Birse Parish Deer Management Group (BP DMG) REPORT ON DEER MANAGEMENT

Transcription

1 inal.. Birse Parish Deer Management Group (BP DMG) REPORT ON DEER MANAGEMENT - CONTENTS Introduction Map of DMG Area and Deer Management Units Part One Description of the Cull in - Overall Cull s Red Deer Cull Roe Deer Cull Culls by Deer Management Zones Interim Cull s SNH Authorisations Carcase Weights Part Two Targets for the Cull in - Review of - Red Deer Cull Targets - Roe Deer Cull Targets - Overall Cull Targets

2 inal.. BIRSE PARISH DEER MANAGEMENT GROUP Report on Deer Management - Introduction The Birse Parish Deer Management Group (BP DMG) involves all the properties over ha within the DMG area. The members are Ballogie, inzean and Birse Estates, Birse Community Trust (BCT), Balfour Estate and the Shannel. The DMG area covers the civil parish of Birse and the adjoining Carlogie area, as outlined on the map on the next page. The DMG area is approximately, hectares or, acres. The DMG is currently implementing the Birse Parish Deer Management Plan -. The production of this annual cull report is a part of the Plan. The purpose of the report is to inform BP DMG discussions about: (a) the DMG's red and roe deer culls in the previous year (-); (b) the DMG's red and roe deer cull targets in the coming year (-) The Group's Deer Management Plan and annual reports on -, - and - are on the Birse Community Trust website with other BP DMG papers at: The DMG area is divided into Deer Management Units (DMUs), as shown on the map on the next page. The DMUs are allocated to one of three zones, depending on their character (low ground, forest, hill). There are:- hill DMUs covering, ha (c.% of DMG area)(average c., ha ea.) - forest DMUs covering, ha (c.% of DMG area)(average c. ha ea) - low ground DMUs covering, ha (c.% of DMG area)(av. c. ha ea) Written by Robin Callander, BCT

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4 inal.. PART ONE - DESCRIPTION O THE CU IN - Overall Culls The total red and roe culls in the DMG area in - are shown in Table and igure below. The contributions of the six DMG Members to the total red and roe culls are shown in Table on the next page. ig. then shows the patterns of the annual culls by the four main DMG Members. Table : Culls of Red and Roe Deer RED ROE Cull Red : Roe % - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - : igure : Culls of Red and Roe Deer

5 inal.. Birse Parish Deer Management Group (BP DMG) Table Red and Roe Deer Cull s / - / Year Ballogie Estate inzean Estate Birse Estate BCT Shannel+Balfour Est. BP DMG Area (DMUs,,,,,,), ha (DMUs,,,,,) (DMUs,,,), ha (DMUs,,) ha (DMUs +-) ha (DMUs -), ha Red Red Roe, ha Roe Red Roe Red Roe Red Roe Red Roe / / / / / / / / / / / / yr av yr av. In October /, a male Sika deer was also shot on Ballogie Estate These totals do not include the cull carried out by Ballogie Estate in DMU, the Commonty Pinewoods, which is included in the BCT totals

6 inal.. ig. Red and Roe Deer Culls by main Group Members -

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8 inal.. Red Deer Cull Table below shows the distribution of the - red deer cull by Deer Management Unit (DMU) Table on the following page shows the red deer culls by DMG members for the period -. Table Birse Parish DMG Red Deer Cull by DMU - (brackets = (/)(/)) Deer Mgt Units Hectares Red Deer Cull - Stags Hinds Calves Cull/ ha Zone inzean West Woods (.) (.). Commonty Pinewoods (.) (.). amahip (.) (.). Arntilly (.) (.). Bogieshiel (.) (.). Craigmore & Midstrath (.) (.). Shannel & Coulnacraig (.) (.). Slewdrum orest () (.). Craigbeg Plantation (.) (.). inzean East (.) (.). Easter Clune (.) (.). Peter Hill (.) (.). H Whitehill & Glaspits (.) (.). H Mudlee Bracks (.) (.). H Birse Hill (.) (.). H

9 inal.. Birse orest (.) (.). Birse ow Ground (.) (.). Balfour orest () (.). Balfour Estate (.) (.). Carlogie (.) (.). Glen errick (). Glencat (). H, s (.) (.).

10 inal.. Table : Birse Parish DMG Red Deer Culls - Ballogie Estate Stags Hinds+ inzean Estate Stags Hinds+ Birse Estate Stags Hinds+ Birse Community Trust Stags Hinds+ Shannel + Balfour Estate Stags Hinds+ Parish s Stags Hinds+ / / / / / / / / / / / / No red deer were culled on the Shannel until -, when stags and hinds/calves were shot. In -, the Shannel cull was stags and hinds/calves In -, the Shannel cull was stags, hinds/calves In -, the Shannel cull was stags, hinds In -, the Balfour Estate cull data is only to..

11 inal.. Roe Deer Cull Table below shows the distribution of the - roe deer cull by Deer Management Unit. Table on the next page shows the red deer culls by DMG members for the period -. Table Birse Parish DMG Roe Deer Cull - by DMU (brackets = (/)(-)) Deer Mgt Units Hectares Roe Deer Cull - Bucks Does Kids Cull/ ha Zone inzean West Woods (.) (.). Commonty Pinewoods (.) (.). amahip (.) (.). Arntilly (.) (.). Bogieshiel (.) (.). Craigmore & Midstrath (.) (.). Shannel & Coulnacraig (.) (.). Slewdrum orest () (.). Craigbeg Plantation () (). inzean East (.) (.). Easter Clune (.) (.). Peter Hill (.) (.). H Whitehill & Glaspits (.) (.). H Mudlee Bracks (.) (.). H Birse Hill (.) (.). H Birse orest (.) (.). Birse ow Ground (.) (.). Balfour orest () (.). Balfour Estate (.) (.). Carlogie (.) (.). Glen errick (.). Glencat (.). H, s (.) (.).

12 inal.. Table : Birse Parish DMG Roe Deer Culls - Ballogie Estate Bucks Does+ inzean Estate Bucks Does+ Birse Estate Bucks Does+ Birse Community Trust Bucks Does+ Shannel + Balfour Estate Bucks Does+ Parish s Bucks Does+ / / / / / / / / / / / / There are no recorded roe culls from the Shannel until -, when the cull was bucks and does/others. In - = bucks, doe. In - = bucks

13 inal... Cull s by Deer Management Zone Table / / / / ow Ground orest Hill, ha (%) ha (%), ha (%), ha (%) (%) (%) (%) ( %) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (%) (%) (%) (%) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (%) (%) (%) (%) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (%) (%) (%) (%) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) Table / / / / / / / Red Deer Cull by Deer Management Zone ow Ground orest Hill, ha (%) ha (%), ha (%), ha (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (%) (%) (%) (%) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (%) (%) (%) (%) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (%) (%) (%) (%) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) Table / Deer Cull by Deer Management Zone Roe Deer Cull by Deer Management Zone ow Ground orest Hill, ha (%) ha (%), ha (%), ha (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (./ha) (%) (%)) (%) (%) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (%) (%) (%) (%) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (%) (%) (%) (%) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. /ha) (. / ha)

14 inal... Interim Cull s Table Birse Parish DMG Cull in - by Period of Year (brackets = previous years) Period to Red Cull at date Roe Cull at date Cull in Period % of Cull th Sept. () () (%) (%) % st Dec. () () (%) (%) % st March () () (%) (%) % s () () % SNH Authorisations Information from four main members. No authorisations on Balfour Estate or the Shannel. Table Out of Season Red Roe No. % Cull No. % Cull % Male % emale + calves/kids / % % % % / % % % % / % % % % / % % % % Table Night Shooting Red Both Spp. O/S Roe Both Spp. N/S No. % Cull No. % Cull % Male % emale + calves/kids / % % % % / % % % % / % % % % / % % % % Carcase Weights ( clean carcase weight no gralloch). (a) Red The average weights reported for stags by Ballogie, inzean and BCT (Balfour+Slewdrum) were, and kg, with top weights of, and kg respectively. The average weights reported for hinds by Ballogie, inzean and BCT (Balfour+Slewdrum) were, and kg and top weights, and kg. (b) Roe The Ballogie, inzean and BCT (Balfour+Slewdrum) average weights for bucks were, and. kg, with top weights of, and. kg.

