Deer numbers

Mike Daniels, in his article on 14 December “There’ll be a deer price to pay if we don’t grasp issue of overpopulation”, paints a somewhat negative picture of deer management in Scotland.

He talks about the Monarch of the Glen but then describes Scotland’s deer as being “stunted, often emaciated and frequently succumb to starvation in the spring”.

I am pretty sure that the many thousands of visitors who come to Scotland to stalk deer (both stags and hinds), and contribute over £100 million in their secondary expenditure to rural communities each year do not recognise his description.

Nor will the tourists who enjoy seeing deer either on the hill or in our woodlands, or those who experience Scotland’s deer on programmes such as Autumnwatch.

His reference to “an ever-rising red deer population” conveniently ignores the Scottish Natural Heritage report

that shows that in the last 15 years the population growth appears to have halted.

This can only be attributed to the efforts of deer managers in both the public and private sector and, as the SNH report states, this costs each sector £36.8 and £12.9 million per year respectively.

Deer management is a complex (and expensive) business and we support Mike Daniels in his assertion that progress could be achieved by evolution, rather than revolution.

After many years of hard work and commitment by land managers and deer stalkers across Scotland, in both the uplands and the lowlands, we are seeing progress in collaborative deer management and this should be encouraged and supported rather than dismissed. COLIN SHEDDEN

Director Scotland British Association for Shooting and Conservation

Dunkeld