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Cairngorms National Park Deer Framework 

Chapter 8 SUSTAINING THE DEER RESOURCE 

8.1 Introduction 

Scotland’s Wild Deer a National Approach set out “guiding principles for ways of working”, this 
section builds on those principles and provides a Cairngorms National Park context for 
sustaining the deer resource into the long-term. 

The principles acknowledge the contributions that landowners have achieved to date. Deer 
stalking is a highly skilled job, often undertaken in challenging or even dangerous conditions. 
Without the stalkers in the National Park, many of which are privately funded, the deer and 
the habitats on which they depend would be in a significantly poorer state than they are 
now. 

Ultimately the aim of the principles below is to protect local employment, protect 
rural communities and protect the environment. Like any business, estates must be 
run with an eye on profit and loss in both the short and the long-term. The principles are 
based on a collective spirit of respect for estate businesses, respect for landowners’ role 
as stewards of the countryside and respect for the public interest. 

8.2 Principles for managing wild deer and their range: 

Management based on evidence 
Deer culls are based on knowledge of habitat condition and grazing pressure 
provided by stalkers fully trained in up to date monitoring techniques. 

Public benefits and public funding 
The provision of public benefits, which may not be in the immediate interests of 
landowners, requires public funding assistance. 

Integration and collaboration 
Neighbouring landowners will not operate in isolation, but will seek to resolve 
competing objectives and involve other interest groups in decision making 
across the National Park area. 

Geographic areas and timescales 
Densities of deer across the National Park vary both geographically and 
through time to allow a range of objectives to be met. 

Communication 
Wider understanding of the importance of deer and the range they occupy to 
the local environment and economy will be promoted. 

Marketing 
All opportunities to optimise the positive benefits of wild deer for food, crafts, 
tourism, sport etc will be explored.