A game plan for woodland

Deer management in any landscape requires a coordinated and well-thought-out plan. When it comes up in conversation, as it does more regularly than one would imagine, the viewpoint of those unfamiliar with deer management is more often than not, “Isn’t the aim simply to shoot as many as possible?”

While that may be the case in some isolated situations where deer populations are out of control, in most cases deer management is about maintaining a healthy and balanced population and to reduce and mitigate the impacts that deer can have.

Deer management can be an emotive topic and has to be handled sensitively. This has caused some landowners to shy away from it, and the knock-on effects can be stark. Those who do not shy away, however, are likely to see the benefits.

Coordinated deer management on the estate where I work has never been high