INVASIVE ALIEN ANIMAL SPECIES IN IRELAND

 

 

 

 

Fallow buck (top), Sika hind and calf (bottom). Fallow deer have been found in Ireland since the early 12th century. Sika deer were introduced in 1860. Both species now classified as Invasive Alien Species. It is expected that the new classification will have profound implications for the future of wild deer in Ireland.

Statutory Instrument No. 374/2024 – European Union (Invasive Alien Species) Regulations 2024 came into force on 24th July 2024 (Iris Oifigiúil, 26th July, 2024 These Regulations have been developed for the purposes of implementing aspects of Regulation (EU) No. 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species. These Regulations also include provisions to deal with invasive alien species of national concern.

Invasive alien species (IAS) are animals and plants that are introduced accidentally or deliberately into a natural environment where they are not normally found, with serious negative consequences for their new environment. They are considered a major threat to native plants and animals in Europe and are deemed to be one of the five major causes of biodiversity loss (the others being changes in land use such as deforestation, intensive monoculture, urbanisation, direct exploitation such as [over] hunting and over-fishing, climate change and pollution.

The core of the EU Regulation is the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union Concern (the Union List). The species included on this list are subject to restrictions and measures set out in the Regulation. These include restrictions on keeping, importing, selling, breeding, growing and releasing into the environment. The only deer listed as being of Union concern (the Union List) in EU Regulation No. 1432/2014 are Muntjac deer and Axis deer. SI No. 374/2024 sets out a list of invasive alien species of national concern (the [Irish] National List). Listed as invasive alien species of concern in Ireland are Fallow deer, Sika deer, Muntjac deer, Chinese Water Deer, Roe deer and Wild Boar (Roe and Wild Boar are not listed as of concern on the Union list, being considered indigenous to most other Member States of the Union).

The purpose of SI 374/2024 is to give effect to EU 1143/2014, tailored to include local Irish concerns. The addition of Fallow and Sika no doubt follows the current campaign of vilification and demonisation invoked against deer in general and Fallow and Sika in particular, to which Government has apparently succumbed, regardless of the complete lack of either science or proper analysis. This attitude is reflected in the recent changes to the Open Season for male and female deer of the three main species – changes which are opposed by the main deer organisations for good and valid reasons. The consequences of this new classification (for which no consultation was conducted amongst deer stakeholder groups) has potential and wide-ranging negative effects, summed up in the word “eradication” which is the ultimate objective of the so-called “management” methods implicit in the Regulation. Deer interest groups do not honestly believe that the general body of citizens (voters), beyond vested interests, really see this as a good idea, or acceptable on animal welfare grounds.

Statutory Instrument No. 374/2024 can be found HERE
EU Regulation No. 1432/2014 can be found HERE

“Ireland’s Outdated Gun Regulations”

The following information is from the website of Certified Safes Ireland, who claim that current An Garda Síochána gun safe recommendations are outdated and out of line with EU standards.

Certified Safes Ireland say that “when Minister of State James Browne’s Firearms Expert Committee was established in June 2022 it included representatives from the legal profession, firearms dealers, An Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice. Unfortunately, it did not include someone with expertise in European Standards for the secure storage of firearms and knowledge of related regulations and best practice in the rest of Europe. The result of this oversight is that despite having produced two reports, the committee did not have the necessary expertise to have realised that Statutory Instrument No: 307 of 2009 – Firearms (Secure Accommodation) Order, 2009, which is repeatedly referenced in their reports, is the core reason Ireland’s firearms regulations are so out of line with European norms and woefully outdated.

Statutory Instrument No: 307 relies on British Standard 7558 “Specification for gun cabinets”, an extremely outdated standard from 1992. BS7558 refers to a “cabinet” not a “safe”, which can be as light as a 2 mm sheet steel construction, and quite unbelievably, can even be secured by padlock. Additionally, what constitutes a secure “gun cabinet” to BS7558 relies on subjective judgement rather than an accredited certification.

