Frequently asked questions.

Where we are being asked to support with CWS1 grant funding, we will provide an engagement letter setting out the work you are asking us to carry out and the relevant charges. If this includes ongoing management, we will also provide a licence agreement to authorise our activities on the land. However, if you are simply seeking deer-management support, we can also work on a more informal basis where appropriate.

In most cases where you are simply seeking deer-management support, we do not charge. If you would like a species management plan, habitat-impact assessment, other specific work, or full management including the provision of deer-monitoring structures required under CWS1 and ongoing evidence records, we will agree any costs with you in advance. These will typically be funded by part of the annual grant payments you receive.

The first step is an informal, no-obligation conversation by phone. Following that, if both sides are happy, we can arrange to visit the property at your convenience to understand the land, the deer issues and any practical constraints. We can then agree an approach that works for the site and the landowner, whether that is light-touch population control, a specific programme of reduction or a full yearly management service.

Yes. Public and permissive footpaths and other rights of way are an essential consideration. We discuss routes and access patterns as part of planning our approach. We use risk assessment, mapping, careful timing, thermal imaging and signage, where appropriate, to ensure our activity is carried out safely and responsibly. We are used to managing deer on public-access land and are well versed in the sensitivities this involves.

Where a shot is taken, there will usually only be one or two shots over the course of any stalk. In addition, our rifles are fitted with moderators to reduce the noise. Deer-management activity is generally very discreet. We aim to be considerate of people, livestock, neighbours and wildlife. On the whole, landowners are generally only aware we have been because we agree in advance when we are visiting and inform them when we are leaving.

Unless there is a reason the venison cannot enter the food chain, for example due to disease, the deer are either taken to a game dealer for processing or butchered for our and/or the landowner's use. We aim to make full use of suitable venison and avoid waste, subject to the relevant food-safety requirements.

No, provided there is good communication and sensible coordination. We aim to complement, not interfere with, other uses of the land. If you have a game shoot, farming enterprise, forestry operations or other activity, we will discuss timings and practical arrangements to avoid conflict. We will not visit unless it has been agreed in advance with the relevant individuals. We can also assist with vermin control where that has been requested.

All our deer stalkers are either DSC1 or PDS1 and basic first-aid trained as a minimum, and appropriately covered under their own insurance, which we hold on file and can supply to clients on request. We are also insured for the advice we provide under our PI insurance, and for installing exclosures under our PL cover. Our deer stalkers also deliver training, including the practical instruction and assessments for certain qualifications.

Yes, if you have been invited to apply to the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, or have land you expect might be eligible through the expression-of-interest process, we can liaise with your existing agent to handle the deer-management grant-funding side of the application. That is as well as carrying out the required surveys, monitoring, practical management and providing the required exclosures to maintain the funding during the agreement.

CWS1: Deer control and management is available through Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier in England. Applications require an agreed species management plan and must meet the scheme’s eligibility and approval requirements. Deer Conservation can assess deer activity and habitat impacts, prepare the species management plan, liaise with the relevant Forestry Commission or Natural England officer, and work alongside the agent handling your Higher Tier application. We can also arrange the monitoring exclosures and habitat assessments required under an approved agreement.

A deer-monitoring exclosure is a small fenced area that keeps deer out, allowing plants and young trees to grow without deer browsing. Growth inside the fence is compared with a similar unfenced area nearby to assess how deer are affecting the habitat and inform deer-management decisions. An exclosure is not a high seat. A high seat is an elevated platform used by deer stalkers to observe deer and carry out deer control; an exclosure is a fenced plot used to monitor their effects on vegetation.

Eligible landowners in England may be able to obtain Countryside Stewardship funding to support deer management and monitoring. CWS1 agreements require an agreed number of deer-monitoring exclosures to be installed in the first year, and eligible capital funding may also be available, subject to approval. Deer Conservation helps farmers, estates, land agents and forestry managers identify suitable funding and arranges the supply and installation of monitoring exclosures.

Contact Deer Conservation to arrange a baseline assessment of deer activity, the species present and their effects on your land. We use the findings to inform a practical deer-management plan and, where relevant, support grant applications and monitoring requirements. If you are not applying for grant funding, we can provide a less formal assessment explaining the signs and impacts observed and our recommended approach.

Deer Conservation provides qualified, insured deer stalkers for professional deer control on farms, estates and forestry land. We coordinate management planning, stalking activity, equipment and cull records, with the aim of reducing damage and maintaining deer populations at levels consistent with the land’s habitat and management objectives.

Roe deer are selective browsers, feeding on young shoots, buds and leaves, including those on tree seedlings and coppice regrowth. Repeated browsing can stunt or deform young trees and prevent them from establishing, hindering natural woodland regeneration and damaging new planting. Roe bucks are territorial during spring and summer, while does occupy overlapping home ranges. This use of local areas can expose vulnerable vegetation to repeated browsing, although the severity of damage depends on deer numbers, the plants present and the availability of other food.

Muntjac can exert sustained browsing pressure throughout the year, feeding on woodland ground flora, shrubs, tree seedlings and coppice regrowth. At high densities, this can reduce the understorey, hinder woodland regeneration and diminish the vegetation cover used by birds and other wildlife.

Income from Deer Conservation’s limited guided outings helps fund habitat stewardship and practical deer management. Each outing forms part of an agreed, long-term management programme, with deer selected in accordance with its objectives. This links guided stalking to the work needed to reduce browsing damage and support healthy deer populations and the habitats on which they depend.