Deer management groups

Voluntary Deer Management Groups (DMGs) exist across most of Scotland’s red deer range. The memberships of these groups comprise representatives from landholdings within the group’s area. The diversity of ownership and management objectives within this membership is increasingly varied, and as a result positive, proactive engagement from all landholdings within the group area is important to the effective, sustainable management of deer populations.

The Association of Deer Management Groups works closely with NatureScot to support DMGs to deliver effective deer management planning and decision making.

Funding for deer management groups

Deer management delivers a range of 'public interest' benefits to the people of Scotland. NatureScot has identified 14 specific areas of public interest, derived from the Code of Practice on Deer Management and Wild Deer: A National Approach.

Following recommendations from the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee Enquiry in 2013, all DMGs were given the opportunity to demonstrate progress under the voluntary approach towards effective, environmentally responsible deer management planning. Scottish Government made £200,000 available for the development of Deer Management Plans, which incorporate the range of public interest benefits, and NatureScot administered 50% match-funded grants for their delivery.

View the public interest objectives for deer management groups in Deer Management Plans: Delivering the Public Interest.

Deer Management Group Assessment

In late 2014 DMGs were assessed against the range of public interest indicators identified above. This assessment provided baseline information on how DMGs were functioning at this point.

These assessments were repeated in 2016 to capture progress associated with the above deer management planning process, and then again most recently in Spring 2019.

Read the 2019 DMG Assessment analysis and results. This report includes the results of the 2014 and 2016 Assessments for comparison.

The ECCLR Committee (the replacement for the RACCE Committee) published their Report on Deer Management in early April 2017 in response to NatureScot’s 2016 Review of Deer Management to Scottish Government.

Read the ECCLR Committee Report on NatureScot's 2016 Review

Your can also read Assessing Progress in Deer Management - NatureScot report to Scottish Government 2019.