15 inal.. or does, the average weights were, and kg and top weights, and kg. PART TWO TARGETS OR THE CU IN - Review of Cull in - The BP DMG has made significant progress in recent years in the implementation of its target culls. The results set out in Part One of the Report reflect that the cull in - maintained that progress. The red deer cull of exceeded the DMG's minimum target cull of red deer and was nearly half way towards the DMG's 'expected cull' of. The roe deer cull of exceeded both the DMG's minimum target of roe deer and the DMG's 'expected cull' of around. The culls of red and roe meant that the overall cull was deer and the highest annual cull in the DMG area to date. igure below shows that the red deer cull ended the pattern of alternate ups and downs in the cull total over recent years and was the highest red deer cull since -. The record number of roe shot continued the significant improvements in the roe cull over recent years As set out later in this paper after considering the differing positions with red and roe deer, the Group aims to consolidate the cull levels in -, with similar minimum cull targets in - of red and roe. The Group's cull targets are agreed between the four main members, who are responsible for implementing them. The two associate members (DMUs and ) decide their own respective cull targets and make a useful contribution to the DMG's overall annual cull. igure Culls of Red and Roe Deer in BP DMG Area -

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17 inal... RED DEER - Cull Targets -. Red Deer Cull - The red deer cull of in - was a positive total and meant that, following the cull of in -, there was a cull of or more red deer for two years in a row for the first time in years. The - cull consisted of twice as many stags as hinds/others. While this degree of difference was also the case in -, the sex ratio of the DMG's red deer culls are usually close to :. The factors that produced the imbalance in - are not clear. The cull was helped by another open winter, with a third of the total red cull taken in January to March. The open hill count was done by SNH with a helicopter and recorded red deer ( stags, hinds), with on inzean Estate ( stags, hinds) and on Ballogie's open hill ( stags, hinds). The herd in the Aven is estimated to be still over. However, the extent of any movement through holes in the Glen Dye fence is not known. The movement may change as a result of damage to the fence during the New Year spates. While inzean organised three stalker operations during the year to try to cull the herd, the cull was nine on one day and zero on the two others. There also continued to be significant numbers of red deer elsewhere in the DMG area. or example: - In addition to the deer in the Aven, large groups of - or more deer were seen elsewhere in the DMG area, including the - in the Balfour to Balnacraig area reported at the October DMG meeting. - There were also the large numbers of deer in the Commonty Pinewoods DMU as reflected in the serious damage to BCT's tree planting there and the cull there by Ballogie of red deer. - Red deer also continued to cause damage to farm crops. The October meeting recorded 'damage to barley at a range of locations in the northern half of the parish, with the damage more serious in some areas than others'. There was also damage to the neap crop in Glencat during the winter. There was also continued pressure from red deer in BCT's two other forests with George Ritchie culling there. As a result, BCT's DMUs contributed % of the DMG's red deer cull from % of the DMG's land area. The four main members of the DMG only just achieved their minimum target red deer cull of, with a combined cull of. The other red deer in the overall DMG total were culled by Balfour Estate and the Shannel. They culled % of the DMG cull from % of the DMG area. Thus, with the BCT DMUs, % of the land area accounted for over % of the DMG's red deer cull. While each of the main estates missed their minimum red deer cull targets, it might be noted that: (a) Ballogie stalkers shot more red deer in - than usual with their higher cull in BCT's Commonty Pinewoods DMU;

