Deer Management
David Hemingway, DH Pest Control
The fallow deer season for bucks (males) starts on 1st August. I personally won’t take bucks once they are rutting. The rut usually begins around October/November and lasts roughly four weeks. Rutting is the breeding period.
Bucks focus on mating, fighting, and holding territory. They burn huge amounts of energy, stop feeding properly, and lose body condition. Hormone levels are extremely high during this time, which directly affects meat quality. I honestly can’t understand why anyone would shoot a rutting buck. The meat is strong, tainted, and largely inedible. Selling venison taken at this stage won’t get you a repeat order.
Come 1st November, when does (females) come into season, this is the right time to implement a proper culling programme. Reducing female numbers is what actually controls herd size. The season for does is much shorter than for bucks. It runs from 1st November to 31st March. Because of this, planning and reconnaissance in the close season are essential if you want to hit your cull targets.
One of the biggest challenges on many sites is public access. The noise of a centrefire rifle echoing through woodland, frightening dogs or walkers, rarely goes down well. Being seen dragging a deer from a distance can also cause issues. Add a horse rider into the scene and it can escalate quickly. You must avoid confrontation when in possession of a firearm. If the police are called, the situation can go badly very fast.
This is why I use feed stations in areas away from public access. They work well if not abused. Deer are extremely intelligent and will avoid areas where they are pressured too heavily.
Equipment is another critical part of commercial culling. Shooting a large fallow deer in a steep valley sounds fine until you have to drag it uphill. Do that once and you’ll think twice next time. My truck is set up with pulleys for different terrain, a lifting hoist, a skinning rig, and other equipment. The aim is minimal effort and keeping the carcass clean.