The reliance on this outdated British Standard for the secure storage of firearms instead of European burglary resistance standards like EN1143-1 (the safe standard) or EN14450 (the secure cabinet standard), has not only created fundamental discrepancies in firearm security practices and regulations in Ireland but while other European countries adhere to stringent European standards, Irish gun owners are still being advised to seek products compliant with an antiquated British Standard from 1992, a situation which, it has to be mentioned, may also place European manufacturers of certified firearm secure storage products at a very distinct competitive disadvantage.

Aligning firearms regulations with European norms is long overdue in Ireland, while enhancing the knowledge base within the Firearms Expert Committee to include expertise in European Standards in relation to the subject is imperative. This adjustment would not only ensure compliance with European regulations but bolster firearm security across Ireland, aligning it with the higher standards and ease of verification followed in the rest of Europe.

Contradictory Firearms Regulations For Gun Dealers

S.I. No. 646/2017 Regulations for the “Storage of Firearms and Ammunition by Firearms Dealers” came into effect in 2019 and requires firearms dealers to have a “manufactured steel door to fulfil the requirements of EN1627” or an “equivalent”. It is also required that the door in question is fitted with a time lock.

The problem with this requirement is European standard EN1627 covers “requirements and classification systems for the burglar resistant characteristics of pedestrian door-sets”, not strong room doors, so unlike strongroom doors EN1627 doors are not designed to accommodate a time lock. This makes fitting a time lock to an EN1627 door not only likely more expensive than simply buying an EN1143-1 Strongroom Door in the first place but also likely to invalidate the certification requirements the regulations aim to fulfil.

This brings us to the “or equivalent” part of the legislation, where the final judgement of what constitutes an “equivalent” to EN1627 rests with An Garda Síochána rather than accredited European testing and certification. Not an ideal state of affairs when you consider 70% of all secure storage products tested in accredited European labs fail on the first attempt.

As for fitting a time lock to anything other than a certified strongroom door, one has to question just how long a time lock is likely to delay would-be thieves if it is fitted to a cobbled together steel door? A strongroom door certified to EN1143-1 will not only have multi-point locking and a strengthened carbide steel protection plate protecting the lock mount but will also have an average of three anti-drill mechanisms that will re-lock a door if it is attacked.

As BS7558 is an antiquated British Standard for cabinets from 1992, the standard not only allows gun cabinets to be secured by padlock but also allows for construction far lighter than the lowest security level to be found in a European certified gun cabinet (EN11450 Security Level S1), while the fact S.I. No. 646/2017 regulations stipulate British rather than European standards has obvious anti-competitive implications, as no European manufacturer can be expected to be producing products to an outdated, inadequate and obscure UK standard”.

(end of quote from Certified Safes Ireland)

Link to Certified Safes Ireland website HERE

PROFESSOR RORY PUTMAN – “PERSONAL REFLECTIONS”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rory Putman is a widely published and highly renowned expert on deer in Britain and internationally (and no stranger to deer in Ireland), with a strong academic record, who needs little introduction in the world of deer. Following a lengthy career at University Professorship level, he is a respected Environmental and Wildlife Consultant, Emeritus Professor at Manchester Metropolitan University, Visiting Professor at the Universities of Utrecht and Glasgow.

His most recent publication, “British Deer and Their Management – A Personal Reflection” (2024), considers the current position of wild deer in today’s environment, including their impact on agriculture and forestry. His views are relevant to any debate on the position of wild deer in Ireland and bear some thoughtful consideration by the “powers that be” which ultimately have control on how deer are managed.

In a wide-ranging analysis of what he calls “Management Issues and Issues with Management”, Putman makes many telling points, worthy of consideration at every level.

He states that “Deer are not universally environmental vandals as some [   ] national organisations frequently portray them in the press or other popular media, nor responsible for all the ills in our landscape. Deer unquestionably have an ecological impact, but that impact – ecologically speaking – is environmentally neutral, neither intrinsically good, nor bad. It simply is. It only registers as “damage” where it conflicts with (entirely human-determined) objectives for environment outcomes” (p. 143).