18 inal.. (b) inzean had always been clear that reaching its minimum red deer target was conditional on one or two successful control operations in the Aven and while several attempts were made, there was limited success; (c) Birse only missed its minimum cull target by one red deer.. Red Deer Cull Targets - The Group is committed as its main priority, to reducing the local issues resulting from the relatively high numbers of red deer in the DMG area. The main members of the Group are similarly committed to carrying out the red deer culls necessary to achieve this. (a) Group The current year, -, is the final year of the DMG's year Deer Management Plan -. In the first two years, the DMG has culled and red deer. Given the significant problems with red deer damage again in - and the continuing evidence of relatively high red deer numbers, the members recognise that the DMG's minimum red deer cull should be at least again in -. The concern is that it appears that the DMG could continue taking a cull of red deer every year on a continuing basis, without reducing the numbers of red deer locally. The average annual red cull over the last years in the tables in Part One, has been red deer a year and despite that sustained level of cull, there continue to be large groups of red deer locally and associated damage most years. ig. Annual Red Deer Cull in BP DMG Area during years - DMG members are not clear on the origin of all the red deer required to produce an annual cull of around each year. Concerns have been expressed at various times about red deer moving into the area from the hills to the west, or from the north across the Dee, as well as from the south through the Glen Dye fence. It might be considered from the cull figures over the years, that most of the annual recruitment appears to come from red deer born within the DMG area.

19 inal.. However, Ballogie Estate have reported that there seems evidence of an incursion of around red deer from the west during recent weeks at the start of the current year. Groups of and have been amongst the sightings in the orest of Birse. It is unclear as things stand, whether these deer have since broken into smaller groups in woodland locally or if some have returned west. Given the continuing issues with red deer and the recent incursion, the main DMG members have agreed that a red deer cull that is higher than the and of the last two years, is needed in - if the DMG is to make progress on reducing red deer numbers locally. They have therefore agreed that the DMG: (i) will increase its minimum red deer cull target from to for -; (ii) will maintain its hoped for or 'expected cull' at, but with a higher expectation that this total or more will be achieved in -. (b) Members In -, with the improvement in the red deer cull on Birse Estate, each of the main members took a positive cull as part of their combined red deer cull total of. Members respective contributions to the - red deer cull are shown in Table below. In considering the minimum cull targets adopted by individual members each year, the Group recognises both that the level of movement of red deer between DMUs can mean targets can not be met in some areas, and that other unanticipated factors can also limit planned culls. In addition, part of the purpose of sharing Interim Cull s after th September, st December and th ebruary, is to enable cull targets and effort to be adjusted as appropriate by or between members, to try to ensure that the Group's overall minimum cull target is achieved. BP DMG Member Table Red Deer Culls by DMG Members - Area (ha) % DMG area Cull - % DMG Cull Cull / ha Ballogie Est., % %. inzean Est., % %. Birse Est., % %. BCT % %. Balf.+Shannel % %., % %. ig below shows the red deer culls over the last years by the main Group members. Table in Part One also shows that each estate's average red deer cull for the last years is lower than their average cull over the last years. This is despite the year average now excluding the high red deer culls in - and -, and not withstanding that four of the last five years have been part of the DMG's more focused discussions about reducing red deer numbers locally. Areas of open hill = Ballogie Estate, ha; inzean Estate, ha; Birse Estate, ha

20 inal.. ig. The Pattern of the Red Deer Culls by the four main DMG Members - In considering the - cull, the agreed allocation of the DMG's minimum red deer cull target of between the four main members is shown in Table below. Each member had anticipated maintaining the same minimum cull target as in. However, Ballogie Estate and BCT increased their minimum targets by each to reach the DMG's minimum target of. While BCT noted its limited scope to influence its red deer cull total because of the relatively small sizes of its DMUs, inzean Estate noted that achieving its cull target is likely to be dependent again on some success culling the deer in the Aven. Table Agreed Minimum Red Deer Target Culls -. Member Area (ha) Min. Target - Min. Target - Ballogie Estate, inzean Estate, Birse Estate, BCT

