DSC1 Assessment only today

[Raja Clavata]

Was booked on the 4 day course with Mung in early October but looks like I might be needing to do a business trip at that time so decided last week to take the plunge and booked an assessment only day oop norf for today.

 

Thought I'd share my findings and thoughts for the benefit of anyone else doing the course soon...

 

Safety Assessment - don't believe what the manual tells you about the number of deer "safe / not safe" scenarios you will be presented with - it says 4 with 1 safe and 3 unsafe. Can't remember how manyin total but probably twice as many as stated and there were actually 2 safe scenarios presented. This put me off as at the last scenario on the course I saw what in truth I'd consider a safe shot but in the back of my head I was telling myself there can only be 1 and you've already had that one...

 

Shooting Test - this isn't really a shooting test at all, it's a test of nerves - I struggle to concentrate on a number of consecutive paper shots and nearly messed up on the 9th and final shot at first attempt. I was really nervous before hand but seeing far more experienced people with bigger groups than me I settled quickly and got a bit blase at the end - try to stay focussed.

 

Multiple choice questions - I read through the main booklet once, didn't read the big game handling and hygiene manuals as they were boring en extrema so focussed on the questions and ran through them three or four times. If you do your prep for this it's a walk in the park - by far the easiest two sections in my opinion / experience. Please note that you may need to read through it more than once - judge it by how you do on the questions - to know that you'll need copy of the answers - for me that was invaluable (thanks to the person that provided those - you know who you are )

 

Deer ID - this was by far the most challenging of the written tests for me - watched a dedicated id dvd a coupe times, looked at pics on the web, studied the reds in a local park enclosure and looked through the pics in the course notes. In truth I've only seen 3 of the 6 species in the flesh. Thought I'd breeze this but felt that a few of them were really marginal and that the actual test was FAR harder than the stills I'd previously reviewed.

 

Reckon I dropped as many marks on the ID test as I did the other two combined - still, pretty damn sure I passed

 

Hope this is of interest / assistance to someone.

 

Raja

[kent]

The idea of the DSC course is learning and as a platform to level 2 not just getting the certificate I feel sorry that there is so many who go assesment only you missed so much that you might never have the excuse to learn now if you passed but you obviously had your own reasons for doing assesment only though

[Dekers]

The idea of the DSC course is learning and as a platform to level 2 not just getting the certificate I feel sorry that there is so many who go assesment only you missed so much that you might never have the excuse to learn now if you passed but you obviously had your own reasons for doing assesment only though

 

 

 

 

..... I rather think you will find people "generally" do DSC as a route to a rifle or a job, they need a piece of paper to wave at someone!

Edited August 12, 2010 by Dekers

[HW682]

Hope this is of interest / assistance to someone.

 

Raja

 

Very interesting read. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Edited August 12, 2010 by HW682

[Luckyshot]

Was booked on the 4 day course with Mung in early October but looks like I might be needing to do a business trip at that time so decided last week to take the plunge and booked an assessment only day oop norf for today.

 

Thought I'd share my findings and thoughts for the benefit of anyone else doing the course soon...

 

Safety Assessment - don't believe what the manual tells you about the number of deer "safe / not safe" scenarios you will be presented with - it says 4 with 1 safe and 3 unsafe. Can't remember how manyin total but probably twice as many as stated and there were actually 2 safe scenarios presented. This put me off as at the last scenario on the course I saw what in truth I'd consider a safe shot but in the back of my head I was telling myself there can only be 1 and you've already had that one...

 

When I did my DSC 1 there were only 4 deer targets put out and only 1 was safe, it was made pretty obvious aswell as 1 of the targets was leaning on a building 1 on the horizon 1 against a fence with the woods behind and the last safe one at the bottom of a large valley with a perfect soft ground back stop.

 

Shooting Test - this isn't really a shooting test at all, it's a test of nerves - I struggle to concentrate on a number of consecutive paper shots and nearly messed up on the 9th and final shot at first attempt. I was really nervous before hand but seeing far more experienced people with bigger groups than me I settled quickly and got a bit blase at the end - try to stay focussed.

