Practical Deer Management

Practical Deer Management offers candid and comprehensive advice for anyone who has to deal with deer and the issues they present, be they gardeners suffering attacks on their flower beds, foresters looking to prevent damage to newly planted trees, or landowners with larger scale problems. While a wealth of information on deer exists already, a career in teaching countryside managers quickly made it apparent that there was a need for a straightforward and comprehensive volume that is accessible to all. Written to be clear and easily understood, Practical Deer Management looks at the deer themselves and suggests non-lethal protective measures in addition to more active management, with attention given to other considerations such as health, the law and the practical construction of infrastructure such as high seats. A humane approach is stressed throughout. Practical Deer Management is an essential handbook for anyone who has to deal with deer and the problems that they may present.

Charles Smith-Jones has been stalking and managing deer for almost forty years and firmly believes in the need for a humane and responsible approach to their control. He has been involved in enabling nationwide deer management operations, served as a Trustee Director to the British Deer Society, lectured in game and wildlife management at Sparsholt College, Hampshire and has taught on a wide variety of other courses. He now provides technical advice on deer issues both privately and to national organisations. Recognition of the need for a book offering clear and accessible guidance on the subject led to Practical Deer Management, which draws on a wide personal experience. The author has also written Muntjac: Managing an Alien Species (2004), which received widespread praise as a groundbreaking work on coping with the challenges posed by this invasive Asian deer species in Britain as well as The Deer Stalker's Bedside Book (2015) and Between the Coverts (2016). His writing will also be familiar to readers of many publications including Shooting Times, Sporting Gun and the British Deer Society's journal Deer.