Voluntary Annual Assessment - Poll

[Brave Echo Niner]

There's some of course would want to see such as the .300 Winchester Magnum, the .300 Weatherby Magnum and the .308 Norma Magnum "discouraged" from being owned from being allowed for deer. Or rifles with detachable magazines holding more than the five cartridges? So be very careful on what you think is a good idea. As other people may also wish to promote their good idea. I hope the OP sees the point that I am trying to make?

Can't say I do to be honest, you're talking about a fixed rule or something mandatory, which is far from what was proposed in the OP as I was careful to plaster voluntary all over it because I believe it should be self elective, solely aiming to promote improving/maintaining standards and therefore welfare?

 

[deerstalker.308]

Please never run an airline!

Please never run a deer management association!

 

[Selous]

I have been told by several different sources that around 30% of candidates who already hold both DSC 1 and DSC2 fail the Forestry Commission annual skills test that should by rights be very easy to pass. That is not good at all and completely highlights the need for proper ongoing training and development. Now if we also take the comments from above that marksmanship whilst stalking tends to get worse due to the effects of adrenaline then it makes even more sense to encourage regular marksmanship training. Those who say they can shoot a deer but aren’t any good on paper are kidding themselves. Paper targets don’t lie and if you can’t shoot consistently on paper you can’t shoot consistently on live targets either when the conditions will inevitably be less favourable and the adrenaline is flowing. The thing that gives the false impression of competence in this situation is the relatively large kill zone of the heart/lungs and the indistinct aiming point.

 

[Brave Echo Niner]

Please never run a deer management association!

Because I have good motives in wanting to improve deer welfare, having seen too many situations where poor marksmanship has resulted in injured deer? Hence have suggested a way we can truly have an impact on that as a community?

How dare I!

 

[AGR]

Might as well make DSC2 compulsory too.

Just to be clear, (@enfieldspares ) I do not support the proposal. I think that it is a slippery slope).

 

[Brave Echo Niner]

Just to be clear, (@enfieldspares ) I do not support the proposal. I think that it is a slippery slope).

I'm still yet to understand - a slippery slope to what, who do you believe is going to suddenly enforce DSC Two and then this proposal on you?

As far as I can see the only person who might ask for it is the landowner in order to ensure they're dealing with appropriately qualified individuals with suitable ability, which if you're not being asked for DSC Two already they're probably not too bothered about given DSC Two has been around for donkeys years!

 

[Selous]

Best put this thread on fast spin and be done with this madness that is laundering dirty linen-like propositions in public on the internet.

K

Isn’t failing to maintain adequate standards of marksmanship during deer management not the “dirty linen “ rather than suggesting a means to show that stalkers skills are up to scratch…. or am I missing something?

 

[long_range_rob]

Doesn’t worry me at all but when did you last get assessed on your driving?

 

[AGR]

I'm still yet to understand - a slippery slope to what, who do you believe is going to suddenly enforce DSC Two and then this proposal on you?

As far as I can see the only person who might ask for it is the landowner in order to ensure they're dealing with appropriately qualified individuals with suitable ability, which if you're not being asked for DSC Two already they're probably not too bothered about given DSC Two has been around for donkeys years!

Just to be clear, I belong to a range club, so do practice. I also recognise that I am pretty hopeless at target shooting but I very confident of my ability to shoot deer.
I do have a lifetime experience of shooting vermin with various calibres to back that up.
I think that experience is far more valuable than target shooting, and there's the rub, perhaps we should make squirrel shooting mandatory.

 

[deerstalker.308]

Because I have good motives in wanting to improve deer welfare, having seen too many situations where poor marksmanship has resulted in injured deer? Hence have suggested a way we can truly have an impact on that as a community?

How dare I!

I’d get some new clients/friends/colleagues in that case rather than tar the rest of the stalking world with your own somewhat tainted opinions of our abilities? I have nothing to prove and no need to either.

 

[deerstalker.308]

I have been told by several different sources that around 30% of candidates who already hold both DSC 1 and DSC2 fail the Forestry Commission annual skills test that should by rights be very easy to pass. That is not good at all and completely highlights the need for proper ongoing training and development. Now if we also take the comments from above that marksmanship whilst stalking tends to get worse due to the effects of adrenaline then it makes even more sense to encourage regular marksmanship training. Those who say they can shoot a deer but aren’t any good on paper are kidding themselves. Paper targets don’t lie and if you can’t shoot consistently on paper you can’t shoot consistently on live targets either when the conditions will inevitably be less favourable and the adrenaline is flowing. The thing that gives the false impression of competence in this situation is the relatively large kill zone of the heart/lungs and the indistinct aiming point.

Candidates who are sitting an exam (presumably being assessed for a job and not existing staff!) somewhat ups the anti doesn’t it? I know I for one hate interviews, never had to hit a target in one yet though.

 

[One on top of two]

Nope

 

[enfieldspares]

Perhaps we should make squirrel shooting mandatory.

But only after the individual shooter has passed the voluntary annual shooting "Nutkin Test" that I am soon to devise...I'll be running them in time for Autumn 2024 with a nominal £10 range fee...

 

[Brave Echo Niner]

Doesn’t worry me at all but when did you last get assessed on your driving?

Aye fully get your point, I say that goes back to the age old adage of two wrongs don't make a right though.

I suspect that is unable to occur due to the volume of drivers and the practicality of regular reassessment, whereas in this case it's a feasible event to run a lot of people through a very short test in a day, with not overall number of stalkers.

The other way of looking at it I guess is that police are technically constantly reassessing us via camera, patrols, public reports etc?

 

[NullMac]

Complete nonsense.

 

[Brave Echo Niner]

But only after the individual shooter has passed the voluntary annual "Nutkin Test" that I am soon to devise...I'll be running them in time for Autumn 2024 with a nominal £10 range fee and three levels.

Oxymoron if it's 'only after' and 'voluntary,' just saying.

I think some people have completely taken this the wrong way at the mention of the word assessment, the idea is it's voluntary and there to encourage personal development and therefore an improvement in deer welfare?

 

[deerstalker.308]

Aye fully get your point, I say that goes back to the age old adage of two wrongs don't make a right though.

I suspect that is unable to occur due to the volume of drivers and the practicality of regular reassessment, whereas in this case it's a feasible event to run a lot of people through a very short test in a day, with not overall number of stalkers.

The other way of looking at it I guess is that police are technically constantly reassessing us via camera, patrols, public reports etc?

And profit from those 150k or so firearms owners in the U.K. in the process…. Do you work for BASC? I’m guessing this test would come with a price tag associated!

 

[shakey jake]

how would a test be kept so cheap?

 

[Selous]

Candidates who are sitting an exam (presumably being assessed for a job and not existing staff!) somewhat ups the anti doesn’t it? I know I for one hate interviews, never had to hit a target in one yet though.

No candidates wanting deer stalking leases.

 

[Selous]

Doesn’t worry me at all but when did you last get assessed on your driving?

Every time I drive past a traffic cop