21 inal... ROE DEER - Cull Targets -. Roe Deer Cull - In -, the BP DMG maintained its significant progress with improving the local roe cull. The total roe cull increased from in - to in -, and therefore exceeded the DMG's minimum target of and its 'expected cull' of around. Each main member also exceeded their minimum roe target cull. Most of the increased cull compared to - was on Ballogie Estate (+). There were also increases on inzean Estate (+) and Birse Estate (+), while the roe culls were down slightly in the BCT DMUs (-) and the Balfour / Shannel DMUs (-). While the Group has tended to cull more does than bucks over the years, the predominance of does / others over bucks was even more pronounced in - than the year before. The Group's considers that culling a doe rather than a buck makes sense in trying to limit the local roe population. The Group anticipates that it will be some years before a cull with a : sex ratio is appropriate. - was the first year in which there was a roe cull in each of the DMG's DMUs, as a result of roe being culled in the Craigbeg plantation (DMU ) for the first time in many years. The roe cull also increased in a majority of the DMUs compared to the previous year ( out of ). The improved spread of the cull was also reflected in the increase in the number of orest and ow Ground Zone DMUs where an indicative cull rate of or more roe deer / ha was achieved. While this had been the case in of the DMUs in -, this increased to DMUs in - with a further DMUs where the culls were or more roe / ha.. Roe Deer Cull Targets - The main members of the DMG each have a strong, local, economic self-interest in managing roe deer effectively in the DMG area. There are also important local and environmental and social reasons for achieving this. (a) Group The DMG's improved roe culls over the last years (,, ) mean the average roe cull during those years has been. This is twice the average cull in the previous three years (/-/). However, the evidence continues to indicate that the DMG area can readily sustain a roe cull of over a year. That conclusion is indicated by estimates from the research literature, the field evidence of local roe numbers and DMUs where there are relatively low roe culls. Another indicator is the continued high level of the roe culls in Balfour and Slewdrum orests. The main DMG members have agreed on the basis of the evidence generally, that the DMG should aim to consolidate the level of roe cull achieved in -. They have therefore agreed that the DMG: (i) will increase its minimum roe deer cull target from to for -; (ii) will also increase its hoped for or 'expected cull' to or more.

22 inal.. (b) Members In -, each of the main members had a positive roe cull and it was the first year in which each of the main estates had a higher roe than red cull. The respective contributions to the - roe cull are shown in Table and ig. below. The agreed minimum roe cull targets in - for each of the main members are shown in Table below. BP DMG Member Table Roe Deer Culls by DMG Members - Area (ha) % DMG area Cull - % DMG Cull Cull / ha Ballogie Est., % %. inzean Est., % %. Birse Est., % %. BCT % %. Balf.+Shannel % %., % %. ig Number of roe deer culled annually in Birse Parish Table Agreed Minimum Roe Deer Target Culls -. Member Area (ha) Min. Target - Min. Target - Ballogie Estate, inzean Estate, Birse Estate, BCT Areas of open hill = Ballogie Estate, ha; inzean Estate, ha; Birse Estate, ha

23 inal... OVERA CU TARGETS The DMG has achieved improved culls in the first two years of its Deer Management Plan -. The main DMG members recognise that there are still relatively high numbers of red and roe deer locally. They have therefore agreed that the cull in the third and final year of the DMP should consolidate recent improvements in the culls by at least equalling the - red and roe cull totals in -. Table below summarises the agreed minimum red and roe deer cull targets for the Group's main members in -. The aim with the red deer cull is to improve the cull so that it is more than the - cull of and potentially of up to or more. The aim with roe deer is a minimum cull of and potentially a cull of or more to equal or increase the cull of in -. Table Agreed Minimum Red and Roe Deer Target Culls - Area (ha) Min. Red - Min. Roe - Min. Target - Ballogie, inzean, Birse, BCT Member The numbers of deer culled by DMG members each year illustrate that the DMG is a very productive environment for deer. It can be estimated from the - cull totals and the average weights for the red and roe culled, that the DMG produced significantly over tonnes of venison in - ( c.% red, % roe). The cull of red and roe in - also represents a substantial amount of time and physical effort by the stalkers involved in carrying out the cull. A key challenge for the deer managers is to ensure that there are human resources available in terms of stalkers and stalker outings, to maintain and improve that level of cull in -.