What is the law about deer

[Devil's advocate]

I'm a 2nd generation tenant on a three generation tenancy.

So what is the law on deer? do I have the right to demand they are culled or organise culling if required? Or are they game that are the landlords property.

Some of my cropping is field veg, so extremely concerned.

 

[Wilksy]

If the sporting rights are owned by a third party id say they would have to be consulted, if the landlord has a keeper then I'd guess he'd have to be informed you have a deer problem, if no one seems to be doing anything about the deer then I'd say your well within your rights to cull/manage there numbers

 

[ajcc]

Read your agreement.....are they referred to specifically? Because they are not “game “ but they do have legal protection of “deer act” regarding seasons and methodology of control....but that same act makes provision for out of season control under crop protection (but your meant to get a NE licence but they don’t issue v. often)
But your tenancy must mention sporting rights and responsibilities...if there is no mention safe to assume they your responsibility.....who is landlord? Why not ask them?

 

[betweenthelines]

Deer don't "belong" to anyone-they are wild animals.

Get them shot

 

[Devil's advocate]

Deer don't "belong" to anyone-they are wild animals.

Get them shot

Legally they have to be shot with certain calibre.

I'm not allowed to shoot or allow others to shoot. Plus that callibre is banned on the estate full stop.

But yes, I agree with your sentiment.

 

[Devil's advocate]

One of the worst things is damage to drystone walls, almost as bad as badgers.

Jump 5 foot no issue, but everytime a few stones fall off the wall.

 

[Wilksy]

One of the worst things is damage to drystone walls, almost as bad as badgers.

Jump 5 foot no issue, but everytime a few stones fall off the wall.

What deer species are the issue? Roe tend to use the same route, leave them a few stones of where they cross

 

[Devil's advocate]

Red deer

 

[Boysground]

As has been said check your agreement. I have an AHA tenancy and mine specifically says that the shooting rights and deer management are my responsibility. So I can do as I wish. I have friends with AHA who don’t have the same luxury as me who cannot touch a thing and the landlord does as he pleases with the shooting and deer.

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[Devil's advocate]

As has been said check your agreement. I have an AHA tenancy and mine specifically says that the shooting rights and deer management are my responsibility. So I can do as I wish. I have friends with AHA who don’t have the same luxury as me who cannot touch a thing and the landlord does as he pleases with the shooting and deer.

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Oh dear, be nice to read something official.

Rabbits are classified as vermin & landlord has to control those or allow me to. Need something similar for deer.

 

[exmoor dave]

As has been said check your agreement. I have an AHA tenancy and mine specifically says that the shooting rights and deer management are my responsibility. So I can do as I wish. I have friends with AHA who don’t have the same luxury as me who cannot touch a thing and the landlord does as he pleases with the shooting and deer.

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Can't touch the deer on a NT farm, the trust do their own 'control', which usually means quite a high number
TB takes alot though

 

[Bobthebuilder]

must have a hell of a lot of dear if they are damaging crops we have a constant wild heard of about 40 roe deer on 1100ac and they do minimal damage to crops but more to young trees, poachers get a few and we shoot a few but nice to see around

 

[egbert]

I would be extremely cautious about doing something contrary to your AHA tenancy...they're not making them any more, as the saying goes.

If the wording doesn't cover deer, ask your landlord.
Any reluctance to allow control would be a rent review consideration.

And then, there's good eating off'f reds, so what 3rd parties get up on a dark night is beyond your control anyway....

 

[fieldfarmer]

must have a hell of a lot of dear if they are damaging crops we have a constant wild heard of about 40 roe deer on 1100ac and they do minimal damage to crops but more to young trees, poachers get a few and we shoot a few but nice to see around

15 deer coming out of the woods will soon eat the heads off 3 acres of wheat. (14 days), we're near a large wooded beauty spot and can get more than a 150 driven out by people walking their dogs etc the damage is devastating in a arable situation can't imagine them in a veg feild but would guess a toltol loss due to teath marks.

 

[MrNoo]

15 deer coming out of the woods will soon eat the heads off 3 acres of wheat. (14 days), we're near a large wooded beauty spot and can get more than a 150 driven out by people walking their dogs etc the damage is devastating in a arable situation can't imagine them in a veg feild but would guess a toltol loss due to teath marks.

Yes, Fallow I can well believe, they seem to be mowing machines but I have never found Roe to be too bad, we have plenty here and dont tend to worry about them but do have a man who sorts them out. Fortunately the Fallow seem to live next door

 

[Wilksy]

Legally they have to be shot with certain calibre.

I'm not allowed to shoot or allow others to shoot. Plus that callibre is banned on the estate full stop.

But yes, I agree with your sentiment.

.243 is the minimum calibre for deer for reds I think people favour 30.06 but if as you say high calibres are banned your buggered anyway, electric fencing? Gas bangers?

 

[wanton dwarf]

I'm a 2nd generation tenant on a three generation tenancy.

So what is the law on deer? do I have the right to demand they are culled or organise culling if required? Or are they game that are the landlords property.

Some of my cropping is field veg, so extremely concerned.

Could they be rounded up and sold on ?

Plenty of Deer farmers about .. may as well try to make something out of it.

 

[ajcc]

Fallow or red obviously bigger and often in groups ...maybe ten maybe twenty or more....think of 20 yearling bullocks loose in your standing corn for a month or two. Slacken fences, run down walls and banks.

Roe deer just browse the hedges and nibble few plants in ones and twos, pretty, dainty.

 

[fieldfarmer]

Fallow or red obviously bigger and often in groups ...maybe ten maybe twenty or more....think of 20 yearling bullocks loose in your standing corn for a month or two. Slacken fences, run down walls and banks.

Roe deer just browse the hedges and nibble few plants in ones and twos, pretty, dainty.

Not so here, it's possible to get groups of more than 100 dainty roe, they do loads of damage in arable crops.

 

[jellybean]

Could they be rounded up and sold on ?

Plenty of Deer farmers about .. may as well try to make something out of it.

Of course it is possible to "round them up" and sell on. It's not as simple as that though, you need a good plan, good fencing and at least some suitable handling facilities if you are going to present them alive and uninjured to load into a truck. This used to happen quite a lot in the early days of deer farming because there were very few sources of stock. Nowadays there are plenty of farmed deer to choose from with known health status, known breeding history and very often with top quality genetics which reputable deer farmers will be able to back up with DNA testing. Even should you get a bunch of wild deer loaded into a lorry it might be the end of your problem but could just be the beginning of a heap of problems for the new owner., but I won't go into all that here. Depending on the situation a better option might be set up a deer farm on the affected area and catch the wild deer and add them to a relatively domesticated bunch, but I can't see many arable farmers being tempted by that!