No Infrastructure?

[acorn house]

I’ve recently picked up some new ground and I’m starting from zero. No high seats, no feeders, no established cull plan, and no prior knowledge of how the deer are using it.

At the moment I’m deliberately holding back from building or installing anything permanent. I’ve put out a single trail cam purely to confirm species, timing, and general movement,

What I’m interested in hearing from others is:

• How long do you just watch before acting?
• Do you always start with cameras, or do you rely more on fieldcraft and glassing?
• When do you decide a seat is justified, and where do you put the first one?
• How do you approach cull decisions when you don’t yet know what animals are resident vs just passing through?
• In open systems, do you shoot good heads early or leave them and accept you may never see them again?

I’m not chasing trophies im looking to harvest meat. I’m more interested in setting a piece of ground up properly and not making mistakes early on that push deer out.

Genuinely interested in how others do it when there’s no existing infrastructure to lean on.

 

[SikaSeeker]

What species of deer are present on the ground? You could always have a look at night to see what’s about.

 

[VSS]

What species of deer are present on the ground? You could always have a look at night to see what’s about.

Yep, I'd definitely suggest a few nighttime surveys.
Maybe go one night a week for a few weeks for a mooch about with the thermal.

 

[acorn house]

What species of deer are present on the ground? You could always have a look at night to see what’s about.

Mostly fallow and muntjac but very rarely reds cross it and roe have been seen nearby. I don’t own any thermal equipment unfortunately.

 

[Deerkeeper2]

I see your location is Cambridgeshire. Whilst I would normally be the first to advocate having some sort of evidence based plan, with two months of doe season left I would concentrate on culling as many fallow does as possible. The muntjac can wait.

 

[Tim.243]

I’ve recently picked up some new ground and I’m starting from zero. No high seats, no feeders, no established cull plan, and no prior knowledge of how the deer are using it.

At the moment I’m deliberately holding back from building or installing anything permanent. I’ve put out a single trail cam purely to confirm species, timing, and general movement,

What I’m interested in hearing from others is:

• How long do you just watch before acting?
• Do you always start with cameras, or do you rely more on fieldcraft and glassing?
• When do you decide a seat is justified, and where do you put the first one?
• How do you approach cull decisions when you don’t yet know what animals are resident vs just passing through?
• In open systems, do you shoot good heads early or leave them and accept you may never see them again?

I’m not chasing trophies im looking to harvest meat. I’m more interested in setting a piece of ground up properly and not making mistakes early on that push deer out.

Genuinely interested in how others do it when there’s no existing infrastructure to lean on.

I have always stood and shot a few before putting seats up as with Fallow they will move if you start rolling a few over quickly, heads make no difference to the meat or game dealer, 2/3 cell cameras will give you the timings, game shoots around make a difference as they can upset the balance by pushing them around. Just shoot the muntjac as they will fill that space quickly.
I shoot anything in season if it is safe from the start of the 1hr to the last of the 1hr. there are a few reasons we have 1000's of Fallow with the main factor not enough are shot. I shoot what Fallow/Reds I can and fill my time shooting muntjac.
You will make mistakes we all do, it is not a housing/road project as deer come and go at all times and as most of us have a job then it will fall into,
Weather Season Wind Food and when you can go.
Personally I have no cull plan no feeders stand more than I sit in my seats.
Good luck

 

[Klenchblaize]

No established cull plan.

It would be most commendable if you produce one based on a location-specific impact assessment but having spent many hours in the past undertaking just that, I can assure you of one South of England universal truth:

If you evidence fallow deer you can forget setting a target cull and simply state "to be shot on sight when in season". The reality is of course you'll need to back this up with an ability to process/ dispose of the carcasses which is sure to be far more of a challenge than pulling the trigger.

Good luck and enjoy your new ground.

K

 

[acorn house]

Cheers everyone for the feedback an interesting bit of local history on the fallow on my ground is that about 2 miles away there was a herd of about 150+ fallow until about 2024 when a contractor was brought in and shot out most of them. You used to see them all the time out on the fields but the past year or so not a sign. I’m guessing the fallow on my ground came from up there. The area I shoot has not been shot for about 7 years. In the last month iv seen about 17 fallow on the 750 acres permission

 

[User00056]

Grab your rifle and get your boots on the ground. The more time you put in, the more info' you'll pick up

 

[VSS]

Mostly fallow and muntjac but very rarely reds cross it and roe have been seen nearby. I don’t own any thermal equipment unfortunately.

When I was in your position, a kind member of this site lent me a thermal for four weeks in order that I could survey the deer population on my newly acquired ground

I've moved on a bit since then, and am a strong believer in "passing forward".
Would you like to borrow a thermal for a few weeks?

 

[acorn house]

When I was in your position, a kind member of this site lent me a thermal for four weeks in order that I could survey the deer population on my newly acquired ground

I've moved on a bit since then, and am a strong believer in "passing forward".
Would you like to borrow a thermal for a few weeks?

That would be extremely helpful if that’s possible.

 

[Rural Management Services]

Allot depends on the area we are talking about and in the secretive world of permissions and leases I don’t expect you to answer that BTW. Terrain also comes into it. We could be talking about someone’s 50 acre large back garden or a big commercial concern given your location.

