We look at the importanace of the 01st November to deer managers.
The season for females is a short one. Stretching from the 01st November – 31st March in England & Wales. And from 21st October – 16th Feb in Scotland for Red, Sika and Fallow, and 31st March for Roe. Whether things will change after recent government consultations remains to be seen, but for now, this period represents a brief window of opportunity when deer managers around the UK can start to reduce the breeding population.
This month the 01st Nov falls on a Friday and at the Capreoluc Club we will spend both Friday and Saturday at our grounds in Dorset, where we will be shooting Sika, and in Hampshire, where we will be shooting Fallow, Roe and Muntjac.
Make no mistake, with Fallow, Sika, & Muntjac in particular, we will be ruthless, and I will be surprised if amongst the handful of members joining us on trips this weekend, if we do not shoot at least 30 odd animals during the first 48hrs.
Thereafter, things will take a turn. The deer quickly realise what is going on and things become increasingly hard. My message, therefore, is if you have a genuine need to reduce numbers, then shoot them hard at the start of the season before they head for the hills!
Of course, we all try and make each shot count, but no matter how good a shot you are, we all get it wrong from time to time and are required to follow up on poorly shot beast. Experts in the field of Tracking & Recovery are a company called, Uk Deer Track & Recovery (UKDTR).
Many of you may have already noticed that UKDTR have produced a short online course in collaboration with the ‘Shooting & Hunting Academy’. This exciting new certificated course acts a useful ‘bolt-on’ for those who have a PDS1 or DSC1 and provides an excellent understanding of the skills required to recover shot and injured deer with greater regularity.
As the female season gets underway and as we all start squeezing the trigger more, the odds of something going wrong increase. We owe it to our quarry to ensure that any shot animal is dispatched quickly and humanely, and so I’d strongly recommend that you take a look.
Follow this link to find out more and enrol on UKDTR’s exciting new course: ukdtr-course
Of course, the other reason why November is so productive, is because all males save for Roebuck, are also in season. Its no wonder that during the first few days of November, success rates sore!
Speaking of males, if you haven’t checked it out already, our latest film has both some truly epic footage from Scotland and some fabulous footage from the Sika rut in Dorset, I hope you’ll take a moment to watch..youtube.com/watch
IN Season in England & Wales: Roe Doe, Fallow Doe & Fallow Buck, Sika Stag & Sika Hind, Red Stag & Red Hind, CWD Buck & CWD Doe, Muntjac Buck & Muntjac Doe.
OFF Season in England & Wales: Roebuck.
In Season in Scotland: All deer.
(Peter Jones - Editor)
