Nature agency culls Highland estate deer after landowner failure

Recreational stalkers and a full time deer Culler are in two different stratospheres.


I'm not talking about ability, one's a job and the other is a hobby.

A weekend or week evening stalker has a mooch about and often if they don't get anything they don't get anything, home for tea and medals regardless.

A deer Culler doesn't have that option, they go till they find deer by day , or by night.
 
Dave_45 said:
Has any estate ever said nope you aren't coming on to kill deer and as a consequence had legal action taken against them?
Click to expand...
Can't stop them it's written in to the act but as already said estates are given every opportunity usually over several years to.reduce numbers .
When they move in and cull your deer it's because they are causing damage on your neighbours.
Often it's. Wintering deer causing said damage usually because trees. have bee planted on the the deers tradional wintering
ground
If it does happen and they enter your ground
to cull deer you may.not like it but you can't say you haven't been warned.
If you have been seen to try and rectify the
issue it would not have happened.
 
bogtrotter said:
Can't stop them it's written in to the act but as already said estates are given every opportunity usually over several years to.reduce numbers .
When they move in and cull your deer it's because they are causing damage on your neighbours.
Often it's. Wintering deer causing said damage usually because trees. have bee planted on the the deers tradional wintering
ground
If it does happen and they enter your ground
to cull deer you may.not like it but you can't say you haven't been warned.
If you have been seen to try and rectify the
issue it would not have happened.
Click to expand...
Fair do pal , I was just after enlightenment.

I can imagine the paperwork and procedures to get the "these blokes with rifles will be on your estate" paperwork, would be horrific.
 
It is Government that have decided a cull is needed. So it is there respectability and at the moment all the government agency's involved in deer will not entertain out siders that in includes FLS Nature. Scot etc. This and other culls are paid for from the public purse. Insurance training equipment transport study's area assessments the list goes on. They cant let tom dick or harry on as they then could not justify the millions spent Killing deer.
 
TH4 said:
It is not stalking it is killing. Most of the hobby stalkers on here could not carry out a cull like that in that type of weather and terrain and also in that timescale. Definitely a job for people that do it all the time.
Click to expand...
Nobody has said Stalkers should carry out a cull.
If deer were available to shoot then a cull wouldn't be required.

Issue hunting licenses to take 1 in season deer and issue them to a large set number of applicants and less deer would need to be controlled. Requirements in place to restrict who can apply , for sure, but all the same, other countires make it work but over here it's a land access issue as well.
 
Have read through the post and I'm sorry
to say that IMO have no real idea of the issues.
Firstly there is mention of recreatiomal
stalkers and contract deer stalkers little mention of the Highland deer stalker probably the most important person in this
scenario.
The Highland stalker is employed by a private estate to manage the numbers an estate may employ one or several stalkers
They his remit is manage numbers so that
the ground available to them can support that population and also limit damage caused be deer at the same time sustain a population that will allow for recreational
stalking.
The vast majority of these guy's are highly
experienced and dedicated to their job, like any job I'm sure there are some less dedicated than others but I'm sure they are few and far between.
Some have mention free stalking some a
tag system pie in the sky IMO
First let me say there is no problem in the stag season in the late summer days of
September or early Autumn days of October
Good weather in the whole though evethen
snow is not uncommon on the hill in October
would not be the first time I have found myself wading up.past me knees in snow.in October ,still relatively easy to get cull numbers most years.
Hinds are the problem short days and foul
weather daylight not until 9am dark by 4pm which means you have to stop stalking by 3pm to get the beast of the hill or at least down to a vehicle track by dark you don't want to be on.the actual hill after dark or you
have a very good chance of needing to be retrieved by a Mountain rescue team.
Many professional stalkers are not keen on clients during the hind season while there are some very good recreational stalkers the same can not be said for many a lot are not very fit it is one thing to walk around a southern woodland something completely
different walking into the teeth of a gale at
two and a half thousand feet
And while many recreational stalkers are good shots most don't have the mindset to get the shots of quick enough the client when getting in to group of hinds will take one possibly two before they dissappear over the horizon, the professional stalker will likely take four or even five before they dissappear no slight meant it's just a case of
what you are used to.
I myself used to.take clients up until the end of the year but January and February I did mainly on my òwn or with help from people that I knew their capabilities, some clients some friends.
It's hinds that are the key to population numbers not stags and its hinds that need to.be culled to address that number
Not easy but free stalking nor a tag system is the answer to that there are no shortage of
People going stalking in the Highlands.
 
