ALL THE LATEST NEWS

The British Deer Society (BDS) Scottish Office has been working hard to obtain clarification on how the Stage One Unlock Guidance related to deer management in Scotland.

The British Deer Society is an incorporated charity, funded by membership, a trading subsidiary and philanthropic contributions.

This National Volunteers Week the BDS would like to take the opportunity to say a massive thank you to all of our Members who support the Society in so many ways; it couldn’t function without you.

Richmond and Bushy parks are wonderful places to visit and much loved by the many people that use them. In these uncertain times, it is understandable that the public wants to visit for some much-needed exercise and relaxation.

Currently, much of England has a high to very high risk of wildfires according to The Met Office’s Fire Severity Index (FSI). Although some regions may have experienced rain over the bank holiday weekend the risk still remains high. Low levels of rainfall have left the countryside unusually dry and recent weeks have already seen some

Key deer welfare areas for May and June Deer on the Roads During the lockdown, our deer ventured out onto the road more than ever and now that the traffic is starting to return we are hearing of more and more deer-vehicle collisions. In addition, this time of year often sees a peak in DVCs as

Further to the Prime Minister’s statement on Sunday 10 May 2020, and the more detailed COVID-19 Recovery Strategy published today, the British Deer Society interprets the current situation as follows:

The British Deer Society has received enquiries concerning deer stalking visits from overseas, some of which have stemmed from misunderstandings caused by inaccurate or speculative information published elsewhere.

My first impression on opening the box containing the Arksjo folding lock knife from Outdoor Classic was a very good one.

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.

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.

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 (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

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.

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

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!

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

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.

Every five years the BDS conducts a survey of deer distribution across the United Kingdom.

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has published reports on assessing progress in deer management in Scotland, which has been prepared for the Scottish Government.

The latest edition of Deer, The Journal of The British Deer Society is out now.

The one-day muntjac symposium organised by the British Deer Society working in partnership with The Woodland Trust and sponsored by Galbraith was a resounding success.

For all our members who are keen wildlife photographers, a reminder that this year’s current members competition will be closing at the end of March 2020.

Members should be aware that new measures regarding firearms and deactivated firearms have become effective from 12 December 2019.

A Bristol University Science Student is asking South West and West BDS branch members for help with a project, Sam says: