I was on my way to the Range Day on the 19th June when I heard the news that the Range Warden had not turned up, and that several members were waiting at the Range. The Wardens telephone just clicked into message service, but eventually late morning he contacted me and was beside him self apologising having gone to the wrong Rifle Range because he looked at the wrong diary! These things happen from time to time so please forgive us and accept our apologies for the mess up.

In an attempt to make amends we shall be holding the day again at Broadhembury to give you the chance to practice and zero and to hold the annual shooting match. Any Member that was inconvenienced on the 19th June will be allowed to shoot on the new date for no charge. The fee for any one else attending is £15 per firer. The meet is scheduled for 0930hrs on 14 August next. Please support us. (Report by Paul Messenger, Branch Chairman and Training Officer)

DSC2 Training Day - 17 September
This is a second opportunity for prospective DSC2 Candidates(and anyone else) to be given a complete refresher on the gralloch, inspection, law and lardering of a fresh carcass.

The day will begin by running through the process of completing the DSC2 portfolio. A number of Powderham Castle's' deer will then be culled, gralloched, inspected and prepared for the larder.

Venue - Powderham Castle. Cost - £80.00. Please bring a packed lunch.
Contact - Training Officer, Paul Messenger, 01237 441945,

Carcass Handling and Butchery - 18 September
The day will provide the student with the skills to handle carcasses safely and hygienically, coupled with practical butchery skills whilst operating with in the current legislation. It is hoped that a demonstration on sausage and burger making will also be included.

Venue - John Stowers larder, Whitestone, Exeter. Cost - £80.00. Light refreshments are included but please bring a packed lunch.
Contact - Assistant Training Officer, John Stowers 01647 61994

Emergency First Aid Courses will be run by Mike Maslin, a SW England BDS member and an approved HSE First Aid Trainer. Mike is a natural tutor and his courses are excellent, last about 6 hours and are very good value for money. This course is targeted at Deer Stalkers and successful students receive an Emergency First Aid Certificate, valid in industry for 3 years. Cost £45. For further details contact Mike on 01364 643701 .

Members Evening, Hartnol House Hotel, Tiverton. Friday 15 October 2010
Starting at 1900hrs. Guest speakers Peter Green and James Adler talking about the re-introduction of Red Deer & goats onto MOD land. Also in attendance David Kenyon. Please note that dinner is served in the hotel at 1700hrs. For members that wish to partake please book in advance www.hartnollhotel.com.

The above is not a definitive list as other events such as visits to Deer Parks are yet to be arranged. However, it is hoped that the programme will appeal to all the membership.

Devon & Cornwall Police Firearms Licensing
Do you have problems or questions regarding Firearm Licensing that you would like to ask or to be aired at the correct forum? Then Mike Wellum, an expert stalker and active member of BDS, sits on the Devon Cornwall Firearms Committee and is pleased to hear from members with issues they feel need taking up. The contact is or 01803 862029 or 07768 866243.

Roe Deer Research

A PhD student, Richard Fautley, studying at Imperial College London, is currently engaged in a project to investigate the genetics of invasive success in roe deer. Richard is part funded by the BDS and requires roe deer tissue samples from Cornwall and an area in Dorset. The sample is the tip of the tongue and should be placed in a small sterile container and sent back to Richard via the normal mail. We are sending a request out to our Cornish Members via email, letter, old-fashioned telephone, and an edition of the Deer Journal to assist in this worthwhile research; we hope to get a positive response from our members. The science from this project will be published in the Deer Journal in due course. Please email

if you can help.

Email Addresses

To assist in Branch communications Mark Turner, our Branch Publicity Officer, is busy compiling an address book of as many members' emails as possible. With your emails we can keep you up to date with events, such as Range Days, Butchery Practice and Branch Meetings, to name only a few. We ask that you email Mark at
with your email address and all respondents will be entered into a free draw to win a pair of Victorinox Butchery Knives. The draw will take place at the Members Evening on 15 October next.

Photography

HQ has requested photographs in digital format that are always in demand for BDS Publications. To that effect we will run a photographic competition throughout the year. Please send your pictures to our Secretary, Nigel White at . We plan to run two classes, Wild Deer and Park Deer, and the winners will be announced with a prize at the Members Evening 15 October 2010. Remember, any pictures used by BDS will always be credited to the individual. Start looking at your digital pictures - we need them!

Further events for 2010 will be published in due course.

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