The work
A defined cull, planned around the land, carried out against an agreed requirement, and brought to a clear end.
On some land, current deer management is not enough to keep the population in check, even when it is being carried out consistently. The effect on crops, hedges, trees, and forestry may be gradual, but it is still clear.
A defined cull is needed to bring the population back to a level that current deer management can contain. That is the work Atlex was set up to do.
When this work is needed
An intervention of this scale is suitable when the following are present.
Scale of pressure
The deer population has moved beyond what current deer management is keeping in hand.
Level of damage
Damage to crops, hedges, trees, woodland, or forestry has reached a level that current deer management is not reducing.
Outcome
The owner or manager needs a clear view of what the work achieved and how the position changed across the land.
Clear end point
The work has a defined, time sensitive reduction requirement. It is not a standing arrangement for routine day to day management.
Before the cull begins
An understanding of the land is built up to establish its layout, access, current deer hotspots by day and night, likely movement patterns, and practical limits. This is supported from the air using thermal drones.
Public presence, livestock, seasonal farming activity, neighbouring land, and local relationships all affect how the cull can be carried out and are considered at this stage.
Where a reliable baseline is not already in place, a thermal survey is conducted to establish the minimum population present.
A discussion then takes place about what is likely to be achievable, based on the numbers present and Atlex experience, before any cull is agreed.
How the reduction is conducted
The cull is carried out by stalkers with significant experience. Where daytime pressure has reduced the daily cull rate, or deer have become more nocturnal, night culling is considered where the damage justifies it and carried out under the appropriate Natural England licences and notifications, including A16 and CL55 where relevant. Every cull is recorded, building a live picture of how the reduction is progressing.
Activity is planned around land use, access, known deer behaviour, and public presence, and is reviewed constantly against the requirement. Safety is the fundamental standard for this type of work.
When the agreed reduction has been met, the cull ends. It is not extended beyond that point without agreement. The landowner is left with a factual record of what was achieved, how the result sat against the original requirement, and land with a more manageable deer population.
What is recorded during the cull, what the landowner sees as it happens, and what the end of season summary contains is set out on the next page.