If it’s a thousand acres plus with fallow and MJ and you are shooting recreationally then shoot on site during the doe season for the first 12 months you go say once a week and see how it goes. Slightly cavalier I admit but given the species and potential area 1 trail cam or even many won’t tell you that much. While you are doing this note the roe population and remember what you see. Year two on the roe look at poor bucks in their season and lone does in their doe season. Year 3 on the roe look at the roe you have started to know and look at taking again the poor bucks and lone does plus some female followers if you are seeing allot. It’s hard to describe without being there with the roe, but you need to watch and manage them. As they are easily the easiest deer to shoot you can do real damage by shooting a doe and her two followers in one outing on day 1. After this on the roe you will start to get a feel for what’s about and even know certain deer. I have permissions that I have watched the same roe buck or roe doe from birth to the point where I feel the time has come to cull them for the greater good.

If it’s a large area fallow will just give you the run around if they want to reside there and you will need to learn to be smarter than them. Thermal and NV help but generally they just decide to be nocturnal especially if they want to be there.

Large area with MJ on it and decent cover and a lone stalker even committed will struggle to wipe them out.

I have one permission that is an island in the middle of forestry wales land that is only 40 acres but it have yielded 20-25 fallow every year for the last 10 years and the same number of MJ. Success rate on that postage stamp of ground is something like 200%! I know though that if I shoot the roe that live there they would be wiped out within 12 months.

 

[Rural Management Services]

That would be extremely helpful if that’s possible.

That is genuinely one of the kindest gestures I have seen recently fair play @VSS

 

[VSS]

That would be extremely helpful if that’s possible.

Whereabouts in Cambridgeshire are you? PM me.
I'm over that way on a monthly basis. I could drop it off one month and pick it up the next. Saves chancing the postal service.

 

[Midlandstalker2024]

When I was in your position, a kind member of this site lent me a thermal for four weeks in order that I could survey the deer population on my newly acquired ground

I've moved on a bit since then, and am a strong believer in "passing forward".
Would you like to borrow a thermal for a few weeks? sport / industry needs more of this attitude.

The sport / industry needs more of this

 

[Cyres]

Thermal is essential bit of kit. Several SH Pulsars for sale on here for £500. It should be top priority purchase.
As much time out at night cover as much ground as possible.
Suggest DM Sussex Steve on here for advice re fallow.
If undisturbed roe are creatures of habit. It will take many months to find where they frequent.
Unless you have a lot munties are bugger to locate. You will see them at night in all sorts of places.
D

 

[rem284]

Just get your boots on the ground and get them shot

 

[acorn house]

Allot depends on the area we are talking about and in the secretive world of permissions and leases I don’t expect you to answer that BTW. Terrain also comes into it. We could be talking about someone’s 50 acre large back garden or a big commercial concern given your location.

If it’s a thousand acres plus with fallow and MJ and you are shooting recreationally then shoot on site during the doe season for the first 12 months you go say once a week and see how it goes. Slightly cavalier I admit but given the species and potential area 1 trail cam or even many won’t tell you that much. While you are doing this note the roe population and remember what you see. Year two on the roe look at poor bucks in their season and lone does in their doe season. Year 3 on the roe look at the roe you have started to know and look at taking again the poor bucks and lone does plus some female followers if you are seeing allot. It’s hard to describe without being there with the roe, but you need to watch and manage them. As they are easily the easiest deer to shoot you can do real damage by shooting a doe and her two followers in one outing on day 1. After this on the roe you will start to get a feel for what’s about and even know certain deer. I have permissions that I have watched the same roe buck or roe doe from birth to the point where I feel the time has come to cull them for the greater good.

If it’s a large area fallow will just give you the run around if they want to reside there and you will need to learn to be smarter than them. Thermal and NV help but generally they just decide to be nocturnal especially if they want to be there.

Large area with MJ on it and decent cover and a lone stalker even committed will struggle to wipe them out.

I have one permission that is an island in the middle of forestry wales land that is only 40 acres but it have yielded 20-25 fallow every year for the last 10 years and the same number of MJ. Success rate on that postage stamp of ground is something like 200%! I know though that if I shoot the roe that live there they would be wiped out within 12 months.

My ground is made up mostly of arable fields and hedges. There are some small woods no more than 18 acres around the outside of the permission, but none on my ground. There is a river running through the middle with about 1.5 km of scrubby land can’t go in there but I have all the fields around it. Not the stunning land you see on the internet… but it holds some deer, and I’ve found lots of deer tracks and signs. It’s a really interesting experience; most other places I have shot were well-established grounds with someone around to offer advice. This ground is virgin territory, and it’s all new to me, so I’m really enjoying the experience.

 

[ABL]

My ground is made up mostly of arable fields and hedges. There are some small woods no more than 18 acres around the outside of the permission, but none on my ground. There is a river running through the middle with about 1.5 km of scrubby land can’t go in there but I have all the fields around it. Not the stunning land you see on the internet… but it holds some deer, and I’ve found lots of deer tracks and signs. It’s a really interesting experience; most other places I have shot were well-established grounds with someone around to offer advice. This ground is virgin territory, and it’s all new to me, so I’m really enjoying the experience.

Sounds fantastic!