The ins and outs of deer

Covering everything from species identification and shot placement to deer biology and the gralloch, the DSC1 is vital for anyone serious about stalking

- Rob Williams

THERE WAS a shepherd, a farmer, a welder, a roofer and an ex-huntsman. No, it’s not the beginning of a joke but the attendees who gathered in Clynderwen Community Hall, deep in the wilds of Pembrokeshire, to undertake the Deer Stalking Certificate Level 1 (DSC1). This certificate is increasingly required by landowners and institutions before giving permissions to control deer but luckily the course is run right across the country. Our teachers for the week were two best of breeds: one very English, the other very Welsh. Steve Woolley, former headkeeper for the Forestry Commission, would not have looked out of place among the archers at Crécy or Agincourt. Intensely good-natured, he was our instructor: nobody knows more about the job. Standing to his right, slightly wider than the door, was the former Wales tighthead prop, international skeet shot, and BASC training and education officer Richard Fussell. Both had the calm eyes of a marksman and neither looked likely to take any nonsense.