Pre DSC 1 course???

I'm pretty new to all this - so for me i feel that doing one is a good idea (going to bunwell wood shoot for one in april). I guess those with a little more experience might go straight for a DSC1 course, but i felt the need for he pre course to build my confidence!
 
Just thinking is it a good idea to go on one of thease courses?? Or would it just be a bit of a ramp up for the DSC1??

I'm going for a stalk soon but also going to have some range time before the stalk to practice for the dsc1 shooting test I'm also doing one of the online training courses and hope this should be sufficient for me to pass my dsc1
 
Save your money. Read and remember the course manual and you'll pass no problems. Get some range time in for the shooting and your be fine. DSC1 is an entry level course. There's nothing you can't find out that's on the dsc1 that you won't find already in books etc.
 
No need. You can study the material yourself, or just get someone to send you the answers ;) (sorry).

I did assessment only. Been shooting rimfires for a year but had taken 4 shots with a centrefire rifle before the course and passed easily first time.

It's very straightforward.
 
Hi,
The more experienced stalkers may have been lucky to start off with bags of confidence or forgotten what it was like starting out ;). However as a recent noob I did a BASC pre-DSC day and really enjoyed it. I agree that it can seem like a lot of money, but it was great to go over agin the basics of ballistics and optics, as well as some legal stuff. It had been donkeys' years since picking up a rifle, and was a really good environment for asking 'stupid' questions. It also gave me something to talk about with the FAO; who knows it may have helped in demonstrating committment to safe shooting.
 
Hi all,

I think it depends on the individual. If you are experienced and confident in your ability to shoot accurately and safely then by all means just do the course or the test in a single day. If you like to have more tuition before doing a course, or need more shooting/safety experience, then do a pre-course. Pre-courses and online service such as mine are not being offered as something necessary in your route towards your DSC, they are being offered as another option for those who need, want or simply prefer them.

Do what's best for yourself! enjoy whatever you do and good luck with your test when the time comes.

Regards, Steve
 
BASC runs a Pre-DSC 1 before most of its full blown courses. The reason for this was that many of the candidates’ coming to do their DSC 1 had little or no experience of deer stalking and in some cases had never fired a centre fire rifle before or had sufficient practice. The DSC 1 does not cater for these types of candidates and you are expected to have some experience in the field to be able to pass the safety assessments and the shooting assessment. The Pre DSC 1 allows for such practical experience. If you can get this experience with a mentor or a local rifle club, then all to the good, but many simply want to have the definitive experience you get with a quality assured training course.

Thanks, Peter
 
Treading in here with some trepidation and obviously from perspective of a course provider.

This is a sport of individuals - and frankly long may it remain so; even if it does cause the odd ruckus on here;). Always dangerous to generalise and not as helpful as perhaps intended if anyone gives their view as gospel ( and I count myself as liable to be guilty of that as anyone ).

Running courses/ assessments, the most common feature of candidates is nerves. As with shooting generally, taking the DSC1 is about confidence from many perspectives. If its any help, we'ved had experienced firearms professionals - police and military - say the shooting test 'was the most nerve wracking 9 rounds I've ever shot... and on the friendliest range'. So it hits everyone.

In many ways a 'clean sheet' is much easier to coach than someone with a bit of experience. Numerous times the first time of firing a fullbore rifle has been on the coaching session the day before the test. I don't have a record of any of those subsequently failing the shooting test. But as Peter points out, the actual test day doesnt give the scope to do that.

All levels of shooters often express the fervent wish they had booked some prior coaching/practice session for the shooting - whilst they are doing the test! We have several set offers and advertise that we can set up specific courses for people - all with very low take up. The majority of take up comes from people after their Level 1.

The DSC1 is a foundation qualification and input from any of the reputable training/ assessment outfits will more than likely see you right. This is your first time, it's their gazillionth - there should be the trust built that they will be trying all out to help you do your best.

But with the best will in the world, it is very hard for providers to help candidates with the confidence/ stress issue in advance of the course.

If an individual feels particular concern over any area and discussion with their course/ assessment provider is not really helping to alleviate the worry - for that individual - then I think taking extra coaching/ experience can be useful. But not at risk of over doing things or detracting from basic graft of getting to grips with the syllabus. I would recommend trying in the first instance to sort things via chosen centre - simply because that a. gets you used to the people who'll be with you on the day and b. ensures continuity - there can be differences of opinion/ perspective amongst providers:eek:.

But if additional experience/ tuition feels like a good idea for you personally, then I recommend it wholeheartedly; as much as a confidence boost as any other factor - but not on basis that it should be seen as essentially the only way to success.

Not as an advertising sop for us or anyone else in the field, but because I do think it would help a lot of people; I do try and ask people doing their L1 to post on here how it went for them - not XXX Ltd are great guys, Andy is the funniest man alive and hardly fat at all etc - but from their experience - what worked study wise, what the main concerns were, what concerns turned out to be of no consequence, what they'd do differently looking back etc. Only really works immediately after the event with fresh memory - but most are recovering I suspect!

Good luck with whatever you choose in any event.
 
well to be honest i have stacks of experiance with CF rifles and useing them out to 2500 yds but no stalking experiance. Think i might go for one
 
The BDS 3 day courses are designed to teach everything necessary for the novice to turn up and pass at the end. But we are all individuals, having seen many candidates the shooting aspects cause most problems in learning quickly – theory varies with the individual.
 
The BDS 3 day courses are designed to teach everything necessary for the novice to turn up and pass at the end. But we are all individuals, having seen many candidates the shooting aspects cause most problems in learning quickly – theory varies with the individual.

I think you might be misleading people - It is highley unlikely that in a three day course of which one of these is the assessments, that there will be the time to practice on the range and practice simulated stalks. The candidates still need to have some practical experience to pass the assessments
 
I remember my DSC1, myself and two friends after 30 years of shooting targets,game,vermin and wildfowl decided we wanted to try our hand at stalking, money and time were not in abundance, so we choose a two day weekend course, this was preceded by months of reading the course manual, watching videos, reviewing past course test papers, and meeting up for Q&A test sessions over a decent pint. So we set off for Scotland full of confidence, what followed was two days of hell ! we realised just how little we did know, but thanks to an excellent course tutor we all passed, so it is possable to pass the course in this manner, everything can be learnt from books bar one thing, shooting skills! I would not recommend anyone without shooting skills to attempt this course, yes you might be able to put a few shots into a target on the day, but I would hate the thought of someone with such a small amount of shooting skills taking a shot at a beast
 
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