BDS 'Advanced Stalkers Qualification'

Erik Hamburger

Well-Known Member
Confused? Yes I am.

Finally, the BDS has now published a list of all the various qualifications and the amount of 'points' that they will allow towards a Bronze, Silver or Gold in their new CPD scheme. A new (well, new to me) qualification (45 points!) is the BDS Advanced Stalkers Qualification. (?) not to be confused with the BDS Deer Management Course (also 45 pts.)
The 'BDS Advanced Stalkers Qualification' is also a compulsory element for the achievement of the 'Gold' Award, as is the BDS Deer Management Course. A Google search shows up nothing. The BDS website doesn't list a 'BDS Advanced Stalkers Qualification'.

Am I going mad?
 
Personally, I find this all a bit of a joke and insulting to industry professionals. In principal the idea is fine until you realise that this bronze, silver and gold principal for awards is designed to create competition. That promotes elitism and for what purpose or benefit to the deer sector?

The harsh reality is that you will get certificate chasers who don't shoot a lot of deer but achieve gold status that will then brag they are better qualified than industry professionals who have no need to prove anything. Ka-ching!!!! Brass it up BDS

PS...

Chainsaw award gives you points, wonder if my pool lifeguard does too.
 
Dave Goffin , the Training Manager of the BDS, has kindly clarified this to me. My ignorance is a result of my (young) age and lack of experience:

[FONT=&quot]"In 2006, a revision of the existing BDS Advanced Stalkers Course was completed. Changes to the course were made and to more accurately reflect the content of the revised course it was renamed the BDS Deer Management Course. At the same time the new course attained Lantra accreditation as a customised award. The Deer Management Course which you yourself took last year and the former BDS Advanced Stalkers Course are for the purposes of the skills award the same thing and equal accreditation is given to both."


[/FONT]
 
So, points make prizes. Is there a guide to the points scheme so that mere mortals can evaluate is what they have achieved merits a big rainbow unicorn or some Esso glasses or something?
 
My own opinion is that this isjust a means of bumping up the assets of the BDS it certainly doesn’t do muchto enhance bushcraft skils.. myrequirements are that I can competently locate stalk/dispatch/deer safely andhumanely acquiring points for Humane dispatch, chainsaw operation and the other“Management” courses is like something from an old Monty Python sketch…. “ doyou want Woofers and Tweeters with your DSC2 ? Oh yes then you’ll be needing aCertificate in “Ethical Arborism” with that”…… its Boll_ox!
 
Would this new qualification scheme from the BDS be much improved it it was supported by recognition by either LANTRA or DMQ?
 
Personally, I find this all a bit of a joke and insulting to industry professionals. In principal the idea is fine until you realise that this bronze, silver and gold principal for awards is designed to create competition. That promotes elitism and for what purpose or benefit to the deer sector?

The harsh reality is that you will get certificate chasers who don't shoot a lot of deer but achieve gold status that will then brag they are better qualified than industry professionals who have no need to prove anything. Ka-ching!!!! Brass it up BDS

PS...

Chainsaw award gives you points, wonder if my pool lifeguard does too.
Hey Paul perhaps someone could do a bursaries type course whereby donations are used to train people on a course then most of the people involved could give up their time for very little money or in some cases for free, but the I suppose you would always get the odd tutor wanting to make a princely sum out of it in comparison so not as many people could benefit eh !!
Kerr chinggģg!!!!
 
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Timbrayford Lantra could not accredit this scheme because it has no education to it. It also has no deer welfare to it. But there will be fools I just hop BDS no what they are doing because it my need to be balanced against the lack of trust in there agendas.
BASC is also very quite on this and Dave Boffin says it has full industry Backing so if there is any one from BASC SGA SACS CA who have an interest lets us know now lol.
 
ah!!! you have to do the BDS Advanced Deer Manager or Advanced Stalker qualifications or you cannot achieve gold. There is a forceful per-requisite to do a full BDS course if you want to get your Gold!!!

So that's £100 registrations for B/S/G + a mandatory £340 minimum of BDS training you must complete as part of the process.

This from a Charity..... yeh sure the industry is backing it

I hope they accept the Jelen ADMC because it's exactly the same level of Lantra course and directly comparable, suggests they will.
 
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Taking what you say at face value, what is the point of the BDS scheme?
it seems like a clever and proactive way to try and stimulate interest in BDS courses since their uptake from the stalking community has not been paying the big bucks. Knowing that a very high number of stalkers are certificate hunters and badge collectors there was a clearly a meeting where the penny dropped and they thought.... 'hey!! lets invent the coolest sounding award like medals that you can only get but doing loads of courses... wait BDS courses!!!' Then a couple of old boys at the meeting squeezed out some pee in excitement.

The deer sector does not need this as the standards have already been set and are established.
 
I must admit to a cynical expectation of the "New platinum stalkers award!" Sometime down the line.

It makes me wonder why we don't have Gold, Silver and Bronze driving licences, FAC's etc.....
 
I can't see its any different to the many accreditation and endorsement schemes that different industry guilds and professional bodies offer. Its presented slightly differently (and I have my reservations) but I really can't see why so many people are trying to discredit this scheme when they obviously haven't understood it in the first place.
 
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