Your Dsc 2 experience s how did you find it ?
- Thread starter Nots so bad lad
- Start date
roaring_stag
Well-Known Member
During my phone call the assessor was very relaxed and made me feel at ease - it is not an interrogation!
They asked me questions on Larder Hygiene, follow up shot practice, suitability of equipment, and other fairly run of the mill stuff.
Dont worry about the phone conversation at all, just focus on knowing your carcass inspection and good hygiene practice.
RS
Thanks very much for the reply.
A couple of candidates I have witnessed recently have had the call.
From what I recall there were a variety of questions asked, ranging from the normal ones about the location of lymph nodes, carcase transportation and lardering best practice, and following up on wounded deer, to slightly more obscure ones regarding recognising where a deer might have been hit from the type of fur/skin/bone found at the shot site.
Some familiarisation with Best Practice should help answer any questions though.
Yes.
Whereas the AW has the benefits of hours of verbal quizzing on the day, the assessor only has what you commit in writing on the ICR which might be detail-light. Supplementary questions allow them to determine that you covered all bases.
What I would recommend is that you have a printed copy of your ICR to hand when that call is scheduled. Perhaps add margin notes or have photographs to jog your memory of the stalk day.
Other items not yet mentioned in the thread:
- Make sure you know which diseases of deer are reportable and be able to demonstrate to AW that you know identification methodology and protocol. Plus how to contact relevant APHA number [added to my contact list in phone]
- Make sure you can demonstrate how you would deal with a runner. Lots in that category, but definitely know how/where you would access a tracking hound. [I bookmarked UKDTR and checked availability in my area prior to each DSC2 outing]
- On one stalk, I bagged a Roe early on during a crisp March morning and a second was possible intra-day. It was cool enough [5℃] to allow the gralloched deer hanging in a tree whilst we progressed. BUT...if you do that, carry a muslin cloth or similar to prevent fly-strike
- Carry some bright cloth/tape to mark strike site in case you need tracker follow up per 2. above, and install What3Words or similar in phone to relay farm gate access point and strike site to folk in 1 or 2 above
Find A Deer Tracker Near Me — UKDTR
Find The nearest deer tracker in your local area - Use our find a deer tracker app to see where your nearest tracking team are -complete with contact information
ukdtr.co.uk
Contact Us
Please feel free to contact the relevant person below regarding your query. For all general enquiries, please fill out the contact form at the bottom of this page. Tony Lowry UKDTR Chairman 07787 158 888
ukdtr.co.uk
Last edited:
Dan Newcombe
Well-Known Member
Just done mine and it was fine - the better your ICR is the more relaxed the phone call would be I suggest because they get a better idea of you.
My questions were same as above really, chiller requirements, safe dispatch, how you would follow up a wounded animal, what to do if you get some ‘green’ in a carcass. They also asked a couple questions about the stalk, I assume to check details such as ‘where was the AW when you took the shot’.
From my experience, nothing to worry about if you have done your homework and know the basics - and you really need to start at the very basic and work up. Eg. What would you consider when following up and shooting an injured deer - I always struggle with that sort of thing because a safe backstop is sort of an assumption, just remember that you need to cover that on your answer and work up from there
Dan
My questions were same as above really, chiller requirements, safe dispatch, how you would follow up a wounded animal, what to do if you get some ‘green’ in a carcass. They also asked a couple questions about the stalk, I assume to check details such as ‘where was the AW when you took the shot’.
From my experience, nothing to worry about if you have done your homework and know the basics - and you really need to start at the very basic and work up. Eg. What would you consider when following up and shooting an injured deer - I always struggle with that sort of thing because a safe backstop is sort of an assumption, just remember that you need to cover that on your answer and work up from there
Dan
Can you still get them online to revise ? Happy with most of it but fail to prepare and all that. Thanks for the reply
Many thanks for this
Yes, see post #24 above
In the new format of DSC2 the amount of questioning by the AW has been significantly reduced, so the days of “hours of verbal quizzing” between the AW and Candidate on a witnessed stalk are in the past.
