Deer Stalking Certificate - Level 2

The purpose of the following is to give you a brief description of the main players involved in the award. It also lists the five most frequently asked questions from level 2 candidates.

Deer Management Qualifications

Is the Awarding body for the qualification, is Deer Management Qualifications. DMQ is an industry lead awarding body, with members from various representatives in the deer industry sitting on the Board.

Assessment Centres

Assessment Centres are and provide assessment for Level 1 and Level 2 or both qualifications registered with DMQ. A robust set of rules are laid down by DMQ for Accredited Centres, based on Nationally recognized standards.

External Verifiers

These people, appointed by DMQ, confirm that each Assessment Centre is operating the qualification properly. That means maintaining the right records, making sure the assessments are carried out fairly and thoroughly and that all Assessors are working to the same standard.

Internal Verifiers

Are employed by the Assessment Centre. They ALWAYS check a candidate's submission for the award to ensure that the evidence provided meets the requirements of DMQ. They also work with the assessors to maintain the high standards within the qualifications.

Assessor

The person who assess the evidence against DMQ standard, and will offer advice to candidates. Assessors carry a professional standing in the area of deer management and also hold a National Assessor Qualification D32/33 or A1. This makes them ideally suited to compare the evidence submitted to the requirements of the award thereby ensuring that the standard is being met.

They will clarify any aspect of the evidence submitted, either with the candidate or with the witness. Assessors may nominate someone as a suitable accredited witness and will explain the requirements of the role. All assessors have to work to the standards set and the Internal Verifier will confirm that is happening.

Accredited Witness/Approved Witness

Is someone who would be present when a deer was killed and the carcass prepared, who has already been sponsored by an Assessor as a suitably knowledgeable person. They will have had at least one interview with an assessor so that they know what standard they should expect to see. They will know what an assessors role is and will already have level 2 DMQ award.

The Candidate

Will register with an Assessment Centre and are given information about the award. They will need to meet DMQ's standards, so it is important that they understand any paperwork that comes through the post. They will need to recognise how the award applies to their special situation and are likely to need the help of an Assessor.

Advisor

The Advisor is there as the first point of contact for a candidate. Their job is to help the candidate make the most of their stalking, to produce the right evidence for an assessor to assess as being Valid, Authentic and Current.

Evidence

For an award to be issued, the Internal Verifier must see proof that the candidate can meet the standard set.
However the minimum requirement is one cull is observed by an Assessor/AW and the remaining two are witnessed by a credible witness who must hold Level 2 themselves.

Five most frequently asked questions

The Deer Stalking Certificate (available at both level 1 and 2) is available from a number of assessment centres around the country, one of which is BASC.

Each of the assessment centres has an Assessor whose role is to help people build a portfolio of evidence. The purpose of this is to enable the candidate to prove they have a level of knowledge and practical skills sufficient to be awarded the level 2 certificate. These are some of the most frequently asked questions and their responses. Please speak to your Assessor if you have any questions relating to what evidence you should collect and how.

Often there is no standard answer that can be given, so don't take these as gospel! However hopefully some of your questions will be answered here.

'I want to go on a level 2 course'

There are a number of courses available from BASC, BDS and others that could help you with the background knowledge necessary to support you getting the level 2 award. Examples are: helping you with your shooting skills or perhaps carcase inspection and preparation. However the Deer Stalking Certificate level 2 is a vocational qualification, so there is no course to attend.

What this means is that you collect evidence of your knowledge and ability in various deer management tasks. Hence the need for a witness to observe you in action. You should only put yourself forward for assessment when you have reached the required level of knowledge and experience. This evidence must be 3 years or less to be considered as current evidence.

'Who can be a witness? I need someone to see what I do when I go stalking' – Edition 5 (Blue Portfolio)

Ideally you should use one of the Accredited Witnesses. Two of the culls may be witnessed by an Industry Credited Witness who must hold Level 2, if in doubt discuss with your Assessor, prior to using a Industry Credible Witness. Ultimately your assessor will decide whether the evidence they witness is sufficient. It may be that it needs to be supported by evidence from other witnesses - your assessor will inform you.

They must recognise examples of good practice when they see it. They should also understand that their role is to witness what you are doing. They should not be tempted to offer hints. If they do (and there could well be cases when that is the only responsible thing to do) then they and you cannot consider that to be a valid evidence. You would then effectively still be training. When your portfolio is complete your assessor will question the witness about what they saw and about their own level of experience. They should be prepared for some searching questions!

'Who can be a witness? I need someone to see what I do when I go stalking' – Edition 6 (Green Portfolio)

Fort Portfolio’s issued after 01 June 2010 – Edition 6 (Green Portfolio). You must have all 3 culls witnessed by an Approved Witness from the Approved Witness list or an Assessor from one of the Assessment Centres. Your Assessment Centre will be able to advise you further on this.

'Who is my assessor?'

All assessors are likely to be full time deer managers. They look at your evidence and assess whether you have reached the standards laid down by the awarding body, DMQ. Your Assessors name and contact details will be in the front of your portfolio.

'How long is all this going to take?'

The longest period is likely to be you collecting the evidence. The assessment and verification process which follows can take a number of months. The reasons for this are many, but you should bear in mind that after leaving the candidate the portfolio goes through many pairs of hands. The list includes assessment centre, assessor, internal verifier, external verifier, awarding body.

This process may seem long winded, but it is designed by DMQ to ensure that their rigorous standards are applied throughout the portfolio's assessment. All assessment centres are obliged to adhere to DMQ's requirements.

If you are registered with the BASC assessment centre, contact the BASC Shooting Standards Department should you have any questions.

If you are registered with another assessment centre, you should contact them for further advice and support.

  BASC Deer Assessment Centre Registration form

INFORMATION FOR DEER MANAGERS WITH OLDER DCS 1 CERTIFICATES

INFORMATION FOR DEER MANAGERS WITH OLDER DCS 1 CERTIFICATES

Following changes to food hygiene regulations in 2005, holders of older DCS 1 certificates (coloured buff) were able to convert their certificate to include “trained hunter” status for large game. DMQ has announced that the facility to convert buff coloured DCS 1 certificates is to be withdrawn from 31st March 2009. No applications for conversion received after this date will be accepted.

All DSC 1 certificates issued since 1st January 2006 (coloured blue) indicate that the holder is also designated a “trained hunter” (for large game only) under the food hygiene regulations; these certificates are not affected by the withdrawal of conversions.

For Further information and course dates contact Shooting Standards department 01244 573018 or email.