DIVERSE TACTICS

Our stalking correspondent Al Gabriel wants to see more women out shooting and meets Ladies Deer Stalking UK to see what progress is being made

OF all the shooting disciplines, stalking is perhaps the most difficult to crack, especially if you are a woman from a non-shooting background. The entire process of acquiring large enough land for centre-fire rifles, as well as stalking a highly evolved ungulate, can be daunting.

If you include the additional requirements of carcass extraction and larder facilities, it all comes close to impossible. There was a time when it was rare to see women taking part in clay or game shooting in large numbers. Fast forward ten years and it is another story. Thanks to social media—and some excellent work from women across the country—women’s shooting is now one of the fastest growing parts of our industry. So, what are we doing about the lack of women in rifle shooting and indeed deer stalking?

Not much I’m afraid, although there is a growing appreciation for that oversight by the industry.

Luckily, a group of women have taken matters to their own hands and created a group called Ladies Deer Stalking UK (LDSUK). Geri Dodd and Kate Langston are the co-founders of the group and I have had the pleasure of meeting these incredible women. Geri and Kate spotted a gap in an industry that remains the poster child for the ‘male, pale and stale’. According to Geri, “We both experienced difficulties finding out the next steps in our stalking journey, especially with our personal experience attending events where we were the only ladies. In October 2022 the Facebook group was formed.”

Emancipation

Rifle shooting certainly needed to be emancipated and presented to women as an alternative that does not require a male partner of family member to progress. LDSUK is a non-commercial entity that provides opportunities to their members using social media. They specialise in linking members to prevetted professionals to gain access to stalking. Not only that, but they have also been brilliant at organising courses for their members, including range days, butchery and even deer head preparation.

LDSUK are highly focused on up-skilling and continued development, which I think is an exemplar for so many. I have been following their progress for some time. I am pleased to see their membership blossom to over 600. They have members from overseas as well as men (who account for 15% of their membership). They have taken the privacy of their members seriously and take great care in vetting newcomers. The administrators are volunteers and run it in their spare time.

There’s no denying that stalking is a physically demanding endeavour, particularly when it comes to the extraction of fallow, sika or red deer. There are now numerous women that stalk either in a part-time or full-time capacity, and that success comes from the right equipment and support. Most women, especially those starting out, would probably be focused on muntjac, CWD, roe and fallow deer in the earlier parts of their stalking careers. This is where training comes in handy and, depending on where they stalk, women can progress to the management of larger deer species. All it would require is support from local stalkers, links with professionals and continued professional development. Acquiring ground and applying for a firearm licence is very complicated without the support of those who are already managing deer, but through clever use of social media and social capital they have continued to grow their group and provide the support needed.

Best ambassadors

Women make up 50% of our population, and so it is in all our interests to make this work. Personally, I have always been of the view that women are our best ambassadors to the public. The acceptability of shooting in the UK is much lower than most European countries, and women can help mitigate that by spreading the word in what is a male-dominated

Tremendous progress

community. The shooting community overall has always had an image problem: it is too macho. If we are seen as an inclusive community, composed of what looks like modern Britain, I think we stand a better chance of winning hearts and minds. At a time when firearms licensing is taking a downturn, I think the increase in interest in deer management by women should be a welcomed change.

The tenacity and determination of these women is infectious

Although LDSUK has made tremendous progress, it has not been without challenges. Through my discussions with Geri and others, I have understood that they sometimes struggle to organise range days due to the costs involved. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to appeal to all those with access to facilities, ranges, and stalking opportunities to offer a discount to LDSUK whenever possible. What LDSUK are trying to achieve will benefit our community immensely and they deserve all our continued support.

Heather Taylor, who is one of the administrators of the group, said: “As a group we have made huge leaps in offering ladies an entry to deer stalking. We aim to give more women these opportunities. We have the passion, but we all work and do this in our spare time. Finding more venues and ranges in other parts of the country would help massively in getting these opportunities out to more members.”

When we are faced with what often feels like ‘death by a thousand cuts’ when it comes to the future of shooting, we must never forget that our community is large and strong enough to encourage positive change. The involvement of more women in deer stalking is an absolute win. This will help increase more venison consumption at home, recruit the next generation—and above all it will bring balance and acceptability to the discipline.

From a conservation point of view, efforts currently underway to plant more trees only create more habitat for deer unless local communities have a say in the management of deer. That must surely include women. The tenacity and determination of these women is infectious. I wish everybody in the shooting industry had the same level of dedication and desire to expand our community. There is more work to be done but I have no doubt LDSUK will make a success of it. GTN GTN

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