SCOTLAND’S deer managers are demanding to be consulted on new control methods, arguing that shooting the species at night will have long-term implications for their welfare.
The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) believe Scotland’s iconic deer are already changing their behaviour due to being targeted increasingly by controllers in darkness.
Authorities are considering legalising the use of thermal and night vision equipment for controlling deer numbers. At present, they are used as a tool to spot and count deer at night.
Shooting deer at night is illegal in Scotland unless authorised by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). Applications to SNH to control deer at night to protect forestry have risen by over 300% in the last decade, as public agencies such as Forestry and Land Scotland move away from fencing as a management solution.
The SGA believes this, coupled with recreational disturbance, is causing deer to move into areas such as the lowlands, where mounting damage and vehicle collisions are occurring. They fear that, if new technology normalises night shooting further, there will be unconsidered animal health consequences as well as major changes to the way Scotland’s deer behave.
“Whilst the technology has merits, it could further legitimatise night shooting in Scotland and we will move further away from managing deer in daylight and in season which is better for welfare, safety, quality venison and is more selective and humane than just killing any deer,” said Peter Fraser, SGA vice-chairman.
“We need to be asking why we have got to a place where night shooting of an iconic species in Scotland has become more of a first resort, yet it is illegal in many European countries.”
Studies on roe deer in Denmark showed that, even where deer were not targeted at night, the deer missed out on feeding for one hour and 22 minutes after being disturbed by day time recreational activity.
It was concluded that several disturbances per day could affect physical fitness and reproductive potential, even without deer also being placed under additional pressure at night.
Deer distribution also changed during the study and similar multi-party research is now under way in Glen Lyon involving red deer.
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