A perfect syndicate

In 40 years of delivering game management advice, I’ve seen all sorts of syndicates, from big formal shoots to little groups of working people who simply want to escape into the countryside for a few winter Saturdays.

Some of these gangs are the happiest of people and others much less so. While I have seen things that work and things that don’t, I cannot say that I believe in a magic formula. However, there are some things that always seem to lead to difficulty and some that help to avoid arguments.

Keep it simple

It goes without saying that you need like-minded people and, in my experience, the more complex the syndicate, the harder it is to make it work. The happiest I have ever known was a three-way arrangement — me, my mate and the owner. We each brought our