Chronic wasting disease
Chronic Wasting Disease is a highly infectious, fatal disease which has devastated populations of wild and farmed deer in North America.
What do I need?
A responsible deer stalker should always carry the following in their kit:
- A telescope or binoculars
- A knife of appropriate design – with finger guard, an impervious handle and sheath
- Sterile gloves or hand sanitiser to ensure hygienic carcass handling
- Sufficient ammunition for stalking and any necessary further dispatch
- A hand or head torch, if stalking in the evening, to look for hair or blood signs and to assist with safe gralloching and extraction
- A means of extracting the carcass hygienically
- A bipod or sticks of an appropriate design to aid standing, sitting, kneeling and prone shots
- Means of communication for emergency contact
- A first aid kit
Disease risks to Deer
Wild deer in the UK tend to be very disease-free. However, there are some specific examples of disease that we should all be aware of and ready to deal with if found.
DMQ Night Shooting Certificate
The course is aimed at those deer managers operating in areas where night licenses are being more frequently issued to try and reduce and maintain local deer populations.