sweepy Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Hopefully am not the only person with morals when it comes to shooting,heres what happenened to me very recently and would be interested in what you lot would have done. I was asked by local farmer who contract farms near 3000acres over a few farms to do rabbit control,Ithought to myself this sound great but on the other hand i already look after 3 other farms covering 1500 acres. It turns out that the farms are also commerical pheasant shoots with keepers,the farmers attitude is the rabbits are destroying my crops am not bothered about the pheasants just don't go the same day as they shoot. Now me being an ex keeper if this happenened on a shoot where I was trying to make my living I would not be best pleased,so I politely thanked him for his offer and gave him a phone number of a friend who is retired and could work round a shoot with out having to upset anybody. Plus I think having to much land is just as bad as not having any cause all you do is end up doing nothing properly and doing some body out of a bit of shooting land. So do you think I was right in the turning the land down on both points considering I was going to be given the use of a farm truck all ammo supplied and paid a small fee for my efforts. Sweepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Personally I would have acted between the two, remember how many times you can see a fox whilst rabbiting....... I do admit it would be hard but I might have been tempted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweepy Posted June 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Henry I also thought about the foxes to but I should of mentioned that it was strictly rabbits only and nothing else. Sweepy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyr8 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 probebly followed suite,would have had a word with the keeper to get his thoughts on the matter though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humperdingle Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 I'd say after talking with the keeper, i'd have set up a sort of syndicate, where 3 or 4 of your mates were put on the estate to cover it properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Sweepy, by virtue of my job I get occasional offers like that from farming clients, and I have to politely decline them to prevent spreading myself too thinly. Doing a rubbish job is pointless, and does me no favours in the long-term. I have now reduced my permissions in Essex to 1,000ac, which is perfectly manageable on my own, and enables me to focus my attention properly. I got fed up with working around a couple of particularly irksome keepers. Less is sometimes more, particularly if you take pride in doing a thorough job. P.S. Out of curiosity only, Sweepy, I'd be interested to learn which contractor it was that approached you. You and I can't live that far apart, and there aren't many contractors working 3,000ac in our neck of the woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 I think you did the right thing, but it does go against the grain a bit to turn down shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David BASC Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 I can (I think) see all sides of this. The farmer still has the rights to take ground game - with all the other constraints as to who else can, regardless of whether a syndicate is on the land or not. However, I would have done as already suggested, had a word with the keeper and come to an agreement about when and where I could shoot. BUT as said by others (and me in the past) make sure you can handle it, and yes it may be with your other commitments it would be better to have a few guys covering the same bit of turf. Always having a couple of permissions on the books just in case one folds for some reason in my opinion. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight32 Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 Hopefully am not the only person with morals when it comes to shooting,heres what happenened to me very recently and would be interested in what you lot would have done.I was asked by local farmer who contract farms near 3000acres over a few farms to do rabbit control,Ithought to myself this sound great but on the other hand i already look after 3 other farms covering 1500 acres. It turns out that the farms are also commerical pheasant shoots with keepers,the farmers attitude is the rabbits are destroying my crops am not bothered about the pheasants just don't go the same day as they shoot. Now me being an ex keeper if this happenened on a shoot where I was trying to make my living I would not be best pleased,so I politely thanked him for his offer and gave him a phone number of a friend who is retired and could work round a shoot with out having to upset anybody. Plus I think having to much land is just as bad as not having any cause all you do is end up doing nothing properly and doing some body out of a bit of shooting land. So do you think I was right in the turning the land down on both points considering I was going to be given the use of a farm truck all ammo supplied and paid a small fee for my efforts. Sweepy I spent years massing & hoarding permissions, I used to take on anything and everything and never ever turned it away. However, there is absolutely no point keeping something that you are not looking after properly, so I let go the areas I did'nt want, which were normally the ones plagued by the gamekeeper/tenant/landowner squabbles or had daft conditions- which at the end of the day are just not worth the hassle. You done right sweepy, and you still kept the shooting going by passing the contact on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stamford Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 OK I'm new to having a permission, but.......... Given the choice, the use of a vehicle, unlimited amunition and paid for the effort Let me ponder on that one my friend I do also see how having too much land is pointless as there is no way you can service it at a decent level, yes there are some greedy ********* around who'll gladley take every piece of land on offer and just shoot for the sake of shooting, but they have to be realistic ! Its stops the new shooters in acquiring permissions, we all had to start somewhere and if Billy no mates is taking the land for himself then there wont be anything left and if a bad job is done then the landowner will be reluctant to bring in outsiders for the future. It was a good decision if you are certain that you cant handle it and did the next best thing in giving the number of a friend, you scratched his back and I'm sure he'll return the favour in inviting you over aswell... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 I think you did the right thing, makes me laugh when I read of people with 25 farms that they shoot over. How much attention can you actually give each one? unless you are unemployed or retired, and even then it would be a push Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 I have this issue that repeats itself every year, farm lets the syndicate out and they would like to control all the vermin shooting so pigeon shoot occasionally and keep everyone off. Obviously the 2k the farmer gets from them doesn't compensate for crop loss so his son and I control the rabbits as well as any foxes and pigeons when needed. This winds the keeper up but ultimately its a farm, there is no reason for him to be wound up as we hit rabbits hardest from february through to April which doesn't conflict with birds going down at all. We have the odd run in and attempt at intimidation even though I've been beating for him for the last 8 years or so and usually run the beating line. So you're probably doing the best thing as it sounds like its a part time keeper as otherwise he would be employed as part of his job to carry out the vermin control and ultimately you'd only get a load of flack. In my case the Keeper has shot himself in the foot as my mate will take the farm on when his dad retires and the shoot will be given the heave ho and he'll run it, but then its the fear of that I think that causes the agro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salop Matt Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 I would say you did the right thing sweepy but wish somone would pass me some land like that round here ! People are fighting to get 6 acres up here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 Id of bitten his arm off for that permission, but I dont have much. Well done for not getting more than you can handle N good job on helping someone else get the land Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 Under the circumstances IMO you did the right thing but personally I'd have had a word with the keeper and sussed out his thoughts. There are some good keepers, some bad keepers and some simply nasty keepers and they all have reasons that to them seem quite reasonable as to why you should/should not be on 'their' land. If you can find one you can work with that's a real bonus so stick with it. I have had invites to shoot certain estates but having spoken with the keeper have turned the offer down as it'd just be too much hassle. Same applies with tenant farmers v landowners. If you can't work with people then don't, go find someone you can work with they are out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPT1 Posted July 3, 2009 Report Share Posted July 3, 2009 I live in central London where there are no proper farms believe it or not. I would love the opportunity to legitimately shoot on a farm in Essex, Hertfordshire or anywhere weithin fifty miles. Next time you are overcommitted with shoots please let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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