Partnership proves a great asset in Deer Stalking delivery

A partnership between @BordersCollege and a Newcastleton-based company has seen a surge in popularity in one of the Rural Skills courses offered by the College.

The Deer Stalking Certificate Level 1 course is run in conjunction with Liddlesdale Wildlife Management and some recent feedback and reviews have shown that the course is a great choice for anyone looking to learn about deer stalking.

The course sees students attending a two-day training programme, aimed at providing guidance around basic deer management principles.

Students learn about deer biology and ecology, as well as the legal basis for the use of firearms and culling of deer. Shooting accuracy training, deer stalking techniques and health and safety are also part of the ever-popular course.

Borders College lecturers Garry Dickson and Alan Tweedie have been working as assessors on the course and their years of experience has been vital in providing the best possible tuition for the students.

Garry commented:

“The partnership with Paul and Johnathan from Liddesdale Wildlife Management is an excellent example of teamwork between the teaching and the assessing. Paul’s knowledge and teaching are exemplary and make the assessing of the students a pleasure to carry out.”

Liddledale Wildlife Management is a full-time professional deer management contractor for Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Woodlands and Tilhill, and are in partnership with the British Deer Society.

They provide training in areas such as deer management, damage assessments & cull reports, pest control, guided stalking and venison sales. Their excellent facilities have proved to be a great choice for delivering the course.

Some recent feedback given included the Deputy Director for Diocese Schools North East, Aidan Duffy, who attended the course back in August 2020. He commented:

“Borders College and Liddlesdale staff were very friendly and supportive and had outstanding subject knowledge. Their attention to detail and a clear focus on safety was very reassuring.

“For anyone looking to gain a DSC1 qualification, I can fully endorse Liddlesdale Stalking as a provider supported by Border College. The most positive outstanding feature for me was the friendly interaction between staff and students – it was as good as it gets.”