SACS - Deer Rifle Safety Course

Glensman

Last weekend I completed the Deer Rifle Safety course with SACS (sacs.org.uk).
To give a bit of background, in order to get ‘deer’ cleared on your license in the 6 counties you were previously required to complete the DSC 1 course, which was only on offer with BASC. This was at a cost of £365 and is held near Enniskillen which is over 2 hours from my house.

Thankfully SACS have set up an alternative to this course which I have now completed and passed.

For the Fee of £150 you receive a study pack that you should cover before the training and examinations.
This is useful and has a large number of sample questions you can be asked at the back, most of the answers are in the pack- the rest are provided on the Saturday.

Day 1- Started at the Bushtown Hotel in Coleraine at 9am.
A number of presentations were given on Deer identification, Diseases, the Gralloch, Safety, Anatomy/shot placement, ballistics, deer seasons, stalking and the law, stalking and public perception and then lots more on deer identification.
Tea and scones etc. Were provided and there was a fair amount of banter and anecdotes about the 2 lecturers stalking experience including chats/info on pistols, reloading general shooting.

We then broke for lunch which was a fantastic carvary dinner of venison

After lunch we sat our first exam. 50 questions, you need 40 correct to pass.
Quick break for air or smokes and then a 20 question paper on safety. You need 20/20 to pass.
Same again then shown 20 pictures of deer on the projector. You have to identify Breed and sex and in some cases age. THIS was NOT easy. You need 20/20 for a pass.

Day 2- We met at Altnarichard forrest.
We broke into 2 groups. I went with the group to shoot.
This consisted of using a Remmy .308 to place 3 consecutive shots into a 4” circle (kill zone on a deer) prone with bag @ 100 yards. Followed by 2 shots off sticks at 40 yards and 2 shots kneeling at 60.

This was followed up by a walk through the forrest with Binos and an unloaded rifle. On this you have to show safe practice with the rifle and identify a number of different deer targets. Why you would/wouldn’t shoot them and the breeds etc.

My verdict.
Well I thought the course was well worth the £150. Especially for the novice deer stalker or shooter.
Safety was the critical part of every part of the course. I learnt a LOT about deer identification and got a scare about certain diseases such as lymes disease.
With a thing like this you are of course open to the opinions of the instructors. The two on this day were Very knowledgeable but I wouldn’t necessarily agree with everything that was said, but certainly 95% of it and all of it in relation to Deer safety, welfare, disease and identification.
If I were to recommend an improvement to the course I thought it should have included more regarding deer seasons and law in the 26 counties as a number of people attending will never hunt outside of Ireland and live in border areas.

clivej

Good write up Glensman greta to have done it.

How did you find the questions?? Were they hard or about right?

Glensman

clivej wrote: »

Good write up Glensman greta to have done it.

How did you find the questions?? Were they hard or about right?

They were about right. There was a good mix between easy, made you think and hard.

The deer identification was Very hard, and you didn't get a second chance to look at the pictures - but then you don't in the field either.

They are running a reloading course in the near future, it might be worth a few of you making the trip up?

It should be said that I was very sceptical going into the course and obviously the more experienced you are the less you are going to get out of it. But there is something in there for everyone. Also, it's a great way of making contacts and networking with hunters from other parts of the country.