As well as Dominic's book, you might find it useful to read through the
Best Practice Guidance, since the Deer Management Course will be looking at things like deer surveys, cull plans, legislation, aging, etc.
Also keep in mind that the course is about deer management, rather than deer stalking. The emphasis certainly isn't on shooting deer - these days I believe they've removed the shooting test - but more about the reasons why deer need to be managed, how they can be managed, the tools available to help with the management of deer, and how deer management needs to be reconciled with other demands on the land such as farming, forestry, public access, etc.
There may well be people attending who don't come from a stalking background, but are well versed in forestry or land management, for example, so it might be useful to have a quick look at resources like the Forestry Research website and their
guidance on fencing for fallow, roe and muntjac, and also the Forestry Commission's small book "
How Many Deer?".
However don't overthink things.
I am sure the course has moved on since I attended back in 2010, but at that time the course involved a lot of practical work and discussion, including an interesting session run by Chris Howard on aging deer from both skulls and teeth, and a session by Dominic on interaction with farmers, foresters, estate managers, etc.
Most of all go into the course with an open mind as to what you will learn, and an appreciation of the experiences of both the other attendees and the tutors. It was, back in 2010, an excellent week where you could immerse yourself in deer and deer management, and have a lot of fun. There was a lot of material on the course that has proven useful over the years, particularly when liaising with estate managers and NGO's, and there were other attendees who I still keep in touch with, and who have gone on to contribute significantly to the deer world in the UK.
bds.org.uk
