Practical Deer Management

There are probably more deer in the United Kingdom now than there have been in the past thousand years. As they have increased in numbers and distribution so, too, have the issues associated with them. Practical Deer Management offers candid and comprehensive advice for anyone who has to deal with deer and the issues they present, be they gardeners suffering attacks on their flower beds, foresters looking to prevent damage to newly planted trees, or landowners with larger scale problems. While a wealth of information on deer exists already, a career in teaching countryside managers quickly made it apparent that there was a need for a straightforward and comprehensive volume that is accessible to all. Written to be clear and easily understood, Practical Deer Management looks at the deer themselves and suggests non-lethal protective measures in addition to more active management, with attention given to other considerations such as health, the law and the practical construction of infrastructure such as high seats. A humane approach is stressed throughout. Practical Deer Management is an essential handbook for anyone who has to deal with deer and the problems that they may present.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Ray Mears Preface 1. Why Manage Deer 2. British Deer 3. Management: Passive or Active? 4. Active Management: Planning or Preparation 5. High Seats and Other Infrastructure 6. The Census 7. Cull Planning 8. Miscellaneous Matters 9. Health and Disease 10. The Law and Deer Endnote Appendix 1. Further Reading Appendix 2. Useful Addresses Appendix 3. Draft Cull Plan Appendix 4. Sample Risk Assessment Appendix 5. Sample Deer Management Report Appendix 6. Simple Letter of Permisssion Appendix 7. Suggested Briefing Notes for Group Activities Index

About the Author :
Charles Smith-Jones has been stalking and managing deer for almost forty years and firmly believes in the need for a humane and responsible approach to their control. He has been involved in enabling nationwide deer management operations, served as a Trustee Director to the British Deer Society, lectured in game and wildlife management at Sparsholt College, Hampshire and has taught on a wide variety of other courses. He now provides technical advice on deer issues both privately and to national organisations. Recognition of the need for a book offering clear and accessible guidance on the subject led to Practical Deer Management, which draws on a wide personal experience. The author has also written Muntjac: Managing an Alien Species (2004), which received widespread praise as a groundbreaking work on coping with the challenges posed by this invasive Asian deer species in Britain as well as The Deer Stalker’s Bedside Book (2015) and Between the Coverts (2016). His writing will also be familiar to readers of many publications including Shooting Times, Sporting Gun and the British Deer Society’s journal Deer.

Review :
In this long overdue book my old friend Charles Smith-Jones provides pragmatic, real-world advice for solving conflicts with deer. Refreshingly written in ‘everyman’ language it is straightforward and easy to understand. That Charles loves deer is immediately apparent, drawing on a life-times experience his heartfelt belief that our deer deserve to be managed respectfully with a humane approach underpins his writing. … Through this refreshing book there is the possibility for us all to find a better understanding and tolerance of all of our deer. It is set to become the classic work on the subject. Practical Deer Management is a highly polished fusion of a topical subject matter, a plethora of illuminating photographs and excellent hard cover presentation by Quiller Publishing. There is a lot to like about this book. Author Charles Smith-Jones shares his lifetime involvement of managing and harvesting UK deer in this easy to read, encyclopaedic, training manual. From the lifelike, eye-catching dust cover to the impressively useful Annexes, this book covers all facets of UK deer management in sufficient detail to satisfy the ardent of deer enthusiasts as well as those with a more casual acquaintance... Practical Deer Management provides practical information on most, if not all, aspects of potential human/deer encounters. If you only ever buy one book on UK deer, you should certainly consider Practical Deer Management being your purchase. A management plan for deer on most lowland estates is becoming increasingly necessary and this book is a first-class guide in doing just that... I commend this book to all our members who have deer on their land ⁠— they always say that for every deer you see, there are four you don't. Charlies Smith-Jones will need no introduction to British Deer Society members. A former Trustee Director, Charles is currently one of the Society's technical advisers which, along with almost 40 years of experience with deer and a career in teaching game and wildlife management, perfectly qualifies him to deliver a detailed and thought-provoking personal view of current management practice. This is not another book about deer stalking... [it] is a well laid out, attractively-illustrated and annotated where appropriate with working examples... As time moves on and best practice all too quickly becomes yesterday's practice, it is valuable to have a body of sound and proven advice on deer management brought together in one easily-accessible volume. If you own or manage land, you're more and more likely to come into contact with deer. From farmers and gardeners keen to minimise damage, to those planning to achieve an income from venison, this helpful handbook is essential reading for anyone with an interest in conducting or overseeing deer management. Boasting more than 200 pages of candid, comprehensive advice, with a foreword from renowned woodsman Ray Mears, Practical Deer Management is full of useful advice, beautiful photographs, and step-by-step guides to help the reader through their deer issues. I already have a few of Charles' previous books. Focusing on the major aspects of UK deer management, from deer impacts to cull planning to deer counts and herd welfare. I'm sure anyone with an interest in deer will learn something from this book. With excellent pictures throughout, Practical Deer Management is easy to read when compared with similar titles due to an easy-to-grasp style of writing that makes the intricacies of deer management far easier to understand. With a thoughtful foreword by TV personality Ray Mears, this is a book that I would recommend to any stalker. [Charles Smith Jones'] new title is his piece de resistance! His accurate knowledge of the subject shines throughout the book, and it has been a pleasure to read over the past month. I would suggest that anyone with the slightest interest in current deer management adds it to their collection — gems of knowledge like this cannot always be found via a Google search! I can promise that you will not be disappointed.