 

I also found this quite nerve racking as shooting infront of a complete stranger is something that I have never had to do before.

 

Multiple choice questions - I read through the main booklet once, didn't read the big game handling and hygiene manuals as they were boring en extrema so focussed on the questions and ran through them three or four times. If you do your prep for this it's a walk in the park - by far the easiest two sections in my opinion / experience. Please note that you may need to read through it more than once - judge it by how you do on the questions - to know that you'll need copy of the answers - for me that was invaluable (thanks to the person that provided those - you know who you are )

 

I also found these pretty straight forward but would still advise reading the book well as some are not as obvious as others

 

Deer ID - this was by far the most challenging of the written tests for me - watched a dedicated id dvd a coupe times, looked at pics on the web, studied the reds in a local park enclosure and looked through the pics in the course notes. In truth I've only seen 3 of the 6 species in the flesh. Thought I'd breeze this but felt that a few of them were really marginal and that the actual test was FAR harder than the stills I'd previously reviewed.

 

This was the section that had me really worried as Ive only ever seen Roe deer in the flesh and although the pictures were really good quality there was 1 slide that had me thinking, sika/fallow the obvious palmated antlers were not very clear in the picture but lucky for me the next slide was obviously a sika stag so I changed my previous answer to fallow

 

To be honest I found the tests easier than I thought they would be but we can all say that once we have passed.

 

Reckon I dropped as many marks on the ID test as I did the other two combined - still, pretty damn sure I passed

 

 

 

Hope this is of interest / assistance to someone.

 

Raja

Edited August 12, 2010 by Luckyshot

[Raja Clavata]

Kent,

My main (only at this stage) reason for doing DSC1 is to get deer added to my .243!

 

By contrast Mung is doing it to get an Open Ticket (he has more experience than me, lives within ~ 5 miles of me but more importantly resides under Essex rather than Met police force jurisdiction).

 

There were 7 people today, 3 assessment only and 4 who attended the 4 day course.

 

100% pass rate for the assessment only candidates, 75% for those that attended the course - go figure As a minimum it suggests to me whatever the guys on the course learnt it was not much use in passing DSC1!? Now I'm not taking away anything from the undeniable fact that the guy running the course is a deer stalking God and he would have undoubtedly imparted additional info upon me (which would have stuck) BUT in my experience of other courses (in my area of work) I have generally learnt as much from the other course participants as I have the lectures / training material / trainer. That simply wasn't going to happen on that course as the other two "assessment only" candidates were the ones with the most to impart (through their experience).

 

All things being equal I would have gone out and shot quite a few more deer before doing the DSC1 but as my FEO viewed accompanied stalks as worthless experience this was not really an affordable / practical option (actually I stalked a few Fallow and a couple munty's alone - pointed my unloaded HMR at them and shouted "bang you are dead") but it never seemed real and counted for even less...

[apache]

Can you just buy a course book?

 

How much is assessment only?

[Raja Clavata]

Dunno about just being able to buy the course book - I asked BASC about this way back and they were a bit evasive but as it turns out they'll charge you £27 fior it if you book and then cancel 2 months before the course (additional fees closer to the time).

 

Assessment only is £140 which actualy makes the four day course seem VERY good value @ £280ish.

 

I put together an excel crib sheet of the seasons, key attributes of each of the six species etc.

 

PM me with an email address and I'll send that on - it may help.

[apache]

Gosh the course is good value!

 

One of those things I will do one day.

 

PM inbound - thanks

[malkiserow]

I am supposed to be on the NGO one in 4 weeks but they cannot confirm my booking as it is unsure if the course will run ......

 

Any one any help with preparation material ?

[mick miller]

Odd that your FEO considered accompanied stalks to be worthless. How else are you supposed to learn without shelling out £140plus to do a DCS1,2 etc. course? I have spent the last two years with two experienced stalkers being mentored in most aspects of deer identification, safe shots, shot placement, gralloching and butchery. That was enough to get my cert approved for .243, approved for deer and my cert opened up. There's no rhyme nor reason to it...

