March 2020 - The British Deer Society

BDS Survey of Deer Distribution and Abundance 2020

First, my personal thanks for all those who agreed to help with this survey, which is designed to offer us a better resolution of the distribution and regional abundance of deer within the UK, something we urgently need if we are to advise Government and other Agencies on future management.

Stalking During the Current Covid-19 Government Restrictions

There has been a great deal of speculation as to whether deerstalking is an acceptable activity in the current situation. The government has given clear instructions that people must stay at home and avoid all non-essential travel.

Covid 19 and BDS update

It was impossible just a few weeks ago to have imagined the extraordinary times we are now in. As a charity and as a company, we are taking each day as it comes whilst also making the best decisions we can to prioritise the health and safety of our staff, volunteers, public and our business.

Tick-borne Encephalitis Virus: More Samples Please

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) was detected in the UK for the first time in 2019. Many BDS members had a vital role in this discovery through their participation in our 2018-19 deer serosurveillance study investigating the presence of tick-borne viruses in the UK which resulted in this finding

Forestry Commission’s New Deer Management Team

Following the decision to take deer management work in house from April 2020, the Forestry Commission has appointed Alastair Boston, Jamie Cordery and David Hooton to the Deer Officer posts.

BDS Response to the Deer Working Group Report and Recommendations

The Trustee Directors [the Board] of the British Deer Society and its Scottish Area Council commend the Deer Working Group on their detailed report which is in the main well-presented and attempts a proper and comprehensive review of the published literature relevant to each of the topics considered

Call for More Volunteers – BDS Survey of Deer Abundance

We have received a great response to this year’s new survey of deer abundance, however, we still need more volunteers. As previously reported, this will be our most comprehensive deer survey ever taken and to ensure success we need as many people as possible to get involved!

BDS Spring Courses

Many of our Spring 2020 courses are now fully booked, but we still have a few places available on the following upcoming courses.

Keep Sending in Your Sightings

While not everyone may be able to assist with our deer abundance survey there is one easy way we can all get involved in building up a better picture of deer distribution in the UK, by using the BDS deer app to regularly report deer sightings.