The MCQ Stage of HCAP Assessment
The first stage of the HCAP assessment procedure is the Multiple Choice Question Test (MCQ), in which candidates are required to answer fifty questions in fifty minutes in a written test of general knowledge about deer and deer stalking in Ireland. The pass requirement is 40 correct answers. The Deer Alliance HCAP Assessment Committee has a strict policy of not publishing a Question & Answer matrix and instead refers candidates to the Stalker Training Manual available for purchase through the main Deer Alliance website (www.deeralliance.ie).
For each MCQ test, fifty questions are chosen at random from a bank of approximately 300 questions, each question having from three to six possible answers, of which only one is deemed to be correct. There are also a number of “true or false” questions. Thus the MCQ paper will vary from sitting to sitting, although certain questions will always be on the paper as the knowledge concerned is considered to be critical, both legally and practically.
To help candidates therefore, the following specimen questions are provided as a study aid in preparation for sitting the MCQ. This list is by no means exhaustive and should not be taken as any indication that the same questions, or any individual question, will appear on any given MCQ paper. The first and best advice will always be to study the Deer Alliance Stalker Training Manual, published by the Deer Alliance as part of the HCAP assessment procedure.
What is the commonest and most widespread species of deer in Ireland?
To whom are you obliged to show your hunting licence if challenged while out stalking?
What are the best months to carry out a census of woodland deer?
What does the term Browsing describe?
What exactly is Fraying?
What are the main physical differences between sika deer and fallow deer?
What should be the main objectives of a good deer manager?
What is the spin imparted to a bullet by the barrel rifling intended to do?
“Deer are colour-blind, so wearing hi-visibility clothing while stalking (as recommended by Coillte) has no effect on the success or failure of your stalk”. Is this statement true or false?
“The current standard Coillte sporting licence stipulates that, for health, animal disease prevention and vermin control reasons, the gralloch (offal or viscera from a shot deer) must always be buried inside the forest immediately after shooting”. Is this statement true or false?
You have shot a deer and wish to sell the carcass to a registered game dealer. You have no chilling facilities at home. Within what time frame must the carcass be presented to the game dealer?
What characterises a yeld hind?
Where are scent glands in deer located?
What is the average gestation period in Irish deer species?
Where should you place warning notices prior to commencing stalking on Coillte property?
What is the minimum legally-required muzzle energy of a rifle intended for hunting deer?
Bovine tuberculosis is a scheduled and notifiable disease. If you find evidence of TB in a deer carcase, who must by law be notified?
When examining a deer carcase for bovine tuberculosis, where should you look for evidence of infection or abscessation?
Where are the retropharyngeal lymph nodes located?
The current open season for fallow does in Co. Dublin runs from what date to what date?
The current close season for sika stags in Co. Wicklow is from what date to what date?
Within which daily time frame may you legally hunt wild deer on private land (assuming that you are fully licensed and authorised in every respect)?
The current standard Coillte licence/permit allows you to stalk deer between what hours of each day?
You want to do a deer count on the forest area that you stalk, in order to confirm the proposed cull. You propose doing this at night with the aid of a lamp. In what circumstances can you do this?
Who owns wild deer while they are alive?
Who owns wild deer once they are legally hunted, shot and killed?
The ordinary period for which a deer hunting licence may be granted runs from what date to what date?
You are out shooting foxes during the closed season for deer, on land where you have permission to hunt deer. In what circumstances may you legally shoot red deer?
You are out shooting foxes during the closed season for deer, on land where you have permission to hunt deer. In what circumstances may you legally shoot sika or fallow deer?
Where is the caudal disc located on a sika deer?
What is the current minimum age at which application may be made for a deer hunting licence?
What is the current minimum age at which a person is entitled to hold a full firearms certificate?
The effect of rising deer numbers in an area is likely to be first noticed by observing what?
What is meant by “the shot clock”?
In what circumstances may a deer is found injured on the road, apparently beyond the prospect of saving, be legally killed?
What does “Zeroing” of a rifle and telescopic sights mean?
What wording best describes the trajectory of a bullet?
Coillte reserves concurrent rights to control deer on some licensed properties. When will these rights normally be exercised and to remove what type of animals?
Motorised vehicular access to Coillte property is permitted for what purposes only?
When is it legal in Ireland to hunt or kill deer with a bow and arrow especially designed for deer hunting?
The metatarsal gland on a sika hind is located where?
The metatarsal gland on a mature sika stag is what colour?
You shoot a deer, which kicks out high in the air with its hind legs before moving off with lowered head and hunched back. In what part of its body has it most likely been shot?
A distinct trail of bright red blood indicates a deer shot in what part of its body?
A reasonable estimation of the age of a culled male deer can be gained from what aspects of its body?
What should be the correct point of aim when shooting at a target steeply below the shooter?
What should be the correct point of aim when shooting at a target steeply above the shooter?
