The management of deer in Scotland is carried out by various groups using various different methods. The Deer Commission for Scotland uses a range of regulatory provisions set down in the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 to further its remit. These include authorisations to cull deer in specific circumstances as part of a voluntary deer management agreement and a limited number of compulsory powers. Below is a list and an explanation of different deer management methods, some of which include animated guides to explain the processes in detail. It is worth noting that not all the methods are currently in use. Some may be under consideration as a potential deer management tool and may be subject to extensive trials to assess their effectiveness
Stalking
Stalking is the act of tracking prey, in this case deer, silently, without the animal being aware of your presence, to kill the animal humanely and effectively. The skills involved in stalking can be traced back to a time when deer and other animals were one of the few forms of food. The ability to effectively hunt animals undetected and kill them was required to maintain domestic food supplies. Stalking as a profession developed in Scotland when landowners in the 19th century employed local people with a thorough knowledge of the land, the wildlife and plant life to manage populations of deer for the benefit of sporting interests. At that time deer populations were lower than the present day and stalks were allowed to increase to support lucrative sporting activities - bringing wealthy people to an area to hunt deer for leisure. Nowadays stalkers are employed for the same purpose. However a crucial part of the role now involves the careful management of deer populations to identify unhealthy stock - deer suffering from disease, malnourishment, injury. These animals are stalked before being humanely culled, or shot. This helps to maintain a healthy population and ensures the number of deer meets sporting requirements and can be maintained by the natural environment.
Team culling
Stalkers often act on their own when culling deer as part of deer management. However, there are times when stalkers work in groups to cull deer effectively and efficiently. This is known as team culling. Team culling is beneficial when deer densities are high and/or deer move regularly over a large area, from one area of land to another. Stalkers employed in these different areas can benefit if team culling is used, with resources shared and the task of culling divided among a larger group or team.
Fencing
In Scotland deer fencing has been used as a tool to manage deer densities and movements. It has been particularly useful in protecting public safety and to enable significant habitat changes to be achieved within a relatively short time. This has allowed various different land management objectives to co-exist in close proximity, whether within or between landholdings. The purpose of a deer fence is to produce some form of benefit, whether in terms of managing grazing or reducing the threat to public safety - benefits which might also be delivered through culling. The construction of a deer fence can, however, have an unintentional impact on other interests including deer welfare, public safety, biodiversity, landscape, cultural heritage and access. When considering fencing, the following points should be considered:
As a method of deer management Capture for Culling has been used for a number of years at various locations and by various land managers and owners throughout Scotland. The Deer Commission for Scotland is currently carrying out trials into the use of Capture for Culling to assess its effectiveness as a deer management tool and to assist in developing Best Practice guidance. It is crucial to develop Best Practice guidance on Capture for Culling to ensure that if it is used as a deer management tool the correct procedures are put in place and that practitioners adhere to them. The overall aims of the procedures are to minimise the disruption to deer and to carry out culling in a way which is humane, efficient and protects deer welfare. As a deer management method Capture for Culling could provide a number of benefits within a culling operation including:
As a deer management method Capture for Culling would be designed to operate as one of a number of deer management methods. To ensure deer management is successful, a range of options should always be considered and the most appropriate methods used.
Click on the link to view any of the animated guides: Capture for Culling. Helicopters and Team Culling further photographs showing technical detail of helicopter carriage are available
