Remember, remember the 01st of November!
In Scotland the season for females commenced on the 21st October
I think the phrase goes something like that, or at any rate, it should do, because the 01st November is the most significant date in the year for deer managers. This is because from the beginning of November it is ‘open season’ for all female deer across the UK.
In fact, its open season for almost all deer in England & Wales save for Roebuck.
Anyone with a grain of appreciation for the population dynamics of deer, knows that you can’t do anything about a deer population, until you can get to grips with the breeding population.
Spend August to October trying to shoot all your males if you wish, but one remaining male can serve as many as twenty-five breeding females. So, you’ll achieve precious little if you are trying to get numbers down.
As much as we love seeing and stalking deer, in many parts of the UK there is a serious job to be done. That is not to say deer numbers are too high in all areas, because they are not. But in some areas, deer are responsible for substantial damage to crops, woodlands, and biodiversity.
Regrettably, the recent consultation by DEFRA has taught us that well-meaning, but ill-informed persons in power do love a simple solution and so often wish to lump our six species into one simple category ‘deer’. This dangerous oversimplification can have devastating repercussions for our industry, let us hope that the feedback DEFRA has received will better inform those who make the decisions.
For now, those in areas where deer are getting fast out of control must recognise that if more draconian action such as ‘night shooting’ is going to be avoided, they must take responsibility for maintaining a sizeable cull of females between now and the end of the season, which is 31st March in England & Wales and 15th Feb in Scotland.
If this is indeed your task, then my advice is to get on with it early, especially in Scotland, before the weather deteriorates further into late winter and the deer become increasingly skittish.
For recreational stalkers, there are some fabulous opportunities to access some affordable stalking and with far more deer being in season, success rates soar.
If you’d like to get out stalking then contact 0203 981 0159 or email
Or if you woul like to learn how to hunt deer and harvest your own venison, a great place to start is by taking the PDS1 Deer Stalking Certificate. You can get started and enrol here, via the UK shooting & Hunting Academy: deer-stalking-course
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: Fallow Buck, Fallow Does, Roe Doe, Sika Hind, Red Hind.
Off Season in Scotland: Red Stag, Sika Stag & Roebuck
(Peter Jones - Editor)
