Extension to hunting season

OrangeBadger

Hi everyone

I'm just wondering if there anyway a person can get permission to shoot deer on their land all year if they are deemed a real problem. I am having a serious problem with deer stripping bark from trees, over the past week approx 100 apple/fruit trees have been entirely skint.

alex90

You can apply for a section 42 from the npws. Whereabouts in the country are you?

OrangeBadger

Sligo, I am not growing trees commercially or to sell, these are trees that my father planted 20 years ago on the land, I have 150mm 4 foot tall drainage pipes around the trees as guards and the sheep have never damaged a single tree, but this year a pile of deer have come and the damage is unbelievable. I have a proper hunter in now but I'm worried once season runs out

alex90

You can nominate the hunter to shoot deer after the end of the season.

section-42-serious-damage.docx

OrangeBadger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121450509#Comment_121450509

Brilliant this is exactly what I was hoping for, it's shocking what they have done, thankfully they have no interest in eatting the oaks

garrettod

You could also consider getting a few experienced deer stalkers to help you tackle the deer (free of charge, needles to say).

A number of experienced stalkers have previously posted messages looking for permissions, here:

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058184782/seeking-offering-land-permission-thread-deer-stalking-only#latest

OrangeBadger

I have a good guy in at the moment, it would just be good to have someone around who could take a look every now and then. No deer have ever been hunted in this area and the numbers have gone mad

dmulli

Did you get sorted ? I'm shooting away in sligo and might be able to help. D

OrangeBadger

Ya things have calmed down now, once the stock are back in the fields being fed the deer stay away plus a good bunch were taken out in the last few weeks, thanks for the offer tho

dmulli

Good stuff 👏

OM642

Was a scientific opinion sought before the decision was made to increase the lenght of the hunting season?

I think not because this would have recommended a different outcome.

From a wildlife biology and ethical perspective, it is not the right way to reduce the number of wild deer! The extension of time for the hunting

of female deer until the end of March is also ethically problematic. Foetuses already weigh between 3 and 4kg at this stage of the gestational

cycle.

The following understanding exists in most European countries with long hunting traditions:

Every hind which is culled before the rut, can no longer partake in the reproductive process.

Instead of hunting male deer for 9 month of the year, it would be advisable to suspend this for 1-2 years and focus on the females who are

responsible for the excess stock.

Even though a nationwide deer count has never been carried out, one can conclude that this would have a positiv impact on the gender ratio

of deer.

A reduction in female deer is key in reduction deer pressures on our various land use sectors and biodiversity. This cannot be achieved by having

an open season where males can be culled for 9 months and females for 5 months.