land next to forestry.

[Hunter1973]

Hi ladies and gents,
What are your thoughts?
You have a large area of ground immediately adjacent to large forestry operation. The deer on this ground are not causing any impact.
Do you, shoot all deer in season as and when because forestry rangers shoot on site, or do you leave them in the hope that some bucks will avoid being shot and develop into better animals?

 

[lochty]

I have the same problem on one of my boundaries. I left some nice fallow bucks, which disappeared. Next year, same thing. Following year, in my chiller. Caveat emptor.

 

[Jon P]

I assume you mean roe deer , not fallow. If you are wanting to grow big heads, Take the poor ones off and hope the others don’t get shot. It can be annoying for the adjacent premises if yours is a safe haven and they have targets to hit. A place I shoot on . We can see 150 plus fallow the wrong side of the fence and they graze quite happily as never shot on there.

 

[308rws]

What are we taking about in terms of respective hectarage of farmland and forest?

Play the long game and establish some cross boundary communication. In time and through your effort you might be lucky and land a lease on the adjoining forestry. You'd then be in a position to better control quality if that's what you're after.

 

[Hunter1973]

Hi just to add more details. it is Roe deer. The forestry is at least 6000 acres and my land boundaries about a mile of it at one end. Also my land is poor hill ground not grazing or arable.

 

[Nickb]

Hi just to add more details. it is Roe deer. The forestry is at least 6000 acres and my land boundaries about a mile of it at one end. Also my land is poor hill ground not grazing or arable.

Shoot on sight , you are never going to get any quality animals in Northumberland from forestry/hill ground.

 

[Camdig]

Take your opportunities when they come, you can't manage for quality on a wee bit of margin ground.
You will more than likely shoot a fair few young bucks on the hill ground having been chased out forestry.

 

[billy_boyle_2010]

Do what's best for the deer. Hopefully the forestry person will have the same attitude. If not - how much pleasure do you really take from shooting an absolute beauty of an animal before/in their prime? I get none personally.

 

[Tim.243]

Hi ladies and gents,
What are your thoughts?
You have a large area of ground immediately adjacent to large forestry operation. The deer on this ground are not causing any impact.
Do you, shoot all deer in season as and when because forestry rangers shoot on site, or do you leave them in the hope that some bucks will avoid being shot and develop into better animals?

Shoot what you can, I have yet to be convinced that venison from a "poor" head eats any better or worse than a "good head"


In fact there is no evidence to prove either

This is echoed up and down the UK.

I shoot a small farm surrounded by one large landowner with a "syndicate" I bumped into one chap passing on the lane with it quite obvious they shoot all the big heads then leave the rest including the does.

 

[Dickie]

Shoot what you can, I have yet to be convinced that venison from a "poor" head eats any better or worse than a "good head"


In fact there is no evidence to prove either

This is echoed up and down the UK.

I shoot a small farm surrounded by one large landowner with a "syndicate" I bumped into one chap passing on the lane with it quite obvious they shoot all the big heads then leave the rest including the does.

lucky for you that's their way.

 

[Hunter1973]

Do what's best for the deer. Hopefully the forestry person will have the same attitude. If not - how much pleasure do you really take from shooting an absolute beauty of an animal before/in their prime? I get none personally.

Forestry shoot at male deer in season. Regardless

 

[slider]

Do what's best for the deer. Hopefully the forestry person will have the same attitude. If not - how much pleasure do you really take from shooting an absolute beauty of an animal before/in their prime? I get none personally.

Forestry will do what's best for the forest. I.e. shoot on sight.
It's pointless leaving animals to "develop" as you are highly unlikely to get another look at them

 

[billy_boyle_2010]

Forestry shoot at male deer in season. Regardless

But given the choice will they shoot a smaller head of the two ?

Isn't some forestry sent out to tender ? And the stalker may have some discretion also ?

 

[billy_boyle_2010]

It's pointless leaving animals to "develop" as you are highly unlikely to get another look at them

That doesn't mean it's pointless. It means you don't get the "pleasure" of a good head. But the animal- and species as a whole- still benefits- from discretion.

The small selfish mindset of "shoot it because you won't see it again" is not good for the species we all respect and admire IMO

If cull pressure is huge fair enough. But the fear and scarcity mindset of someone else shooting it- whilst easy to slip into- isn't so useful IMO

 

[sh1kar]

I had a similar issue on an estate looked after for many years near Alice Holt. We shot everything in season on that part of the boundary (Roe and Muntjac) over the many years we had it. The Forest just kept sending animals to fill in the vacuum!

S

 

[Tim.243]

That doesn't mean it's pointless. It means you don't get the "pleasure" of a good head. But the animal- and species as a whole- still benefits- from discretion.

The small selfish mindset of "shoot it because you won't see it again" is not good for the species we all respect and admire IMO

If cull pressure is huge fair enough. But the fear and scarcity mindset of someone else shooting it- whilst easy to slip into- isn't so useful IMO

There is a lot more to a deer than its "head" in fact the does head goes in the bin with all the other waste leading to the good possibility deer is shot for its head as a doe would be taken into the dealer dressed and the caped buck/stag will not.

Trying to create selective breeding in wild deer is pure fantasy you simply can't do it, people who think they can have watched Jurassic Park far too many times.
Que: John Hammond

 

[Nickb]

Trying to create selective breeding in wild deer is pure fantasy you simply can't do it, people who think they can have watched Jurassic Park far too many times.

Especially as the OPs post was about roe in forestry and hill ground.They are never quality animals, shoot on sight is best policy.

 

[devon deer stalker]

Do what's best for the deer. Hopefully the forestry person will have the same attitude. If not - how much pleasure do you really take from shooting an absolute beauty of an animal before/in their prime? I get none personally.

Um, I would say primarily do what's best for the landowner who kindly gives you permission to shoot the deer.

 

[hendrix's rifle]

But given the choice will they shoot a smaller head of the two ?

Isn't some forestry sent out to tender ? And the stalker may have some discretion also ?

Not sure about everyone else but I know enough people, myself included, would shoot both if they presented a shot

 

[slider]

That doesn't mean it's pointless. It means you don't get the "pleasure" of a good head. But the animal- and species as a whole- still benefits- from discretion.

The small selfish mindset of "shoot it because you won't see it again" is not good for the species we all respect and admire IMO

If cull pressure is huge fair enough. But the fear and scarcity mindset of someone else shooting it- whilst easy to slip into- isn't so useful IMO

How does the species benefit from man tampering with the gene pool by selectively culling? Is it actually any benefit to the species to grow bigger and bigger heads (if in fact there is actually any science to say there is a "big head" gene!).

Some may get pleasure from "good heads", others simply get pleasure from the meat. Horses for courses