[Redgum]

I did my DSC1 without doing the course and doing my own study and study I did. I passed and came out knowing alot more about deer, what they look like and when/ were I can shoot them. When you buy a manual and pay for the assessment you do realise that the courses are really good value for money.

What does make a bit of a mockery of the test is the way some go about it, just downloading and learning the answers a.b.c or d to the questions does not give you much real knowledge. Any exam is a way of assessing what you have learned from a studied subject otherwise its pointless. Mind you with the data base of questions you will get a test on your memory for sure so at least you won't leave your ammo at home.

PS by what you said of the large game handling Raja I reckon you will fail that bit unless your really lucky, but not to worry you can do it again when you have studied alittle more.

Edited August 12, 2010 by Redgum

[Raja Clavata]

Odd that your FEO considered accompanied stalks to be worthless. How else are you supposed to learn without shelling out £140plus to do a DCS1,2 etc. course? I have spent the last two years with two experienced stalkers being mentored in most aspects of deer identification, safe shots, shot placement, gralloching and butchery. That was enough to get my cert approved for .243, approved for deer and my cert opened up. There's no rhyme nor reason to it...

 

Mick,

In a word - dunno! All that stuff drove me nuts but you just have to play the game (at least that's the route I'm taking). I'll be registering for DSC2 as soon as I can and will get that under my belt as soon as is practically possible.

[mick miller]

Mick,

In a word - dunno! All that stuff drove me nuts but you just have to play the game (at least that's the route I'm taking). I'll be registering for DSC2 as soon as I can and will get that under my belt as soon as is practically possible.

 

Weird innit? I'm intrigued to find out if I've missed much by not going through this route. Both my mentors have been stalking for 15 years plus so I trust that they know their onions. Good luck with the future courses and application.

[Mungler]

Mike,

 

Most interesting.

 

Will be PMing you for crib sheet etc

[Raja Clavata]

I did my DSC1 without doing the course and doing my own study and study I did. I passed and came out knowing alot more about deer, what they look like and when/ were I can shoot them. When you buy a manual and pay for the assessment you do realise that the courses are really good value for money.

What does make a bit of a mockery of the test is the way some go about it, just downloading and learning the answers a.b.c or d to the questions does not give you much real knowledge. Any exam is a way of assessing what you have learned from a studied subject otherwise its pointless. Mind you with the data base of questions you will get a test on your memory for sure so at least you won't leave your ammo at home.

PS by what you said of the large game handling Raja I reckon you will fail that bit unless your really lucky, but not to worry you can do it again when you have studied alittle more.

 

Do you gamble? I'll donate £10 for every question I got wrong to the charity of your choice if you'll donate £1 for every question I got right in the 40 questions representing the large game handling and meat hygiene? Or if you are not quite as bold as your original statement suggests then the "loser" just pays the balance? Well, what say ye?

[mick miller]

I have an accompanied condition for deer though.

 

 

[Edited to clear up error]

Edited August 13, 2010 by mick miller

[Raja Clavata]

It's not open for deer yet though, I have an accompanied condition for that still.

 

Mick,

I'm confused - based on this:

 

http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...howtopic=134528

 

I took it you was open?

[Dunkield]

How long do the results take to come through RC?

Ours were marked while we had a cup of tea and "what did you put for question 11?" type banter.

Ten minutes later we were called back in and they were read out there and then in front of the whole class.

[mick miller]

Mick,

I'm confused - based on this:

 

http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...howtopic=134528

 

I took it you was open?

 

 

Yes, it is now an open ticket, however I have an accompanied condition for the time being for deer stalking only, I can use the .243 for fox [on my own] but was told that for the first year I would need to be accompanied deer stalking, all other calibres are fine. After a year or so I can re-apply with further evidence to have that restriction lifted. For me that's not too much of a problem as I've always gone with one or other of the mentors whilst stalking. In fact the only thing I do on my own is the rabbit shooting.

Edited August 13, 2010 by mick miller

[Raja Clavata]

How long do the results take to come through RC?

Ours were marked while we had a cup of tea and "what did you put for question 11?" type banter.

Ten minutes later we were called back in and they were read out there and then in front of the whole class.

