BASC response to Scottish deer management changes

BASC disagrees with this proposal as we feel that it is not necessary nor that it will help reduce population levels. 

Wild Deer Best Practice states that “a reduction cull must focus on the females” and we suggest that instead of removing the male deer close season an incentive is given to control more female deer, where appropriate.

The ultimate reason BASC opposed the change is due to the lack of tangible reasoning or evidence behind it. 

As we know, the key to any sort of effective deer management is to strictly control the number of females within the population. This is due to female deer being the ones that produce and raise future generations within said population. Within any effective maintenance cull (aiming to keep the deer population static) will require at least 50% of the cull to be breeding females. To reduce populations, this percentage will need to be much higher.

Removing barriers to allow deer managers to take more male deer may have some localised benefits, although in many scenarios such as protecting crops the control of deer out of season is already covered by the General Authorisation. The General Authorisation under Section 5 6 (a) of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 already allows the shooting of male deer in the close season to prevent damage to crops, pasture, enclosed woodland etc. 

There is no need for an owner or occupier to apply for an individual authorisation, apart from in limited exceptions. We therefore feel that the removal of the close season will have no real impact upon the numbers of male deer shot in Scotland; the General Authorisation allows the year-round culling of male deer when they are causing problems. In other occasions, it may also lead to the shooting of male deer throughout winter when the target should be very firmly on managing the female numbers.

For instance, take the hypothetical, yet very relatable, situation of looking at a roe deer on last light in December. Where previously we would simply not have shot due to difficulties in sexing the animal, now it gives a legal 50/50 chance of shooting a male instead of the targeted female. 

Add to this the fact that young male red and fallow deer tend to be the ones to walk into the open before mature females, plus the tendency for recreational stalkers to prefer shooting antlered deer and we can see how more male deer may end up being taken at times when the focus should be on the female cull.

In these circumstances the proposal will have the opposite effect on deer populations than NatureScot is aiming for. The focus from NatureScot, landowners and shooting organisations must remain on culling females and maintaining the management plan.

For many, especially those commercially selling the shooting of male deer, the proposal will not change their established management plan. For instance, on the highly successful BASC Arran Stalking Scheme, the decision has already been made to keep dedicated stag weeks from August-September and hind weeks from November-February. The decision will ultimately be taken under each management plan, situation and species.

While BASC remains opposed to the removal of male deer close seasons, there are several things to keep in mind.

Firstly, we must remember that it is a positive thing to have government bodies dedicated to assisting deer managers by amending and removing outdated legislation. Even though this proposal is somewhat misguided, the bigger picture of government appreciating and supporting the work of our sector is refreshing.

Secondly, is the major point that (provided female culls are kept in mind) there really isn’t a huge problem with removing male seasons from an ethical standpoint. Unlike with the shooting of females out of season, where at-foot young and heavily developed foetuses become a significant welfare factor, shooting males out of season comes with less considerations.

Provided effective deer management remains in mind, there should be no real downside to shooting occasional male deer through the winter or spring months.

In addition, no close season for male deer could exacerbate the problem of over-population (where it exists) as more male deer could be shot through the winter months when deer managers should be concentrating on culling females.

Finally, with the current political climate around “trophy” hunting, there could well be a negative response from the public regarding this change. It is not hard to imagine how those with an anti-stalking agenda could use this to claim that the stalking industry wanted more time/opportunity to hunt trophies.