03/04/09 - John Duncan comments on the season ahead

There has obviously been a lot of talk about next season and whether or not people are booking their days. So far we have seen good demand from our US and European clients due to the current exchange rates, but there has definitely been a reduction in demand from UK based clients. This is quite understandable in the current climate as people are hurting financially and redundancies are commonplace.

The AAA shoots are almost sold out as guns are still keen to shoot on the very best estates. However, we know there are a number of people waiting to book as they feel there will be deals to be had later in the year. Having recently spoken to numerous estate owners all over the country, this is just not going to be the case as they're planning to cut their poult orders and rearing programmes to fit the amount of days they've let so far. Why rear the same amount of birds when you've sold fewer days and then run the risk of losing X amount of pounds later in the year?

Decision time for estate owners is fast approaching and they will have to make some tough calls, which could lead to further redundancies, so we're asking clients to let us know their final thoughts now, even if the answer is 'no'. At least owners will then be better placed to make the appropriate commitments for the year ahead.

The change in demand is going to have a great effect, not just to jobs, but to all of the hotels and other rural businesses that rely on the shooting industry. As long as they are able to cut their cloth accordingly to get through the year ahead, then things will pick up in future seasons.

For a selection of current availability for next season, please click here.