Marlodge

colm

Well-Known Member
Hear they are going to be starting a 4 hour shift every night lamping Deer, any one know if it,s true.
 
There are a few estates that have been doing this for years.

It's nothing new. I've been doing it nigh on 13yrs now. It's a very effective method of controlling deer.
 
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I think the problem with Marlodge Dan is the disgusting amount of cash that has been thrown at the place and it still needs more when will it stop.:D
 
The Mar Lodge keeper of 30 years Stewart Cumming resigned in December over the NTS policy
imp
of culling deer simply to protect the Scots Pine regeneration project which they refused to put a fence around! It beggars belief they were allowed to keep this policy in place!

Keeper quits over National Trust for Scotland deer 'slaughter' - Scotland on Sunday
 
I used to go up to Braemar and Inveray to stay there and photograph the Red-deer of Mar Lodge.
At night the deer came into the villages and into peoples gardens many of which had their own deer fences to protect the plants and shrubs.
This was a wonderful tourist attraction but after the terrible culls of a few years ago the deer vanished.
The last time I went there I did not see a deer or hear a roar and this was during the rut so I never returned.
Those Red-deer were some of the finest in Scotland. Picture of one below.

HWH.

DUPLICATES022-1.jpg
 
It saddend me to read of more night time culling just to meet the cull requirements (whether the figures are sensible or not is a massive argument for another time).
My point here is there are many competent non professional stalkers on limited incomes who would give their eye teeth to help with a cull. But no they are not encouraged or invited.
Many hands make light work springs to mind. - Time for a more lateral approach to these issues would be nice.
Ian
 
Night shooting should only be undertaken at a very last resort in my opinion. And after ALL THIS TIME AND MONEY they are still killing deer and no regeneration of trees!! Just goes to show that once again the deer have been blamed for mans destruction of the caledonian forest, so lets shoot all the deer policy dosnt really wash does it?
 
Night shooting should only be undertaken at a very last resort in my opinion. And after ALL THIS TIME AND MONEY they are still killing deer and no regeneration of trees!! Just goes to show that once again the deer have been blamed for mans destruction of the caledonian forest, so lets shoot all the deer policy dosnt really wash does it?
It depends greatly on many factors, it obviously hasn't worked at Marlodge but it's made a massive difference in Glenfeshie, the bottom of the glen is carpeted in new growth. Don't for a minute think I'm justifying mass culls, Deer are part of the big picture, they have always inhabited the glens of Scotland and always should.
 
For whatever reason NTS at Mar Lodge are taking very little or no advice from anyone, including other conservation bodies. They have even distanced themselves from other NTS properties?
No matter ho many deer you kill, regen will struggle to get through an understorey of 4 foot heather!
With a little humility and joined up thinking from the NTS ecologists this project could work, at the moment I think they are facing a huge financial crisis, so it'll be interesting to see what happens.
 
Those pratts at NTS should take note that tourists go to Scotland sometimes at considerable expense to see the Golden Eagle and the Red-deer and not Caledonian pines.

HWH.
 
This governemt must have loads of cash they dont want us to know about. With regards night shooting it is the cheap and easy option of removing deer mass slaughter springs to mind but there is no managment in a lamp and the best and healthiest of deer get the message as do the sick and starving. All this time the sika because of the way they live normally ivaid the shooters and keep increasing in number. But if these mass slaughters dont happen then the SNH DCS FC NTS Can not put in cull returns that meet or exceed the previous years. If this happens then the money will stop because the governemt will see it as job done.;)
 
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Also heard they are feeding deer into regen areas to be shot i personaly dont think it's right to harase the deer 24/7. as has been mentioned the under cover is 3 to 4 feet high how can you have natural regeneration in that ?

Colm
 
The Mar Lodge head keeper resigned after 30 years 6 months before he was due to retire considering he had worked for the NTS for 23 of them not much of a stand. If he did not agree with the NTS policy he should have left along time ago.Also fencing is not a viable option in such a location with high numbers of caper and black grouse and would also defeat the purpose of natural regen. And the whole night shooting arguement is so old and has been going on all over the country for so many years I believe done properly it can be a very cost efective resource in the modern day stalkers tool kit.
 