It amusers me some of the comments on here. If they offered up the stalking for free to applicants it would have very little effect.
A few people might travel up and shoot maybe one or two beast each, and certainly not many in winter.
So the SN would be no further forward.
I have offered free stalking every year for the past ten for a charity auction, NO one has ever turned up! they phone, ask exactly where the stalking is and that the last i hear from them.
Only people who turn up are genuine stalkers who are paying for the privilege.
 
Rake Aboot said:
Nobody has said Stalkers should carry out a cull.
If deer were available to shoot then a cull wouldn't be required.

Issue hunting licenses to take 1 in season deer and issue them to a large set number of applicants and less deer would need to be controlled. Requirements in place to restrict who can apply , for sure, but all the same, other countires make it work but over here it's a land access issue as well.
Click to expand...
Plenty opportunities to come stalk already no need for any change.
Tell me the logistics how would you get your
deer off on last estate I was on it was 17 miles from one end of the Glen to the other
not everyone can afford an Argocat
 
willie_gunn said:
One wonders how the Department of Natural Resources manages in the US?

In 2020-21 deer hunters there culled 6.3 million white-tailed deer alone. I doubt every one of those hunters had an Argocat, yet somehow they seem to manage. :-|
Click to expand...
Where did you find that figure?
The only reason I ask, it isn't compulsory to report a successful hunt, so in effect this number could be under reported.
Different hunting culture over there, lots of hunters compared to us.
 
bogtrotter said:
Plenty opportunities to come stalk already no need for any change.
Tell me the logistics how would you get your
deer off on last estate I was on it was 17 miles from one end of the Glen to the other
not everyone can afford an Argocat
Click to expand...
Paying a fortune is not an opportunity. There is very much a change required as is shown by the subject of this thread.
Wanting things to stay the same in order to keep making money is a different interest altogether.

As for the last part, I'd have used an argo cat.
 
levigsp said:
It amusers me some of the comments on here. If they offered up the stalking for free to applicants it would have very little effect.
A few people might travel up and shoot maybe one or two beast each, and certainly not many in winter.
So the SN would be no further forward.
I have offered free stalking every year for the past ten for a charity auction, NO one has ever turned up! they phone, ask exactly where the stalking is and that the last i hear from them.
Only people who turn up are genuine stalkers who are paying for the privilege.
Click to expand...
Rake Aboot said:
Paying a fortune is not an opportunity. There is very much a change required as is shown by the subject of this thread.
Wanting things to stay the same in order to keep making money is a different interest altogether.

As for the last part, I'd have used an argo cat.
Click to expand...
Will cost you more than few days.stalking.
Who is paying a fortune stags yes but stags are not the problem hinds
are the key to.populstion culling hinds is the answer .
Hind stalking is not expensive .
Be careful.what you wish for the system you are advocating would be a disaster for Scotland not just in Estate revenue but in Rural communities
 
Rake Aboot said:
Nobody has said Stalkers should carry out a cull.
If deer were available to shoot then a cull wouldn't be required.

Issue hunting licenses to take 1 in season deer and issue them to a large set number of applicants and less deer would need to be controlled. Requirements in place to restrict who can apply , for sure, but all the same, other countires make it work but over here it's a land access issue as well.
Click to expand...
How would that work then. If the people stalking take1 deer each at a 50% success rate it would take all year
 
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