He goes on, “Only in some areas do deer of one or another species reach really high local densities – and, even then, only in some of those areas are their impacts in serious conflict with our own environment objectives in terms of damage to agriculture, forestry or conservation management or through risks of disease transference, deer-vehicle collisions or whatever. Yet these few (dare I say “exceptional”) cases to see all deer, of all species, vilified in some quarters and that negative attitude has seemingly infiltrated Government. Further, the inevitable response is a call to kill more deer across the board to reduce population numbers., whereas [  ] impacts are not necessarily related in any simple way to deer density, but mediated by a whole host of other factors. Thus, despite the persistence of a widespread belief that impacts from deer are bound to be closely related to density, all available evidence suggests that the story is not nearly so simple and that such presumption on the part of managers and agencies of a direct relationship between deer density and deer impacts is somewhat naïve”.

Overall, Rory Putman provides much valid and valuable commentary which merits careful  consideration in the context of the current relentless and persistent vilification and demonisation of wild deer in Ireland by certain vested interests.

Review and commentary by L. M. Nolan. The views expressed are those of the reviewer.

Memorandum of Understanding between NPWS and Coillte

 

National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Coillte have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that establishes the framework for greater partnership and collaboration for the delivery of nature conservation projects and the management of the respective estates of both organisations.

New agreement between NPWS and Coillte will promote partnership, collaboration and enhanced co-operation to restore nature. Priority areas for action include threatened habitats and species. The first project – ‘Slieve Blooms Nature Project’ – will target conservation measures for the Hen Harrier.

Through greater collaboration and the alignment of shared objectives for nature, NPWS and Coillte will deliver positive conservation projects aimed at protecting, enhancing and restoring important ecosystems. Priority actions will include the co-design and co-delivery of conservation measures through agreed site action plans, with a focus on protected habitats such as raised and blanket bog, heaths and wetlands, lakes and rivers, and for threatened species such as Freshwater Pearl Mussel, Hen Harrier, Merlin and breeding waders.

Welcoming the MoU at the Ploughing Championships on 17th September 2024 in Ratheniska, Co Laois, Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan TD said:

“This agreement between NPWS and Coillte is a huge opportunity to restore nature at scale across Ireland. By bringing together the national agency responsible for biodiversity and Ireland’s state forestry company – two of the largest landowners in the country, to address shared challenges and maximise shared opportunities, we are prioritising actions to restore nature and meet our obligations under the Birds and Habitats Directives but also deliver for the Nature Restoration Law. I have long been of the view that reversing biodiversity loss is not the sole responsibility of any one organisation; we need a whole of government, whole of society approach. That is why this strategic alliance is so important and I am excited at the impact for nature that will emerge. I’m particularly pleased that the first project to be undertaken through the new MoU will be to protect the Hen Harrier in the Slieve Blooms.

“Areas of partnership and collaboration referenced in the MoU include biodiversity enhancement and restoration, forest redesign and peatland restoration, the delivery of actions to assist in the achievement of Site Specific Conservation Objectives, support for operational forest management, research and information data sharing, and funding and resourcing. Platforms for professional exchange and liaison are also outlined, along with agreements to collaborate closely on knowledge-sharing, development of best practice guidelines, habitat assessment, policy and regulation, and scientific research.”

Welcoming the announcement, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Pippa Hackett said:

“I believe the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding between Coillte and NPWS will ultimately prove to be a very positive step for the enhancement of our natural environment. Given the scale of their respective land banks and expertise, as well as the impending introduction of the Nature Restoration Law, closer collaboration between these two State agencies is a really welcome move, and I am excited to see the relationship between Coillte and NPWS go from strength to strength in the coming years.

Niall Ó Donnchú, Director General of NPWS said:

“Coillte is one of the largest landowners in the State and is already undertaking progressive projects and providing strategic leadership for nature across its landholdings. NPWS is delighted to enter this Memorandum of Understanding with the company, as it is a portal to significant future projects and cooperation for nature and, in particular, in relation to Hen Harrier conservation, peatlands’ restoration and wetlands initiatives.”