The Mar Lodge head keeper resigned after 30 years 6 months before he was due to retire considering he had worked for the NTS for 23 of them not much of a stand. If he did not agree with the NTS policy he should have left along time ago.Also fencing is not a viable option in such a location with high numbers of caper and black grouse and would also defeat the purpose of natural regen. And the whole night shooting arguement is so old and has been going on all over the country for so many years I believe done properly it can be a very cost efective resource in the modern day stalkers tool kit.

With regard to Caper , there are none in the regen area and a possible small population across the river, Black grouse again are in short supply. NTS have some fencing just up from the Brig o Dee, and I must admit that the marking of the fence is pitifull, they used garden canes!!!!!!!!

I do think that night shooting at Mar Lodge will not be the most effective use of time or resources.

Anyone who has ever met Stewart Cummings will know that taking early retirement and speaking out would certainly not be a decision taken lightly and must have caused many if not 1000's of sleepless nights over the last 23years. He has shown a huge amount of loyalty to NTS as they were his employer and never once spoke out against them while in their employment. Some may take the view that he was old fashioned, he may have been but he is a true perfectionist and cared deeply about the estate in which his familly has had a link for generations.

I have worked with nearly every Estate whether private or NTS, RSPB etc in the highlands that has Caper present and to be honest the only one that has ever been defensive [in fact bloody awkward] was NTS at Mar Lodge. This is a common view held by everyone that has dealt with them , including other NTS staff.
I am a supporter of conserving our natural woodlands and have counted well over a 1000 stags in front of the lodge and know fine well how overstocked the place was, and in principle support what they are trying to achieve , but they must take stock of what they are doing and realise that they are not achieving their end goal and it is time for a rethink.

I asked whether they had thought about scarifying areas, and was told in no uncertain terms that I was an idiot!!!!

By a certain ecologist who is certainly showing her expertise?

Derry, do you have a vested interest in Mar Lodge, your name certainly hints that?
 
the certain ecologist you are talking about is as much use as a fart in a space suite,not a clue about regeneration...
the contractors that are doing the cull will be paid handsomely for their time slaughtering the deer at mar lodge at the tax payers expense.yet with 3 full time stalkers there it just begs on belief why they dont do the job?????? but i hear they are understaffed to do the job and a contract was given to the contractors by the old factor who left within 3 days of handing in his notice :eek:.... i think that says it all

Yet NTS still paid thousands of pounds for a report on the regeneration of the scots pine and it just said "Heather too high " 3-5ft in some areas
 
Once again refrence is being made regarding deer fences wiping out our black game. In my and my famillies experience this is just not the case. The farm had a deer fence as its march with the largest population of Caper in this country and not once did we ever see a dead Caper laying alongside it. Nor evidence that there had been. Yes we have seen pictures produced by the RSPB and there like showing "dents" in the fences alegedly where a Caper has flown in to it.....
If it did happen, and I'm not saying it has never happened. I'm saying that it has had very little to do with the decline in Caper numbers. These people have blinkers on and will not listen to reason. They have there own agenda and will stick to it regardless of what we may think. Blaming deer fences gives them a great excuse to remove the fences and then to wipe out the Deer, why, because they have removed the Deer fences and they are now stopping the regeneration that we are all wanting to see seemingly.
 
I believe you caper facts to be wrong.I also think your facts about night shooting to be wrong as with all the fences down the deer spend alot of there time in plantations.Also i find your facts about mr cummings to be somewhat misguided, yes he cared about the estate alot but he never imbrassed his employers vision or view of the future at Mar Lodge.Also I know they are thinking about scarifying the regen area and they have bought a tool to do the work maybe your idea got the ball rolling. I am glad to hear you think there idea is a worth while one and the last time i was up at mar the regen was really starting to take hold.
 
Derry there are lots of people who work hard and say little even if they know what is happening is wrong and the way it is getting done is wrong. I find your tone towards Mr Cummings some what distasteful .Lets keep it real The amount of money the government has ploughed in to Marlodge so that the The then DCS/snh FC head men BDS and the BASC BOYS. could have a play at the tax payers expence is nothing short of shame full. I am sure the goings on up there will be looked into very soon. ;)
 
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