An end to stalking in Scotland ?

[cubix]

The Deer Comission Scotland - the governmental body which controls deer stalking in Scotland, has announced plans to require any shooters who stalk in Scotland to be licenced and have to take a test/exam before they can shoot.

 

You can read the astonishing details here :

 

Deer Commission Plans

 

Note that the DCS is not a pressure group - it is the government.

 

So that's an end to occasional stalking days north of the border then.

[Dunkield]

As there are 48 pages can you point us to the relevant bit Cubix?

[David BASC]

BASC is standing against compulsory as proposed by the DCS - as far as I know ALL the other organisations involved have said they want it!

 

There is more to come and this is not the final document that will go to the Minister - BUT you can see where DCS is coming from.

 

You may wish to contact your organisation, if not BASC, to ask them to confirm they are for or against compulsory testing and if so they are for it then ask why. Then as members you can decide if that is the association for you.

 

David

[cubix]

As there are 48 pages can you point us to the relevant bit Cubix?

 

It's mentioned in a couple of places, but see page 26.

[Dunkield]

On the face of it it is bad news, it will impact the Scottish tourism industry for a start, overseas stalkers won't want to be doing with all that.

But I guess it depends how it is implemented, if is just a competence 'test' or verification that won't be so bad, but we could obviously still do without it.

[al4x]

except that on page 27 it mentions a fair few exemptions which do seem to make some sense, along with if you were in the company of someone on the register then you would be fine. Foreign shooters would have their own measures of competence accepted. The idea of having a register of shooters entitled to shoot deer and to get them to submit returns on the numbers culled does mean centrally they know what is going on.

 

However it seems so sensible as to be totally unworkable the data collation would be immense and no doubt full of errors.

[CharlieT]

The main objective of the DCS is to drastically reduce the numbers of deer in Scotland. They already have draconian powers and use them to achieve this aim.

 

You will see that this latest document lists further changes to help achieve high cull rates such as no closed season for males and a very short closed season for females together with the abolition of licenses for night shooting and driving.

By requiring that all stalkers are registered and therefore (supposedly) trained and competent allows the DCS to put forward the recommendation that these changes to seasons and methods of culling are both humane and safe.

 

The exemptions for foreign and accompanied stalkers will not affect tourism to a very large extent if at all and in fact will help those medium and larger deer forests attract clients as those of us who are not on the list will have to book with an estate who has a "registered" stalker .

[Baldrick]

So if this is pushed through, I will have to 'register' to enable me to continue shooting deer on my family's land in Scotland, also requiring me to submit a cull return?! That's hilarious. It's also totally unenforceable - Scotland is a rather large place.

 

It has unpleasant and far-reaching consequences for the letting of sporting rights, stalking holidays and Scottish tourism in general.

 

Another nail in the coffin for fieldsports, hammered home by the vermin in government.

[David BASC]

Guys,

 

It will help me to know if you agree with the BASC strategy to fight to keep the status quo? Feedback from the grass roots is always useful.

 

David

[cubix]

David

 

Some of those who will benefit from it - i.e. already have DSC2 or provide training for it, may not feel it's a bad thing, more stalking for them, paid accompaniment etc. Alraedy on other forums we are seeing some of them saying the plans are not a bad thing - every single one of them are DSC2 hilders or pro/semi-pro stalkers.

 

Rolling their eyes innocently when you mention conflict of interest.

 

Those who do not have DSC2 will not agree with it.

 

Remember the document says that DSC1 is knowledge based, and to be on the register you need to have your practical skills assessed, and the document says DSC2 will be evidence of that.

 

It's an attack on the rights of lease and landowners, plus all the little guys, who obtain stalking on small permissions now and again, so I say fight it all the way.

 

Stalking is mostly done by working class blokes, not the landed gentry. It will reduce stalking to a preserve of the elite and the professional stalker which is not a good thing.

 

Removing close seasons etc is irrelevant, it's not related to the issue at hand - you can't give with one hand take away with the other - they are just trying to sweeten the pill.

 

It's an attempt at control by the government, supported by those who want to exercise and benefit from that control. BDS - they just want to be king of the hill no matter what it takes.

 

At best it's ill conceived, at worst it's downright sinister.

 

Deer welfare? don't make me laugh, we shoot and eat the bloody things for goodness sake; bringing us in line with Europe? since when does that have any inherent value ? - it's about state/elite control of deer stalking.

 

A register of shooters is fine - it's like a game licence, but having to pay to be assessed, up the ludicrously high level of DSC2 or equivalent to get on it? that is effectively preventing many people from doing so.

 

The BASC has scored a couple of home runs recently with the Barnados debacle and the Sky Cops fiasco so get in there hard and fast now and score another one for us - use EU Competition Law and the Human Rights Act, rights of land owners ? See how many of the DCS have DSC2 hmm? and will benefit from it.

 

Stinks to high heaven.

[Baldrick]

David, I firmly believe that the status quo should remain. I am not DSC 1/2-qualified, but I am qualified by experience. I grew up learning to stalk and manage deer. To be told that I need to i) qualify and ii) request the approval of yet another arm of the government to be allowed to shoot on my own land, is farcical and insulting.

 

Should the goons at the DCS get this implemented, I would bet money on similar restrictions being introduced south of the border.

[lurcherboy]

David, I firmly believe that the status quo should remain. I am not DSC 1/2-qualified, but I am qualified by experience. I grew up learning to stalk and manage deer. To be told that I need to i) qualify and ii) request the approval of yet another arm of the government to be allowed to shoot on my own land, is farcical and insulting.

 

Should the goons at the DCS get this implemented, I would bet money on similar restrictions being introduced south of the border.

 

 

David

 

 

 

LB

[Dunkield]

It's also totally unenforceable - Scotland is a rather large place.

Precisly Balders, we shoot on a 32,000 acre estate, there will be plenty bigger than that.

If we don't shoot the deer the stalker does, when they are hanging up in the larder who is to say who shot them?

[David BASC]

Thanks guys - keep the feedback coming- the more ammo we get the better chance we have...BUT we are also battling ALL the other organizations as I understand it - as they are ALL backing the DCS - Talk about standing alone!

 

OK we may well loose this one because the odds are staked against us – and we are fighting not only by the DCS but all the other orgs - but we will fight!

 

David

[henry d]

Stalking is mostly done by working class blokes, not the landed gentry. It will reduce stalking to a preserve of the elite and the professional stalker which is not a good thing.

 

How long before we hear about feeding deer into an area and shooting them ?

 

Deer welfare? don't make me laugh, we shoot and eat the bloody things for goodness sake; bringing us in line with Europe? How about we start driving deer etc. like europe ?

 

Stinks to high heaven.