Deer Management

Here at British Shooting Services, we can provide professional deer management solutions for every scenario. Whatever your requirements, we have the experience to survey and formulate comprehensive management strategies.    

Knowing what species of deer and how many are present on your land, is the very first step in developing any strategy. There are several ways to ascertain approximate numbers such as head counts, browsing pressure and dung counts. Our experts will use the most suitable method or combination of methods to gain an estimate of the true numbers of deer present.

Deer such as Fallow, Red and Sika are herding animals and can live in groups ranging from 3-4 upwards. Managing herd animals brings a different dimension to deer management, such as, overall numbers, sex ratio's, age classes and feeding requirements have to be taken into consideration. Here at BSS our consultants have years of experience managing Park, farm and wild herds, including exotics such as Pere David

Deer populations may vary between localities and are usually governed by food availability and breeding success. The Holding capacity is the number of deer that an area can comfortably sustain, before damage caused by deer begins to have a negative impact on the local fauna and flora. This capacity  includes the amount of damage to commercial crops,(as well as the natural environment) that may be acceptable to land users or is included in higher level farm management and biodiversity schemes.

Even though deer are a welcome addition to most environments and can offer land users an extra income stream, overpopulation or specific damage to sensitive areas or areas of Special Scientific Interests (SSI or SSI) can require the deer population to be reduced to sustainable numbers to prevent irreversible damage to the environment. Occasionally, the  complete removal of a particular species of deer is required, but this does not necessarily involve culling as exclusion may be a suitable option.

Due to the natural habits of deer using trees as a source of food, territorial scent posts and for removing velvet from the antlers, they can be a major pest of commercially grown trees. Whether they are grown for fruit or timber, deer cause high levels of losses to farmers and foresters.

Various methods are available to reduce or eliminate these losses. We can assess the damage, identify the species and provide guidance, practical help and control.

Landowners are becoming increasingly aware of the growing numbers of British deer and the economic and environmental damage associated with these increases. The cost in time and equipment needed to control deer is an unwanted, extra financial burden to many landowners.

If correctly implemented and controlled, Deer stalking can provide a sustainable, extra, revenue source for  landowners, alleviating losses caused by deer damage and adding extra income.

We can take away the head ache and liabilities of client and deer management services. Our comprehensive service covers all aspects of deer management, including, advertising, client bookings, accommodation, visitor permits, venison sales, estate rifles, insurance, training, vehicles etc.
We can provide a comprehensive service tailored to your needs.