As the AW Briefing puts it:
“The number of questions which an AW needs to ask are minimal as your role is primarily to observe the candidate performing without help or steerage a task as detailed in a relevant performance criteria and key feature.”
Last edited:
Just registered for my level 2 again after travelling for a bit and many other things i didn't complete my last assessment a few years back in time. Although I have seen now they have what looks like an overcomplicated online system compared to the old book, I have been hearing a lot about this onestalk version of completing. can anyone enlighten me a bit more on how this side of the job works?
Many thanks
Blair
Many thanks
Blair
Andy - Fish
Well-Known Member
Pm sent
Dan Newcombe
Well-Known Member
As far as I saw - the portal is mostly useless.
My AW and I did our ICR things and emailed them to the assessor - didn’t use the portal at all other than signing off the reports at the end, it just want from zero to complete.
You only need to kill one deer witnessed now - which means that you get grilled a bit more because there is less chance of seeing different scenarios and so they need to satisfy themselves that you are competent.
My AW and I did our ICR things and emailed them to the assessor - didn’t use the portal at all other than signing off the reports at the end, it just want from zero to complete.
You only need to kill one deer witnessed now - which means that you get grilled a bit more because there is less chance of seeing different scenarios and so they need to satisfy themselves that you are competent.
Erik Hamburger
Well-Known Member
I have been out with three different AW's and in all cases the Stalk was very relaxed and informative, a learning experience. The AW's want you to succeed and will 'stop' the witnessing and show you where you're going wrong , in the unlikely event you do do something wrong. It didn't have an 'exam' feel at all. One was a bit strict about safe/unsafe shots (not a bad thing) ; another was a bit stricter on food hygiene (not a bad thing either), so they are all different.
And don't forget if you pay an AW to take you out you become their customer. They want their customers to be happy....
Relax, enjoy the outing and the banter, learn, and enjoy the beer in the local Pub afterwards.
And don't forget if you pay an AW to take you out you become their customer. They want their customers to be happy....
Relax, enjoy the outing and the banter, learn, and enjoy the beer in the local Pub afterwards.
Stevie/P
Well-Known Member
I had a complete nightmare with my level 2 the AW who shall remain nameless keept lost my portfolio with my second successful stalk. Had to get BASC. Involved to sort the mess out all fairness to my assessor who was brilliant I managed to complete the three required stalks successfully.
Sorry to hear that. Completing the portfolio is tough enough without it getting lost.
Another reason why moving to the e-portfolio is a good idea - the portfolio no longer has to leave the Candidate’s hands.
To avoid this possibility, I typed my ICRs on my PC and emailed copies to AW.
Good idea in principle, but the portal was the clunkiest piece of software I have encountered and not user friendly as summed by the next comment...
In summary, when I did DSC2, I kept my own records. I submitted copies via email. I used the portal for registration and progress tracking, AW liaised with AS apart from portal using emailed copies.
Interesting, as I’ve not used the portal - just the eICR - so can’t speak to its usability.
With only one stalk now I am not sure that the portal serves any useful purpose.
Dan Newcombe
Well-Known Member
I think that with the fact it’s now just the one stalk, the progress monitor is largely useless.
Herne
Well-Known Member
I did my mine this autumn after having completed 90% in the three stalks era in 2012. The assessor was fair, it did not feel like an interogation; I found having my BPG, BDS diseases in Deer to hand a comfort during the phone call.
The phone call took around one hour: I was questioned in the following areas:
shot placement and follow up ( I was asked about a scenario relating to a shot in the gut area.)
retrieval and lardering, larder equipment and facilities.
safety equipment for a day on the hill
meat hygiene and game handling, larder temps etc.
the purpose of a game tag (trained hunter)
identifcation of diseases and what to do in practice.
It went well and was nothing to worry about. Good luck.
H.
The phone call took around one hour: I was questioned in the following areas:
shot placement and follow up ( I was asked about a scenario relating to a shot in the gut area.)
retrieval and lardering, larder equipment and facilities.
safety equipment for a day on the hill
meat hygiene and game handling, larder temps etc.
the purpose of a game tag (trained hunter)
identifcation of diseases and what to do in practice.
It went well and was nothing to worry about. Good luck.
H.
Similar threads
