Scottish stag season

User00023

Well-Known Member
With apologies to the many who may find this query dim beyond belief, can somebody please explain to me why the Scottish stag season differs so markedly from that of the rest of the UK?

Thanks chaps.

Iwrch
 
It was to give the stags sufficent time to recover post rut and regain condition without being harassed by being stalked thereby giving them them the best chance to survive the winter.
 
Thanks for that SB.

If it was purely on the grounds of welfare why then didn't anybody petition for the same reasoning to be applied across the other parts of the UK? I know the winter months can be grim in the Highlands but other areas can be equally chilly and no less forgiving to the recovering stags.

Then again, is it really a welfare issue? Might it be that that the venison trade wants beasts with fuller conformations than can be sourced from the hill during the winter months?
 
PS Just found this on the BDS web site as part of their response to the DCS consultation -

Suggested Close Season

Red Stags (and hybrids) 21 October - 31 March

Wouldn't that be likely to bring them back into season still in velvet?
 
We are shooting stags in velvet in July.

The deer seasons as they are were written up when the "Estates" still had the power and crofting and agricuture were the main threat to deer as was poaching , the seasons were written with "sporting" estates in mind .

Since then we have other pressures on deer mainly forestry and "environmental"

In my mind the proposed scrapping of male seasons will not have an adverse effect on welfare but will open the doors for certain people to over exploit stags.

Venison quality has never been a driving force in the debate, as it is the bulk of our hill stags are shot in the rut!!
 
You could look at it the other way, why is the rest of the UK different to Scotland? :p In my mind it boils down to the welfare of the deer in different environments. The southern deer have better feeding and climatic conditions compared to their northern cousins. The seasons reflect the ability in each area for the deer to recover after the rut. There is basically a vast difference over the country in conditions that allows the deer to recover and survive after a stressful engagement in October..................
 
Point taken jingzy.

I still have reservations about the reasons given for different closed seasons but am also sensitive to the current DCS consultation and the responses of those who are likely to be affected. In view of this situation I feel it might be better to reserve my arguments for more intimate fora rather than slog it out in public. That's not to say we have anything to hide - we don't; rather, that a well versed response is always better defence than yeah...but no...but yeah...but... !
 
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