Imelda Hurley, CEO Coillte said:

“Coillte is delighted to significantly deepen its collaboration with NPWS through this MoU. The objective of this MoU aligns perfectly with our own strategic ambitions to balance and deliver the multiple benefits of forests for climate, nature, wood and people. One of our strategic ambitions is to enhance and restore biodiversity by increasing the area of our estate managed primarily for nature from 20% to 30% by 2025 and to transform areas of our forests so that 50% of our estate is managed primarily for nature in the long-term, while continuing to supply sustainably grown Irish wood. We look forward to commencing this important work with NPWS as soon as possible.”

Read the Memorandum of Understanding HERE

Shooting organisations in Ireland (RoI) link up with counterparts in Northern Ireland

Representatives of FURG and NIFRG meeting in Dundalk on 10th September 2024

In a groundbreaking move, the main shooting and country sports organisations from
Ireland (RoI)  have linked up with their counterparts in Northern Ireland
to share expertise and experience on firearms-related issues.

Firearms Users Representative Group (FURG, RoI), recently met with
their counterpart in the North, the Northern Ireland Firearms Users Representative Group (NIFRG), during which both organisations committed to an ongoing process of cooperation and engagement.

The two organisations have agreed to meet face to face annually, and hold online meetings at least twice a year, or more frequently if issues crop up that require a co-ordinated response.

The Firearms Users Representative Group (FURG, RoI) consists of fifteen organisations,
and was formed in July 2022, to coordinate the shooting communities’ response to
draconian proposals emanating from the Irish government’s Firearms Expert
Committee (FEC). The group is chaired by the National Association of Regional
Game Councils (NARGC) with the secretariat provided by the Deer Alliance (DA).

NIFRG, comprising ten shooting and countryside organisations, was formed in
May 2021 in response to deep-rooted concerns regarding the Police Service of
Northern Ireland’s Firearms and Explosive’s Branch (PSNI FEB). The group is
chaired by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) with the
Secretariat provided by Country Sports Ireland (CSI).

Some organisations operate on an all-Ireland basis and are therefore members of
both the NIFRG and the FURG, bringing the total number of organisations
represented to twenty-three.

Speaking after the meeting, a FURG spokesperson said: “We welcome the opportunity to host the NIFRG and we regard this meeting as a major first step, in developing a strong mutually
beneficial partnership, that will allow us to harness the power of our collective
membership bases, to robustly meet the many challenges that lie ahead in both
jurisdictions.”

A NIFRG spokesperson said: “We welcome and appreciate the opportunity to meet with FURG in the Republic, to share our considerable expertise and experience. We have witnessed firsthand the benefits of multiple organisations coming and working closely together under the NIFRG
umbrella, to help drive policy change and successfully oppose unnecessary
restrictions that were not evidence based.”

FURG consists of 15 shooting and countryside organisations:

Country Sports Ireland
Countryside Alliance Ireland
Deer Alliance HCAP
FACE Ireland
Irish Clay Target Shooting Association
Irish Country Sports Association
Irish Deer Commission
Irish Deer Society
Irish Firearms Dealers Association
Irish Natura Hill Farmers Association
Midlands National Shooting Centre of Ireland
National Association of Regional Game Councils,
National Association of Sporting Rifle Pistol Clubs
Precision Rifles Ireland
Wild Deer Association of Ireland

NIFRG is an umbrella body which consists of ten national and local
representative shooting and countryside membership organisations:

Country Sports Ireland (CSI)
Countryside Alliance Ireland (CAI)
British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC)
British Deer Society (BDS NI)
NI Firearms Dealers’ Association (NIFDA)
NI Practical Shooting Confederation (NIPSC)
NI Small-bore Shooting Association (NISSA).
Scottish Association for Country Sports (SACs)
The Ulster Clay Pigeon Shooting Association (UCPSA)
The Ulster Rifle Association (URA)

 

2025 SERIES OF HCAP ASSESSMENTS

Deer Alliance HCAP has completed its 2024 Series of HCAP Assessments. There will be no further HCAP events in 2024. The calendar of events for 2025 will be posted here early in the New Year, with HCAP events taking place from late February-early March onwards.

