on

(but remember...................the wheel turns)

[sam triple]

Was it £100 or £ 40 did you see him count it out ? 

[yates]

He's not a friend if he did this to you

Edited April 20, 2023 by yates

[39TDS]

Your friendship is dead either way, tell him to do one and save yourself the £50.

[snow white]

Drop him off your friends list you don’t do that to a friend what he should have done was tell you first if it was me I would tell straight that’s not on 

[oowee]

I would have thought it would have been agreed up front. Given the price of fuel and cartridges and that you were expecting a far higher cost (if the 100's of birds had been present) it's not the end of the world. If he is a mate then there is some level of trust? 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Welcome to Pigeon Watch!

[Centrepin]

Just now, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Welcome to Pigeon Watch!

🤣🤣

 

Sounds like a proper stich up, tell him and his gamekeeper friend to do one. 

[Spr1985]

My two pence.
I agree with most of the above. What your “friend” has done is underhand and quite frankly disgusting behaviour. I would have one of two responses again much the same as above.

1) cough up the £50 but tell him he’s out of order and should have mentioned costs ahead of time, and not to invite you in future. 
2) tell him no chance with regards to the £50 and tell him he’s out of order and that an invite is exactly that, he should have been clear and honest about any cost when the invitation was made. 

I suppose a third option would be to invite him and his other half round for dinner and then charge him £50 a head after the fact and see how he likes it on the other foot……I can be a bit sadistic so I’d maybe go with this one just to see the look on his face 😊
 

3)

[MrPhantom]

As others have said, this should have been agreed beforehand. I would put it down to experience and move on. £50 doesn’t sound too unreasonable to me, a day out in the countryside using your friends kit for the price (or thereabouts) of 100 bird round at your local clay ground.

[Duckandswing]

It’s weird. If I’d taken my mate shooting I’d have shouted the cost as a treat. I’d never in a million years drop a £50 charge on them at the last minute.

Your friend is knobber for doing that.

I’d probably cough up, but I’d sure as hell be telling him he’s bang out of order.

[Scully]

2 hours ago, sam triple said:

Was it £100 or £ 40 did you see him count it out ? 

I was just about to ask the same thing. 
He ain’t a mate either way. I’d never do that to a mate and I can’t think of any who would do that to me. 
Either way any money changing hands and the amount, should  have been discussed upfront, well before the day went ahead. 

[oldypigeonpopper]

1 hour ago, yates said:

He's not a friend if he did this to you

This 👍, 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Over the years I have taken lots of people out shooting, friends and people from PW who wanted a go.

 

Money has NEVER changed hands!

 

Cakes, bottles of wine, a good dinner, all accepted and gratefully received, but never any money.

 

 

GGC96, your definition of a friend and mine differ greatly!             You've been had!

[Old farrier]

How many did you shoot personally and how many cartridges did you fire each ?

[GGC96]

I was using all my own shells, gun and offered to take my hide - wasn’t even using his kit 😂

[old'un]

Blimey, good job he does not invite you a couple of times a week, your mate sounds like a bull****** “He always comments on how he shoots and 100+ bags each time he goes out”.

Could it be that your so called mate invited you to cut the cost of his days shooting by half?

He is either green or not a real mate, we live and learn.

[scutt]

In my world I would have refused point blank at the time he asked for the money .

 

[clangerman]

you now have fifty reasons why he’s no friend paid £50 told you it’s a ton your paying for his day get rid! 

[twenty]

56 minutes ago, scutt said:

In my world I would have refused point blank at the time he asked for the money .

 

Same here.

[DUNKS]

Your friend must move in expensive circles. "A drink" in my language is usually £20.