The Deer Initiative

Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a list of the topics we are most frequently asked questions about. If you cannot find the information you need here, please contact either head office or your local Deer Liaison Officer. Our contact details can be found here.

What are the statutory close seasons for deer?

Can I cull deer out of season?

How can I get Deer Stalking qualifications?

What is Lyme Disease?

Where can I find information on Foot and Mouth Disease and Bluetongue?

What were the changes to deer legislation which came into effect on 1st October 2007?

EU Food Hygiene Regulations January 2006

Why do deer need to be managed?

How can I keep deer out of my garden?

Where can I find information about deer fencing?

Where can I find deer related publications?

Useful links

Statutory Close Seasons for Deer

The statutory close seasons for deer are as follows (all dates inclusive)

Culling Deer out of Season

Click here to view the changes to the Deer Act which affect culling deer out of season.

Deer Stalking Qualifications

Information on qualifications can be found on the relelvant page on this website. Click here to transfer to the page or click on the link in the toolbar.

Ticks and Lyme Disease

Click here to view our Best Practice Guide on Lyme Disease.

You can also get lots of useful information from Lyme Disease Action. Click here to be re-directed to their website.

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Foot and Mouth disease and Bluetongue

In England: Click here to view the latest information on the Defra website.

In Wales: Click here to view the latest information on the Welsh Assembly Government website.

In Scotland: Click here to view the guidance for Scotland on the Deer Commission for Scotland website.

Or visit our Disease information page on this website.

Changes to Deer Legislation from 1st October 2007

Between 29th August and 24th October 2006 Defra held a public consultation on proposed changes to the Deer Act (1991) to improve deer management and welfare.

The proposals from the consultation formed the basis of the Regulatory Reform (Deer) (England and Wales) Order 2007 which amends the Deer Act (1991) from 1st October 2007.

From 1st October 2007 the Deer Act 1991 should alwasy be read with Statutory Instrument No 2183 which describes the detail of the new order.

Deer Act (1991)

Deer RRO 2007

Click here to view details of how the Order amends the Deer Act.

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Food Hygiene Regulations from 1st January 2006

New EU food hygiene regulations were introduced in the UK from 1st January 2006. From that date all game supplied to approved Wildgame Handling Establishments must be inspected by a 'competent' person.

It will be a requirement that stalkers supplying game for food must have enough knowledge to ensure that food safety is not compromised, and must be trained so that they can recognise any abnormal behaviour or symptoms which may indicate that the meat is not fit for human consumption.

The Food Standards Agency has issued a draft version of the Wild Game Handling Guide, which is available for viewing or download here.

The need for deer management

If there are too many deer in an area, they can cause damage to their environment, and food supplies may become insufficient to support the population. Deer do not have any natural predators and it may therefore become necessary to control the population if it becomes too high. The National Forest Company produces an informative leaflet on this subject. Click here to transfer to the National Forest website, and then follow the links under Nature Conservation.

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Deer in the Garden

The most common deer species to visit your garden are Roe and Muntjac. You can find more information on all the species by clicking the link on the main toolbar.

You could try 'scare tactics' to discourage deer, for example a motion detector attached to a sprinkler or by planting strong smelling plants, but these options have only limited success rates. The only foolproof option to keep deer out of your garden is fencing, which will need to be a minimum of 1.5m high.

The Rural Development Service has produced a Technical Advice Note entitled Deer: problems in urban and suburban areas. You can view or download the Advice Note 37 here.

Guide to Forest Fencing

The Forestry Commission has published a new guide that updates its existing advice on forest fencing. It takes into account recent developments such as new fencing materials on the market, temporary and electric fencing, marking fences to reduce deaths of woodland birds from collisions, and the use of machinery. Technical Guide: Forest Fencing, was written by Roger Trout of Forest Research, and Harry Pepper, and replaces Forestry Commission Bulletin 102: Forest Fencing, first published in 1992. Priced at £7.50 from Forestry Commission Publications Tel: 0870 121 4180 and quote stock code FCTG002. It can also be downloaded free from the Forestry Commission website.

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Deer Publications

Click here to open a new page full of information about deer related publications and where to source them.

Useful Links

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation

The British Deer Society