Application for HCAP can be made at any time through the Online Applications section of the Deer Alliance website. The cost of HCAP will remain at €165.00, with subsidised courses available for members of IFA Countryside. The Deer Alliance Stalker Training Manual is available for purchase through the Online Applications section of the website, cost €35.00 including post & packaging.

HUGE INCREASE IN NUMBERS OF DEER CULLED

A rutting red deer stag. A total of  7362 red deer were culled in the 2022 – 2023 season, just 11% of the total number of deer culled.

Figures recently released by the National Parks & Wildlife Service reveal that there has been a huge increase in the number of wild deer culled by licenced deer hunters in the latest season’s figures available (2022 – 2023) showing a 20% uplift on the number shot in the previous year, which was already at an all-time high and a multiple of the ten-year average. A total of 65,547 deer were culled across the three species of deer (red deer including red deer hybrids, sika deer and fallow deer). The figures include 18,936 deer culled in County Wicklow, which is recognised as a deer “conflict zone” or “hot spot”, including as it does a natural deer incubator, Wicklow Mountains National Park (where only a minimal number of deer are culled annually).

A total of 6,486 Deer Hunting Licences were issued for the 2023 hunting season , together with 1,414 “Section 42” licences, which resulted in 12,628 deer being culled either during the closed season May to July, or at night with lamps across the nine-month 2023-2024 full season September 2023 to April 2024.

The Open Season for male deer was extended in February 2024 and now runs from 1st August to 30th April, while the Open Season for female and antlerless deer was also extended and now runs from 1st November to 31st March.

ASTONISHING

These figures are described as “astonishing” by Liam Nolan of the Deer Alliance. The Deer Alliance provides training for licensed deer hunters and over 3,800 hunters have participated the Deer Alliance Hunter Competence Assessment Programme (HCAP) since its establishment in 2003, in partnership with NPWS, Coillte, AGS, IFA and other stakeholders. HCAP is now a requirement for first-time applicants for the annual Deer Hunting Licence (DHL).

IMPLOSION

According to Liam Nolan, in terms of establishing a sustainable population of wild deer, any ongoing annual cull at this level will lead to an implosion of the population and to an adverse and unacceptable impact on the biodiversity landscape, where deer have a natural place, provided numbers are maintained in balance with all other interests including farming and forestry.

Again according to Liam Nolan, all licenced deer hunters fully recognise the need to control deer numbers and to minimise damage to farmland crops and to forestry, and this is more than fully evidenced by the upsurge in numbers of both licensed hunters and of deer culled. However, he says that the right balance has to be achieved, as deer have a definite place in our environment as a social, sporting and economic amenity, and that balance is best achieved by a science-based approach to deer management. He says that expanding the season for male deer from four months to nine months might well lead to an increase in numbers shot, but will do nothing to achieve a sustainable population unless female deer are properly managed in tandem, and merely extending the season for female deer into the month of March, when they are heavily pregnant and just weeks short of delivering a fully-formed calf, is not the answer.

“NON-NATIVE ALIEN SPECIES”

Nolan says that it is concerning to read and hear a constant, unrelenting and often ill-informed stream of invective against wild deer, with repeated use of the term “non-native, alien species” in respect of sika deer. The term is used to imply that if something is non-native or alien, it must be exterminated, regardless of the value it brings to biodiversity of fauna. Fallow deer are also an introduced species, non-native and alien to the island of Ireland but nobody would suggest that the fallow deer of Phoenix Park should be exterminated for that reason alone. Meanwhile, some 26,442 sika deer were shot in 2023-24, including 16,901 in Wicklow alone. At the same time, 30,402 fallow deer were shot, making up over 46% of the total number of deer shot, and suggesting that fallow deer are a greater threat to farmland and forestry than sika, where they are not properly managed.

