BDS Region - Northern Ireland

AGM NEWS

Date for the AGM will be WEDNESDAY 1st FEBRUARY 2012, 7.30pm at Dungannon Rugby Club. We hope to have a really good turnout and would encourage all members to attend. It should be a great evening. There will be a hot buffet and the Shooting Excellence Trophy will be awarded to the most improved shooter. The winner of the photographic competition will also be announced and the winning picture will be on display. During the buffet the video taken by DR Dan of the calf tagging event at Caledon will be shown. There will also be a short briefing given by Professor Jamie Dick on the situation regarding Muntjack in Northern Ireland, and also details of how the Deer Count is progressing. There will also be an opportunity for members to ask questions. So don't forget the date!! Put the date in your I-Phone, Blackberry, Samsung , Nokia or whatever but just DON'T FORGET TO BE THERE!! WEDNESDAY 1ST FEBRUARY 2012.

There will be a Butchery and Cookery Demonstration held on two separate nights in February. On the first evening a demonstration will be given of how to prepare and butcher a deer carcase. On the second evening a cookery demonstration of how to prepare and cook various venison cuts. These will take place in Southern Regional College, Portadown. As soon as the dates have been confirmed we will advise you online and by e-mail. If you would like to come to either of both these evenings please send me an e-mail and I will put your name down to attend. E-mail

NEW DATES FOR DSC1 COURSE - DSC1 Course in April 2012
There is an up and coming DSC1 course to be held over two weekends, 21/22 and 28/29 April. The course manager is Damian McElhom and anyone interested should contact him asap at , 07808096472 or alternatively the branch secretary at 07768044488.

Application forms can be downloaded from the training pages of this website.

Great time had by all at Deer Management Course at Baronscourt
Sunday 20 November 2011 saw the arrival of the HQ Training Team from England at The Hunting Lodge Hotel, Baronscourt County Tyrone along with some of the long distance participants. The course kicked off early Monday morning at a brisk trot that was maintained for the duration of it.
I had heard Dave Goffin give lectures on his visits to Northern Ireland before and knew what to expect of his consistently high standard of teaching.
Chris Howard known to many through his appearance on the Society's training films backed his teaching up with his excellent photographs and videos punctuated with some very humorous moments.
Dominic Griffith in between signing copies of his new book 'Deer Management in the UK' provided amongst other aspects the cull planning tutorial that was an important part of the course. Dominic makes for very easy listening and it was easy to understand why he is a sought after speaker and writer.
Martin Hailstone also with a wealth of deer and firearms experience had given a lot of obvious effort into 'Ulsterising' his lectures.
Combined the training team make a powerful academic force with no apparent gaps in their deer understanding. The course topics included ageing techniques, census methods, population dynamics, cull planning, dogs for deer, record keeping, disease in deer, food safety, larder design, deer in agriculture, economics, valuation, forestry damage and prevention, park deer, ballistics and precision rifle manufacturing.
John Hetherington from the NI Branch provided an interesting guest lecture on NI Legislation. John is a private forester and avid deer enthusiast.
NI Branch President Tom Brown made a very welcome appearance on the first day of the course and was about at various intervals during the week. Chairman Charlie Canavan also popped in to see everybody.
The course was broken mid week by the Advanced Shooting Test at the Cashty Quarry Range at Baronscourt Estate. This was followed by the Estate visit and tour which was conducted by the Estate Manager Mr Robert Scott OBE. Mr Scott provided a fascinating history of deer at Baronscourt along with the forestry industry there. The BDS at both HQ and local NI level are grateful to Baronscourt Estate for the use of their range and for Mr Scott's time out of his busy schedule.
3 hours of written examinations on the last day of the course concluded an intensive but very enjoyable week. 7 of the 17 participants made the trip across the Irish border to attend including members of the Leinster, Connaught and Donegal Branches of the Irish Deer Society. Also Terry Moore a Ranger at the Phoenix Park in Dublin. Out of the 10 from NI 9 were or are now members of the BDS. Trevor Irvine and Colin Reilly a Wildlife Warden and Forester respectively from the Northern Ireland Forest Service attended.
The Hunting Lodge proved to be an excellent choice of venue with warm hospitality and excellent service provided by the manageress Dorothea Kidd and her staff. Dorothea could not have done more to accommodate the group and the price of accommodation and fine food at The Hunting Lodge could not have been fairer.
Not only was the course a learning event but a fun social event with new friendships being forged and old ones being renewed. The lecturers fused well with an enthusiastic class of learners. Even those students with existing high levels of deer knowledge came away feeling they had learned a lot.
Many thanks are owed to Dave Goffin BDS UK Training Manager who was keen from the outset to bring a course across the Irish Sea. Dave Is a nice guy with a very funny side. Thanks also to his team of trainers for making time to come across with him. At £450 the BDS Deer Management Course is good value for money. Ask anybody who attended at Baronscourt in November 2011.
Michael Winters
BDSNI

What happened in 2011?

Range Days
We had a total of four range days last year. Two were held at Drumbanagher Estate where we always receive a warm welcome from Brian Byrne and his team. The other two were held at Baronscourt's range at Cashty. We thank all of those responsible for allowing us to use their ranges.

Shooting Excellence
During the range days we ran a shooting excellence test which we scored and will be awarding a trophy at the AGM.
NI Shooting range 2011

Red Deer Calf Tagging Event at Caledon
On the 11th June in association with the Northern Ireland Deer Society we visited The Caledon Estate for the now annual Deer Calf tagging event. It was a great afternoon and we were made feel very welcome by Alan Lutton . We found twenty calves, of which it was possible to tag fifteen. It was a very enjoyable day and we really appreciate being invited to this special event each year.
Newborn Red deer calf

This is what we were looking for -
a newborn Red deer calf.

Deer count at Colebrooke Estate
Lord Brookeborough invited the Society to participate in a Deer count on his Estate on the evening of the 3rd September. Twenty eight members and friends were positioned in various hides and high seats around the grounds of the estate. A total of 142 sika deer were recorded. Everyone had a great time and some of us had the thrill of not only seeing a magnificent Sika stag, but hearing its earie whistle. A big thanks to Lord Brookeborough for the invitation.
Deer count 2011

John Hetherington counting deer at Colebrooke

Game Fairs
The Branch attended two game Fairs last year - The National Country Sports Fair Moira and The Irish Game Fair At Shanes Castle, Antrim. Both fairs were well attended and we managed to sign up ten new members.

DEER RESEARCH
Once again our Deer Research Officer, Professor Jamie Dick, has kept us at the forefront of Deer Research. The British Deer Society Northern Ireland branch continues to work closely with Queens University on a twofold front; working proactively to establish an accurate count of deer in Northern Ireland and investigating the introduction of that invasive species of little deer, the Muntjac.