Deer Stalking Certificate 1

The Deer Stalking Certificate 1 qualification is a nationally recognised award which has been given to over 20 thousand individuals.

Whether you’re new to deer stalking or already an experienced Deer Manager, the DSC1 provides a comprehensive guide to deer stalking techniques and management.  The DSC1 is the foundation of deer skills development.

To be awarded the DSC1 certificate you must demonstrate knowledge and skills to successfully pass formal assessments in the following areas:

  • General Knowledge of the 6 species of deer found in Great Britain and Northern Ireland
  • Deer legislation
  • Ballistics
  • Deer identification
  • Safety
  • Shooting
  • Large Game Trained Hunter – knowledge of the inspection of carcasses and the legal requirements

DSC1 courses are run by the Society over three days at numerous locations throughout the UK.  The course comprises two days professional classroom instruction including a series of lectures, videos and discussion and a day at the range testing your field safety and shooting.  At the end of the course there are five assessments to be undertaken resulting in a DSC1 Certificate for those who achieve the pass grade.

The cost of the three day DSC1 training course is £

£295.00 this includes all assessments a comprehensive 327 page training manual and DMQ registration.

Book online, or download an application form:

Deer Management Qualifications (DMQ) recognise that people with considerable prior knowledge and experience may not feel the need to attend a full training course and as such are able to take only the DSC1 assessments leading to the award of DSC1.  Assessments are normally taken as part of a full DSC1 course which you will attend for the specific assessment period only.  No tuition will be given, however you may benefit from refreshing your knowledge by purchasing a BDS Training Manual or Ultimate Deer Data online training.

If you have already registered with Deer Management Qualifications and need to retake one or more of the DSC1 assessments to complete your DSC1 qualification, these can be taken by attending the relevant assessment period on any of our scheduled DSC1 courses.

Each assessment costs £25.00 to retake. All assessments must be taken within a three year period from first registration for the award.

Candidates who gained their DSC1 award before 2006 can upgrade their Deer Stalking Certificate 1 to include Large Wild Game Meat & Hygiene for Trained Hunter Status by attending and passing a fifth assessment.

The cost is £40.00 which includes a new DSC1 Certificate reflecting Large Game Trained Hunter Status.