LAMPING ON SECTION 42s

Liam Nolan suggests that a majority of the 12,628 deer shot on Section 42 licences may have been shot at night, using lamps. He says that night shooting or “lamping” is inherently dangerous as at night, it is seldom possible to identify an adequate backstop for a heavy bullet travelling, hit or miss, at over 3000 feet per second and delivering the equivalent of two tonnes of energy on impact. Every shot taken in these circumstances is potentially a breach of Section 8 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990, “reckless discharge of a firearm”, apart from being completely unselective in terms of the animal shot. He reminds landowners that they could be potentially liable for any third-party injuries where they permit night shooting on their land. He says that landowners should always insist that any hunters they permit on their land are adequately insured and properly trained to HCAP standards.

DEER MANAGEMENT UNITS

Nolan supports the development of a national deer management strategy as recommended by the Deer Management Strategy Group (DMSG) established in 2022 by Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine Charlie McConalogue. The DMSG recommends the creation of Deer Management Units (DMUs) in “conflict zones” or “hot spots” where there is a super-abundance of deer and DAFM has recently published a Request for Tenders (RFT) for the position of Programme Manager to implement the DMSG recommendations. The stated value of the tender is €3.4MN over its three-year life. However, Nolan says that it is hard to see where the current cull level can be exceeded within the spirit of the Wildlife Act, which provides protection for all species of flora and fauna. It is suspected that by labelling some species as “non-native alien” species, this could lead to the removal of protection for deer, and not just sika deer. Public opinion may not greet this with enthusiasm – certainly deer enthusiasts, hunters or not, will not.

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

Nolan says that the solution lies in proportionality of response to a properly measured problem. DMUs, he says, may be the beginning of such a process but are not in themselves an end. The end lies in proper management planning by all actors, including State Agencies to date deficient or delinquent in the exercise of their duties. The NPWS and Coillte both have important roles in this, as do the 6486 licensed hunters who actually carry out the control of deer. Although until they are legally “reduced into possession” (captured or killed), wild deer belong to no one, at the end of the day, the landowner, or the person holding the sporting rights, is responsible for management and control of the deer on the land. According to Nolan, all deer control must be carried out safely, efficiently and humanely, by competent, trained and certified licensed hunters, based on scientific management planning – and especially not just on a “first deer seen gets shot” basis, which unfortunately seems to be an approach favoured by some and possibly preferred by many.

 

REQUEST FOR TENDERS FOR DEER MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME MANAGER

The Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine (DAFM) have published a Request for Tenders (RFT) for a [full time, salaried] Programme Manager to implement the recommendations of the Deer Management Strategy Group (DMSG), identified as a short-term objective in the DMSG Report published in December 2023.

The RFT sets out a complex tendering procedure for what is intended to be a fixed-term contract position, with responsibility for establishing and managing up to fifteen Deer Management Units (DMUs) in different “deer conflict” zones, where deer are deemed to be present in over-abundant numbers. Tenderers must be able to demonstrate that they have experience in managing a programme involving both public and private stakeholders and have previous experience of working in a wildlife or conservation-based project/contract.

A value of €3.4MN has been placed on the contract over the three-year term of the contract (with the possibility or probability of extension into a fourth year).

The RFT has every appearance of being geared towards corporate tenderers rather than individuals, especially as tenderers have to provide evidence of a significant revenue (€1.25MN) in the year previous to Tender Response.

It can be anticipated that the RFT will attract responses from parties outside Ireland, given the requirement for prior scaled experience.

