Offer to set up a shoot - should I??

[countrygirl45]

Guy has approached me with a view to setting up a pheasant shoot on my farm. He is going to put pens up - not sure how many pheasants he is going to put there as yet. He plans to feed them on my ground too.
He will pay to plant couple of acres of ground cover also.
He will have the run of 100 acres or so. Won't make any difference to Single Farm payment as the woods have been taken out. He is looking at couple of other farms to shoot but mine will be the important one as it is in the middle and the largest wooded area.
How much should I be thinking about charging? What is the value of something like this. Havent really got anyone I can ask.
Thanks

 

[Scholsey]

If you don't know him at all I would ask for references as you will be pretty much giving him free run of your farm!

Got to be £1000 minimum otherwise it's hardly worth the hassle.

I would be very cautious and establish ground rules from the start otherwise you could have quad/gator tracks all over the place and people wandering around your farm you have no control of.

 

[Jon]

Get a land agent involved, to draw up an agreement.
Could be great fun if you shoot or beat, but mission creep can be very annoying!

 

[Boysground]

I have had an arrangement with a shoot for a number of years. I would say it's easier if you have an interest in shooting yourself. If you do, get involved and enjoy it. You won't make much money from having the shoot on you land so make the most of it.

Of you decide to let the ground be prepared for the shoot to expand and want to change things. The keeper will learn the ground and won't get everything right first time. The birds may do some damage to new seeds. Don't underestimate the mess a convoy of vehicles will make. You must get on with the shoot owner as you will see them a lot. In this area I hear prices of around £5/ac to walk over land & up to £500/ac for cover crops. In reality I suspect money doesn't often change hands and days shooting are the rent.

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[More to life]

I have had an arrangement with a shoot for a number of years. I would say it's easier if you have an interest in shooting yourself. If you do, get involved and enjoy it. You won't make much money from having the shoot on you land so make the most of it.

Of you decide to let the ground be prepared for the shoot to expand and want to change things. The keeper will learn the ground and won't get everything right first time. The birds may do some damage to new seeds. Don't underestimate the mess a convoy of vehicles will make. You must get on with the shoot owner as you will see them a lot. In this area I hear prices of around £5/ac to walk over land & up to £500/ac for cover crops. In reality I suspect money doesn't often change hands and days shooting are the rent.

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Same here you need to set out the ground rules re damage

 

[tr250]

We have a little shoot on our farm and lucky that part time keeper is good. It can be very beneficial at times with another set of eyes and ears about the place that we trust

 

[Dry Rot]

It could be a small family shoot a few times of the year or thousands of pheasants with Guns paying megabucks.

I used to take shooting where the landowner appointed himself the "organiser", and charged for his time, to be set against tax as an expense! Of course, he carried a gun and shot.

Jon's suggestion to employ a good land agent, or to at least consult one, is sound. This is a "How long is a piece of string?" question. If you have the right land, shooting can be worth a lot.

 

[Landrover]

I just want to offer some advice regarding keepers after this season on the shoot on the farm ! "What can you tell a gamekeeper with two black eyes ? NOTHING because you've told him twice already ! ! Joking aside as others have said make sure you have ground rules in place first and that they stick to them !

 

[Surgery]

Guy has approached me with a view to setting up a pheasant shoot on my farm. He is going to put pens up - not sure how many pheasants he is going to put there as yet. He plans to feed them on my ground too.
He will pay to plant couple of acres of ground cover also.
He will have the run of 100 acres or so. Won't make any difference to Single Farm payment as the woods have been taken out. He is looking at couple of other farms to shoot but mine will be the important one as it is in the middle and the largest wooded area.
How much should I be thinking about charging? What is the value of something like this. Havent really got anyone I can ask.
Thanks

As mentioned all depends who is approaching you , we shoot a fair bit on commercail shoots in Wales and there are certainly some very big players in the game shooting world , either way an agent would be the way forward , big player big money , small player could be more hassle than it's worth.

 

[countrygirl45]

This guy is already running another shoot. He is a neighbouring farmer and very the shoot he runs is well run. I have been offered £100 an acre to plant the cover crops. We don't plant any other crops apart from swedes so no problem with that. They wont be able to access the shoot by vehicle due to where it is so will have to walk!!
It seems a good idea as I will get some recompense for the wood as I can't claim for it under the single farm rules (Wales!!! ).
The shoot will be all sell days - not for locals.
He is very keen to get it all down on paper and I don't forsee any problems on that score if we both sign on the dotted line.
Any more advice or suggestions as to what I should be asking for or agreeing to?
Thanks for all advice so far.

 

[ajcc]

Not sure how many pheasants they want to put down......that is the fundamental question that needs putting to gauge scale....50 birds or 50,000??

 

[countrygirl45]

Yes - I did ask but he wants another walk round to see and have a better idea of how many birds they want to put down. Will have to wait and see on that one I guess.

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

Any more advice or suggestions as to what I should be asking for or agreeing to?

You would in effect be handing over sporting rights to him. Definitely get a proper valuation done.

Think about simple common sense stuff, like leaving cartridge cases everywhere and quad biking all over when he feeds up.

Make sure you don't end up with all his beaters shooting rabbits & pigeons all Spring and Summer.

Have it written in that he must do the deer control (if you need it doing) as part of the agreement.

Think about other people who you currently give permission to who could be affected. Do you give any hounds access through the Winter or Summer?

Make sure he agrees to giving you a peg on beaters day

 

[ajcc]

£1000 for 100 acres of upland farm with some forestry would be sort of money.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Depending on scale:

Farm tracks - vechile movements will take their toll eventually

'Rat runs' from mule / gator from feeder to feeder

Crop damage If partridge numbers get high.

Seen this but admitidly on much higher numbers.

You can't put a value on having a pair of eyes on the place!

 

[thesilentone]

There will never be a better chance to retain a gun, whether you shoot or not.

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Depending on scale:

Farm tracks - vechile movements will take their toll eventually

'Rat runs' from mule / gator from feeder to feeder

Crop damage If partridge numbers get high.

Seen this but admitidly on much higher numbers.

You can't put a value on having a pair of eyes on the place!

Oh, yes! The mess the quads make day in day out & all the little things like cut fences as they can't be bothered to open a gate, young trees buldozed out of the way, older trees root systems scabbed & trampled on, moans that any other person working nearby is causing the birds to flee......long list to be aware of. If you get a good team you have a chance & good things to come but there's always the dark side!
SS

 

[JCMaloney]

If you know him & how he operates from your neighbours you are halfway there. As long as they aren`t overstretching themselves and start rushing the work it should be fine. As ever what you ask as recompense & what they offer depends on many factors. Do you shoot? Would a peg/walk be of value to you etc etc.

PS: Please make sure that if they shoot 200 cartridges they pick up 200.............. flipping things give to good a signal.

 

[Hampton]

Make sure you start high in your negotiations, very difficult toget more later.
Remember that shoots generally like to pay in days shooting rather than cash. If you like shooting it works well, if you don't it can be difficult to retrieve the money

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Have a break clause in big letters within the contract. I'd go with five year lease with a six month break by either parties. Agree on the number of pens & they dismantle. Meter the water. A big header tank with one mains supply in saves a lot of mains fed poorly jointed pipework to the drinkers. For every feeder there should be three spring traps for squirrels but one is more realistic
Do any forestry work now not later! Thinning within pens is not at all easy.
SS