A day in the life of a deer manager

Shooting deer is hard work. Paul Childerley has his work cut out thinning the various deer species on his ground in Bedfordshire. Paul is also putting Sako products through their paces, shooting a Sako Powerhead Blade round in .308 and Sako S20 rifle. In the end he shoots five animals from four species: fallow, muntjac, Chinese water deer and roe.
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Why shoot deer?
There are more than two million red, roe, fallow, sika, muntjac and Chinese water deer in Britain’s countryside and semi-urban areas, the highest level for 1,000 years. Numbers have doubled since 1999, according to the Deer Initiative, the UK government’s deer agency.
Deer are an attractive and an important part of our wildlife. However, they have no natural predator in the UK so numbers must be sensibly and strategically managed to keep them in balance with their habitat and to prevent damage to crops, trees, woodland flora, gardens and other wildlife.
Deer cause £4.5 million-worth (Forestry Commission Scotland) of damage to plantations and other commercial woodlands in Scotland. Crop damage is estimated at £4.3m a year according to DEFRA, with the greatest damage on cereal crops in east and south-west England.
More than 8,000 hectares (Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology) of woodland with SSI status is currently in ‘unfavourable’ or ‘recovering’ condition due to deer impacts such as browsing and fraying. Deer can also influence the variety of wildlife in woodlands and other habitats by altering structural and plant species diversity. According to the University of East Anglia’s Dr Paul Dolman, that has resulted in a 50% decline in woodland bird numbers where deer are present, impacting particularly on nightingales, blackcaps, chiffchaffs and warblers.
Deer are susceptible to Bovine TB and may be responsible for the transmission of TB to cattle. They are also the likely driver behind the UK’s increasing tick population (Scharlemann et al 2008).
Happily, venison is a delicious meat. It is wild, natural and free range, and - almost fat-free - it is one of the healthiest meats available today. Results from research commissioned by the Game-to-Eat campaign (Leatherhead Food International Research 2006) suggest that there are real health benefits to eating game. Venison is high in protein, low in saturated fatty acids and contains higher levels of iron than any other red meat.
We’re proud to promote enjoyment of fieldsports and the countryside. There are three guiding principles to everything we do on Fieldsports Channel:
▶ Shoot responsibly
▶ Respect the quarry
▶ Ensure a humane, clean and quick kill
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[@danielgillett3074]

I would love to have a day with Paul. Such a wealth of knowledge with the deer management. Something I would love to know more about.

[@high_elms]

Childerleys sections are the best on FSC. Keep up the good work.

[@hotchihuahua1546]

Best part of my youth was living with my grandmother in the country , I was hooked on nature for life !

[@sandstorm1934]

fantastic shooting and field skills

[@hotchihuahua1546]

I have done the complete process all the way to the table , it is a lot of work and must be done with care as not to spoil any meat ! The responsibility to discard the remains properly is also important as not to contaminate small streams , nature never wastes anything like we do as a “civilized “ society !

[@kylecooper5774]

Love watching him great deer shooter and learn alot too 👍

[@hannigan40]

Hi, fantastic video, ive an s20 ordered in .308, 20 inch barrel for red deer over here in ireland, was wondering hav u any experience with the heavier species like red and if so what size bullet head would u recommend, thank u 👍👍

[@dpyles9396]

Excellent! I really enjoy watching your videos. Thank you!

[@iantincangleed4702]

Great film thanks

[@billygarfield5520]

Great video and hunting! Thanks. 👍👍

[@williamavery9185]

It would be wonderful if the skins could be used for something.

[@hotchihuahua1546]

Some of it is , it’s big business in our rural areas in South Carolina with some of the processors , it has gotten to be a year round business due to the hog population which is out of control ! I know of one that takes in 3500 deer during the deer season , there are many !

[@thaenuwar1732]

What knife are you using please?

[@Shoorter]

Paul , what bullets you use in the .22-250 ?

[@scousewillo62]

Superb shooting. Do you eat the offal of the deer?

[@riverhuntersuk7387]

Cracking video

[@barendhulshof]

Why did you switch rifles for the fallow deer?

[@falynch]

Bigger animal needs a bigger shot

[@barendhulshof]

@@falynch a .308 is large enough for any animal in the UK. I don't think he switched to a bigger bullet.

[@septicsceptic419]

When did he change rifles? All I heard him say was perfect caliber for fellow which I would say a 308 was

[@barendhulshof]

@@septicsceptic419 until 13:10 he uses a thumbhole stock, and after that he clearly uses a different stock on the fallow. Might be the same rifle though..

[@septicsceptic419]

@@barendhulshof good eyes, maybe filmed on a different day and edited for content

[@dalechamberlain2637]

Bang on, go home with a smile 👍

[@alex-uk3rf]

👍👍👍

[@evergahr1890]

Those deer are small

[@WaffenlandTV]

First!