Key Performance Indicators for the Programme Manager include the following;
• Establishment of up to 15 Deer Management Units (DMU) by the Programme Manager in deer “hot spots”.
• The appointment of a local coordinator to each DMU by the Programme Manager.
• Agreed plans drawn up in each DMU with set objectives and a timetable to deliver on the recommendations of the Deer Management Strategy Group.
• Annual reviews conducted by each DMU to monitor progress and adjustments made accordingly and reported to DMSG, DAFM and NPWS.
• The number of people trained in hunting and game handling.
• The number of events/meetings held with various stakeholders.
• Final report to issue to IDMSG, DAFM and NPWS after the three years with an analysis of the work completed over the three years, what improvements were made, conclusions and future recommendations.

Deer Management Units

The Programme Manager shall establish and manage up to 15 Deer Management Units and appoint a local coordinator in each DMU. The local coordinator is considered a [paid] part time role of 2.5 days per week per DMU. One person may coordinate two DMUs depending on location.

The proposed Deer Management Units will be based on geographic catchments (taking into account differences in deer species range sizes and movement patterns) and ecological assessment as detailed by the Deer Strategy Management Group.

The key duties and responsibilities of the local coordinator will include:

• Working with local groups to establish DMUs engaging the various stakeholders, influencing, and persuading – landowners, private forest owners, Coillte, NPWS and hunters;
• Communicating effectively at different levels with other experts, stakeholders using both written and oral communication skills;
• Developing liaisons between landowners and hunters and improve co-operation and co-ordination;
• Providing progress reports to include science-based findings;
• Excellent planning and organisational skills, as well as strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Increasing awareness for landowners around the mechanisms for control and management of deer;
• Liaising with training providers on the provision of relevant training in hunting and game handling;
• Developing and implementation of a management plan to reduce the number of deer in each of the DMUs.

Qualification
The basic qualifications for each DMU local coordinator should include in-depth knowledge of local conditions and a fundamental understanding of the existing deer species’ biology i.e., population dynamics, reproduction, survival, mortality, habitat use, migration, etc.
The coordinator should have the competencies to organise and supervise an initial survey to establish baseline deer densities. This information should be used to develop a specific Deer Management Programme in conjunction with the stakeholders and include agreed set objectives for the DMU and an annual review to monitor progress and the capacity to make adjustments within the set timeframe. The local co-ordinators will be positioned remotely.

To access the RFT click HERE.

Proceed “Without Authorisation” and go to “Request for Tender Document” and “Tender Response Document”.

 

HCAP RANGE TEST, SATURDAY 24th AUGUST 2024 – SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES

The candidates listed below all completed their two-stage Deer Alliance Hunter Competence Assessment Programme with their Range Test at the Midland Range, Blue Ball, Tullamore on Saturday 24th August 2024. Thanks, as always, go to the Midland Range management and personnel, including Tony Saunders and J. P. Craven, and to Deer Alliance Range Officers Liam McGarry and Pat Scully. Successful candidates received their HCAP Certificates, ID cards and badges from HCAP Course Director, Liam M. Nolan. Congratulations to Shauna Quinlivan, who now joins the ranks of those women candidates who have completed HCAP.

NEW HCAP-CERTIFIED CANDIDATES, DATE OF CERTIFICATION 24th AUGUST 2024:

ARNOLD, Conor, 2024/0093
CADEC, Simon, 2024/0118
CASSIDY, Fergus, 2024/0119
CONNOLLY, Blake, 2024/0113
CULLEN, Evan, 2024/0124
FUNKE, Bodo, 2024/0123
HEALY, Conor, 2024/0091
HEINZEL, Isaac, 2024/0126
KELLY, Liam, 2024/0120
KERR, James, 2024/0116
KERR, Kevin, 2024/0117
McKEOWN, Scott, 2024/0127
NEMETH, Janos, 2024/0114
O’BRIEN, Patrick, 2024/0121
QUINLIVAN, Shauna, 2024/0130
SERBAN, Ioan Marian, 2024/0122
TRILL, Mark, 2024/0125
WHELAN, Chris, 2024/0011

The list of successful candidates included members of IFA Countryside, who benefited from a 40% subsidy of the ordinary HCAP fee, courtesy of IFA Farm Business Skillnet. Successful candidates are enrolled as members of the Association of HCAP-Certified Hunters except where they have opted out of membership. Candidates who were No-Shows or Deferrals at this Range Test will remain eligible to participate in the next scheduled Range Test in 2025 except where they have missed two or more earlier events. Reminders are not issued. Dates will be posted here in January 2025.

