Is a DSC course worth the money?

I enjoy reading Shooting

Times from front to back and one article stood out

(‘New consultation on deer management launched’, News, 17 August). There appears to be a great emphasis on everyone stalking and controlling deer numbers (professionally or recreationally) to have a certificate before doing so. This, to me, is one big money-making ploy for the organisers. There are some of us who have stalked for many years — myself over 25 years — successfully.

I recall being asked by a professional stalker in Sutherland, where I have stalked, accompanied and unaccompanied, if I had Deer Stalking Certificate (DSC) Level 1. I replied: “No.” He asked why and I said I had other things that I could spend £300 on. He told me of an incident that occurred on a DSC course in north Sutherland. The stalker was busy gralloching his shot carcass, removing the intestines and stomach. At this point, the tester told him to stop and he asked why the stalker had thrown out the liver with the intestines.

The stalker explained that he had not yet touched the liver. The tester pointed to an item lying with the rest of the innards. It was the spleen. The liver was still in the carcass and the tester did not know a liver from a spleen. What a waste of money.

Another item that caught my attention was

‘Seeing the wood for the trees’ (Letters, 17 August). There appears to be a great emphasis on shooting bucks with great heads but then ignoring the does. I was of the understanding that to control deer numbers, it is the does that matter the most. If you cull 30% of does, the herd numbers will stay at an acceptable level. It does not matter as much about the number of bucks culled, as a small number will serve a good number of does.

When culling bucks, one should go for old, infirm or poor condition ones or young ones that will not make the grade. Leave the good-looking fit guy to father future stock. John Fletcher, by email is clearly not sustainable. The Cyprus government has a poor record on conservation, and this decision underlines the fact that it is more interested in the votes of the hunting community than in treating a threatened migratory bird with any respect. Sadly, this open-season for doves reflects badly on the sport of shooting, even though few of us here in the UK would support it.

Tom Howard, Suffolk