 

I suspect you get a fair bit of variation between courses depending on who's running them but I don't think the scenario you describe is strictly "by the book". Basically we were told they would not be able to confirm we passed but the guy that failed got the nod and arranged to go back today and sit the part he messed up yesterday. Apparently the final scores have to be verified independently and there is also some kind of invigilation process.

 

We were told we'd get the certificate through in ~ 6 weeks.

 

I've had a significant number of PMs from people asking for the crib sheet - I'm happy to provide that (it includes more info on species than is covered by the 284 questions) and anything else I can to assist. The point of this thread was to try and impart my thoughts and reflection on the experience whilst still crystal clear in my mind

 

PS - large game and meat hygiene is 95% common sense and if you know the difference between a detergent and a sanitizer etc. you are nearly there. Determining the cause of irregularities in the pluck is not exactly rocket science although in practice I suspect it's more challenging (and assume that's a significant aspect of DSC2!?). Areas such as the withdrawal period on vet medicines and stuff like that needs to be gotten straight (I actually read up quite a bit on that from various sources as I found it particularly interesting - different rules for different drugs even within the EU!).

 

I learnt a hell of a lot in prep for the assessment and reckon I now know about as much as the course trainer / assessor holds in his little finger...

[kent]

Raja, don't rush to register for DSC2. It is not just "go and kill three deer "when i did mine 5 or 6 years ago i had more than three witnessed stalks and kills with inspections all witnessed from a respected BDS instructor as it happens. I still got a major grilling by Alex Jagger on the phone and asked to find solutions to some testing scenarios and also had to name and describe the lymphatic system through the deer. It would be near impossible to do this without training

I feel sad so many see the training system either as a means to get a piece of paper from the candidates view or from the instructors point of making a few quid and getting as high a pass rate regardless of the teaching. The real thril of stalking after a time comes from a true understanding of the deer and a learning process / love of the sport and the deer themselves that never ends. Although i came to it as a pure hunter i am now a Deer enthusiast

BDS courses are generally first class covering far more than the requirements to pass a simple test and come complete with a large amount of pre-course material in a manual, again it covers a lot more than you need for level 1 or 2. I still refer to it today as there is much i don't do enough of like leases and night shooting requirements etc

Someone asked about pre-study? Get this manual from the BDS available through thier bookshop i believe

Edited August 13, 2010 by kent

[Raja Clavata]

Mick - thanks for clearing that up - sounds bonkers to me though.

 

Kent - thanks for the advice on DSC2. Having dumped the 4 day course I have ~£250 credit with BASC so it seemed like the logical thing to do.

[Gareth W]

Raja, don't rush to register for DSC2. It is not just "go and kill three deer "when i did mine 5 or 6 years ago i had more than three witnessed stalks and kills with inspections all witnessed from a respected BDS instructor as it happens. I still got a major grilling by Alex Jagger on the phone and asked to find solutions to some testing scenarios and also had to name and describe the lymphatic system through the deer. It would be near impossible to do this without training

I feel sad so many see the training system either as a means to get a piece of paper from the candidates view or from the instructors point of making a few quid and getting as high a pass rate regardless of the teaching. The real thril of stalking after a time comes from a true understanding of the deer and a learning process / love of the sport and the deer themselves that never ends. Although i came to it as a pure hunter i am now a Deer enthusiast

BDS courses are generally first class covering far more than the requirements to pass a simple test and come complete with a large amount of pre-course material in a manual, again it covers a lot more than you need for level 1 or 2. I still refer to it today as there is much i don't do enough of like leases and night shooting requirements etc

Someone asked about pre-study? Get this manual from the BDS available through thier bookshop i believe

 

I did an assessment only level 1 due to dates and work I was unable to do a 4 day course. I brought the BDS manual and spent 6 - 8 weeks with my head buried firmly in it whilst offshore working/attending reading and finding the answers to the questions, also spent that time reading and looking at as many photos as I could. I'd also recommend the Best Practice Guidelines either online or pay £15 and subscribe to to the hard copies. The illustrations and photographs are good especially for the lymph nodes and carcass inspection.

[mick miller]

Where do you find the best practice guidelines? BDS also?