DEER & WILDLIFE CONTROL
Protecting the countryside
DSC1&2 Qualified, DMQ Accredited witness & Assessor.
Large Game Meat Hygiene certificate holder
Fully insured with BASC.
Deer Management
The object of deer management is not to kill every animal in the area but to assess
the deer population, adjust through culling to a sustainable level and to take out
the sick and injured. Accessing a deer population is not an easy task as the animals
do not put t
heir hands up to be counted. Not only is it necessary to estimated the
population but its important to calculate the male to female ratio. This ratio is
crucial to maintaining the size of the local population at a controllable level.
Once this information has been gathered a culling strategy can be put together to
adjust the numbers of deer to suit the surrounding environment.
There are strict rules that have to be stringently followed when slaughtering domestic animals and it is only fair that deer should be shown the same respect and be dispatched as humanely and stress free as possible. A qualified hunter will know how to do this job correctly with the legally required rifle and ammunition. Once a deer has been culled it is important that the carcass is dealt with in the correct manner by someone who is qualified in food hygiene so the meat can be sold legally back into the food chain.
Deer are often found in areas were there is pedestrian access, horse riders and people
carrying out their duties on the land. The most important issue whenever a firearm
is to be discharged is to the safety o
f the general public. Land boundaries and footpaths
need to be studied and safe areas for culling decided so people and livestock are
not disturbed or put in any danger. This may mean attracting the deer to a safe culling
area rather than waiting for the deer to present themselves in the correct location.
Its is an offence to kill any species of deer at night, night being classed as one
hour before sunrise and one hour after sunset. However in extreme situations Natural
England can grant a special license to cull at night if there is no other satisfactory
alternative to controlling the deer species to which the license relates.
A satisfactory result of a well managed deer population is were the deer can live in harmony with their surrounding environment without causing excessive damage or becoming a nuisance. A low density herd of the right male to female ratio will stay healthy and trouble free. A confirmatory population estimate should be carried out every spring so animal numbers and the male to female ratio can be adjusted in the following autumn if needed. Not only does this allow the deer population to thrive without complaint from those who make a living from the land but it also maintains a stock of healthy animals.
Being qualified in large game hygiene any deer that need to be culled will end up butchered and packaged ready for your freezer, there is nothing quite like your own home grown venison. The only cost to you will usually be just a share of the venison.