 

Conor Arnold, Shauna Quinlivan & Tim Quinlivan

Simon Cadec & Pat O’Brien

Conor Healy

Fergus Cassidy

Ioan Marian Serban & Janos Nemeth

Brothers, Kevin & James Kerr

HCAP RANGE TEST SATURDAY 24th AUGUST 2024 – ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES

SIKA HIND – THE HCAP RANGE TEST TARGET. THREE SHOTS INSIDE A FOUR-INCH CIRCLE ON THE SIX-INCH WHITE CIRCLE (USING THE FOUR-INCH BLACK AIMING MARK) IN THE PRONE POSITION (RESTED) AT 100 METRES, FOLLOWED BY NINE SHOTS IN THE HEART/LUNG AREA (THREE SHOTS PRONE AT 100 METRES, THREE SHOTS SITTING/KNEELING AT SIXTY METRES & THREE SHOTS STANDING AT 40  METRES). ALL LEGITIMATE STALKING AIDS MAY BE USED.

The following candidates are eligible to participate in the HCAP Range Test taking place at the Midland Range, Blue Ball, Tullamore, Co. Offaly R35 NC58 on Saturday 24th August 2024.

Candidates should be present at the Range from 9.30 a.m., to sign in with Range management in the Clubhouse, with personal ID, firearms certificate, and evidence of insurance. Zeroing is not permitted on the morning of the Range Test. A reminder that sound moderators and all legitimate stalking aids e.g., shooting sticks, bipods and tripods are permitted. After registration candidates should proceed in their vehicles to the Main Range, in convoy under the direction of Range personnel. After successful completion of the Range Test, candidates will be given a card which they should bring back to the Clubhouse to receive their HCAP Certificate.

Candidates are permitted one opportunity at the Grouping Stage and two opportunities on the Main Target, OR two opportunities at the Grouping Stage and one at the Main Target (but not two opportunities at both stages).

At Stage 1 (grouping stage), candidates are required to place three rounds in a four-inch group, with a four-inch black aiming point on a six-inch white circle, in the prone position, rested.

At Stage 2 (deer target), candidates are required to place nine rounds within the heart & lung area on the life-size sika hind target – three rounds prone rested at 100 metres, three rounds sitting/kneeling at 60 metres and three rounds standing. All legitimate stalking aids are permitted. Sound moderators may be used provided they are factory-threaded.

Candidates wishing to avail of Club rifles should contact Tony Saunders at MRC directly, tel. 087 097 7589, in advance of the Range Test.

Candidates will be observed at all times for adherence to all safety protocols. Any lapse in safety standards may be followed by immediate expulsion from the Range, at the discretion of Range management.

ELIGIBLE RANGE TEST CANDIDATES, SATURDAY 24th AUGUST 2024

ARNOLD, Conor
CADEC, Simon
CASSIDY, Fergus
CONNOLLY, Blake
CULLEN, Evan
DIGGINS, Josh
FUNKE, Bodo
HEALY, Conor
HEINZEL, Isaac
HORAN, Philip
KELLY, Liam
KERR, James
KERR, Kevin
McKEOWN, Scott
MULCAHY, John
NEMETH, Janos
NEMETHNE, Orsolya Kami
O’BRIEN, Patrick
QUINLIVAN, Shauna
SERBAN, Ioan Marian
SULLIVAN, Peter
TICE, George
TRILL, Mark
WHELAN, Chris

The above list includes candidates who were Deferrals or No-Shows at previous Range Tests. For such candidates, failure to attend on 24th August 2024 without notice will lead to de-listing as eligible candidates and if they wish to complete their HCAP certification process, they will have to re-apply for the Range Test as Repeat Candidates.

Location of Midland Range, Blue Ball, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, R35 NC58.