Cairngorm Speyside Deer Management Group

Cairngorms, Speyside Deer Management Group

Appendix 10 - Monitoring

Introduction

This appendix provides guidance and references to monitoring and provides suitable methods for recording, summarising and analysing data in order to ensure feedback and application in future management.

Monitoring is essential in order to inform managers of progress toward objectives. Given the particular management objectives in the CSDMG area, monitoring needs to include habitat and deer based parameters. Data should be collected and collated separately for the West and East sub-areas.

Monitoring topics are arranged as follows:

Habitat impact

A Open range
B Woodland

Deer parameters

C Reproductive performance (Pregnancy and lactation) and age
D Mortality
E Recruitment
F Movements
G Dung counts
H Cull targets and achievements

Annual monitoring summaries and consequent actions

Estate summaries of monitoring information using each of the headings A-H above should be sent to the DMG secretary following the end of the female shooting seasons, who will arrange circulation of summaries plus any relevant deer count information from Appendix 9 prior to the annual meeting

Monitoring and review of this plan

It has been agreed that, having undergone considerable consultation and discussion, this DMP should be applied for three years at which time a review should be undertaken in order to accept or reject any topics currently considered to be ‘under consideration’.

Monitoring approaches

A Open Range

Reference; A Guide to Upland Habitats. Surveying Land Management Impacts. Volume 1 Background Information and Guidance for Surveyors, and Volume 2, The Field Guide. SNH.

The method provided (Appendix 10A 1) here is straightforward, though qualitative. It is considered to be ideal for assessing qualitative impacts on open range vegetation. It does not require a high degree of botanical knowledge.

Only areas considered to be sensitive should be assessed. Such areas should be demarcated on maps and assessments made. Results can be expressed as High, Medium or Low impact areas on maps. Appendix 10A 2 provides an example of the suggested Field recording form.

B Woodland

Reference; Appendix 10B 1.

The method provided is straightforward and requires little botanical knowledge. Given that the greatest cost in this method is getting to the assessment sites, dung counts can easily be incorporated, if required, using the same plots. This method has been usefully applied at Glenfeshie over the past five years.

Only areas considered to be sensitive should be assessed. Such areas should be demarcated on maps and assessments made. Appendix 10B 2 provides an example of a suggested Field Recording sheet.

C Reproductive Performance (Pregnancy and lactation) and age

An important part of the Deer Management Plan (DMP) and an aid to establishing cull targets is the development of population models. The starting populations for models have been based on an estimation of deer numbers. The subsequent changes in population size are based on inputs (recruitment) and outputs (mortality). A valuable basis for predicting recruitment is to estimate pregnancy and lactation from culled females. It is important to relate this to the age of the animal and this can be estimated from the jawbones that have been removed from shot animals. (Appendix 10C 1).

The reproductive input to a population is estimated by assessing the pregnancy status of all females. The presence of milk in the mammary gland provides evidence of lactation and the rearing of a calf from the previous year.

The reproductive tract of all female deer should be examined during gralloching and the uterus cut open to reveal its contents. In most females shot during the hind season pregnancy can easily be determined by the presence of an embryo, but in the early stages of pregnancy before an embryo is readily visible (before mid November), it is possible to detect pregnancy more easily from the presence of a corpus luteum in an ovary. A corpus luteum is yellowish gland that develops rapidly in the ovary following fertilisation and persists for the duration of the pregnancy. It is easy to see if the ovary is sliced in half. The presence of milk in the udder should be assessed at this time also.

Information on the pregnancy and lactation status of the hind should be recorded in the stalkers notebook with the animal number. This can be entered on the larder record sheet later where it is related to the larder records and jawbone. An example of a Larder Record Sheet is provided in Appendix 10C 2.
The proportion of yearlings and adults pregnant and lactating should be calculated at the end of the season and a summary provided to the DMG secretary for recording in the summary sheet (Appendix 10C 3).

D Mortality

Natural mortality mainly affects calves during their first winter and spring. This loss is accounted for in the estimation of recruitment (ie the proportion of animals being recruited into the adult population as yearlings c.9 months old). See Section E below.

In a heavily shot population most adult mortality is of culled animals and these are accounted for in the cull records. Of course, some other adult deer die and the proportion of these can be difficult to estimate, though they can usually be considered to represent a small proportion of the population. Records should be maintained of any evidence found of adult natural mortality and provided annually to the DMG secretary (see Record Sheet 10D 1).

E Recruitment

As discussed at C and D above, a consideration of reproductive performance provides a basis for estimating recruitment. However, recruitment is best estimated from the ratio of adult females to calves observed in the population. These estimates can be obtained from deer counts (ie Appendix 9) and from sightings of hind-calf groups observed during the springtime. Each estate should provide its estimated recruitment figure expressed as number of calves/ hind (current estimate for the area is 0.37) to the DMG secretary who will maintain the summary for the CSDMG area (Form 10E 1).

F Movements

Movements of red deer across estate boundaries is perhaps the most difficult parameter to estimate. This is because it is dependent upon a range of variables that are unpredictable (eg weather and disturbance). The organisation and planning of the DMG sub-group boundaries is aimed to minimise the effects of movements as far as is possible by choosing natural boundaries that surround discrete populations. However, the DMG is aware of particular places where movements in and out of the DMG area occur and the DMP attempts to address solutions. It is important to document any additional knowledge of deer movements across estate boundaries, where possible confirming the observation with the adjacent estate. These should be recorded on form 10F 1 by each estate and passed to the DMG secretary for summarising on form10F 2.

G Dung Counts

Dung counts are probably the most useful method of estimating deer populations occupying concealing habitats such as dense woodlands. Various methods are available. For one of these see Appendix 10G 1. The field survey can easily be incorporated with the assessment of woodland impact assessment (10B 1).
Estates conducting dung counts should make the results known to the CSDMG secretary for inclusion in the summary of estimates of deer density (form 10G 2).

H Cull Targets and Achievements

Cull targets should be derived from the appropriate models in Section 11. For example, for the western sub-area Table 6 presents the proposed culls.

Table 6B Proposed sustainable red deer culls for estates in the western sub-area following reduction to 4102 red deer (Table 5A)

Estate	% low ground	Stag	Hind	Calf	Total
Total	100	371	472	189	1032

Actual cull achievement should be notified to the DMG secretary at the close of each shooting season. These data can be recorded on form 10H 1.

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