Burrage & Associates

Deer Management Services

Burrage & Associates

Burrage & Associates Deer Management Services

Include the formation of deer management groups, research and design of management plans for estates and regions, a range of stalking activities and woodland management.
Burrage & Associates offer a comprehensive selection of training in the many different aspects of deer management, including deer identification and firearms training. We also offer a wide range of pest control training / solutions.

Wild Deer Management Groups

The formation of deer management groups across the East of England is crucial to the successful management of deer species and their habitat. The herding deer species are capable of roaming across wide areas in a relatively short period of time, they pay no attention to boundaries and therefore range over several different estates. In the event of one estate conducting sporadic management a vacuum effect is created and the deer move into that area. Therefore the entire area should be encompassed within the management activities.

By ensuring a coordinated approach is taken Deer Management Groups safeguard the local habitat and maintain the welfare of the deer. Their main objective is to keep deer populations in balance with the environment. All members of the group must agree on this one aim.

Burrage & Associates negotiate with landowners to ensure that all members’ goals are agreed and actively pursued. We can now offer a live capture facility and are working closely with deer farmers, park managers and corporate clients in this area.

The Deer Management Membership Scheme acts as the mechanism in joining member estates into the Deer Management Group. Participating landowners can receive additional income from the management of their resident / transient deer species, whilst improving both habitat and crop yields both agricultural and timber.

Deer Census & Management Plans

The key to professional deer management is the census. The deer population in the locality must be identified prior to conducting any management activities. The only way to gain this valuable information is to accurately record sightings and patiently monitor the locality for signs of deer activity. Once this information has been gathered it can be formulated into a deer management plan. The recent development in Thermal Imagery technology has made census work easier and more accurate, it is a tool which is indespensible to the modern wildlife manager.

The management plan should clearly identify the aims and objectives of the estate and provide a structured basis on which to conduct a cull. The level of activity recorded, species present, damage to arable crops and timber plantations determine the level of cull required. Whilst also addressing the estates objectives for the future.

Organizations such as the Forestry England, Forest and Land Scotland are increasingly concerned about the level of deer damage occurring in the regions’ ancient semi natural woodlands, so much so that in areas where deer are known to cause damage to existing woodlands all such applications for funding must be accompanied with a deer management plan. This plan must be carried out to ensure continued funding. With the new England Woodland Creation Grant and the increase in new woodlands being planted a professional approach to the management of wild deer in such areas is key to the successful establishment of the woodlands.

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Diversification

In areas where the deer population is extensive landowners can increase their incomes via letting the deer management / stalking.
The benefit to the estate can be substantial depending on the species present and the quality of the stalking. All clients are accompanied at all times. Only deer specified in the cull plan may be culled and the client must only shoot when instructed to do so.
The stalking service is only available to clients who are qualified in Wild Deer Management Qualification Levels 1 and 2. (Those who wish to stalk but do not meet the standard required can attend a suitable training course, for more information see our Wild Deer & Game Training section).
When offering stalking, all landowners are requested to provide adequate third party liability cover.

Training Courses