In association with Breadalbane Deer Management Group, the SGA is carrying out this exploratory survey to gauge the opinions of deer managers.
The information supplied will allow us to determine better the extent and nature of any problems or conflicts between deer management and access.
The reason for doing so is explained below. It is recommended that those interested in the survey should read the accompanying article by Victor Clements prior to doing so, in order to understand the motivation behind it.
If, on the back of the information received, it is clear that there are issues which require more work or that there are new or emerging issues, the SGA will look to engage with the appropriate decision makers in an effort to improve the situation for all.
Why the survey?
An explainer by Victor Clements.
At our Autumn 2025 meeting of Breadalbane Deer Management Group (BDMG), when discussing our regular Health & Safety agenda item, the subject of public access came up, with one contributor claiming that 29/30 of their let stag days had been affected by walkers.
Following this, 7-8 other properties quickly fed in their own experiences.
The discussion was unplanned and unexpected. We came back to it in April 2026 so that the subject could be given longer consideration, with the Perth & Kinross Council access officer there to listen.
The Health & Safety angle was interesting, with two concerns.
1/ people appearing in unexpected places created uncertainty in a stalker’s mind and undermined confidence to do the job, if happening on a regular basis.
2/ the bigger issue was the stress and anxiety caused over a longer period of time, with staff under pressure not just to bring in income for employers, but to get much higher deer cull numbers for environmental reasons, driven often by Government/agency targets.
In 2025-26, this was exacerbated by the very wet winter. In this context, disturbance becomes an additional pressure.
Mental toll?
Deer stalkers talking openly about stress and mental wellbeing is unusual to say the least and not what we expect to hear, so it is important to pay attention.
It can be a lonely job, and an accumulation of pressures can make things difficult. People appear to be asking for help.
In my 15 years acting as a deer advisor, my experience is that, if you ask people a leading question about access problems, virtually everyone will tell you about the stalks that they had disrupted.
However, if you ask them a more open question about deer management problems, public access issues very rarely come up, except in cases where public pressure is a genuine problem.
My reading is that most people fully recognize that they do not have the hills to themselves and will bite their lip a bit if they have to.
I have long been of the opinion therefore that stalking/public access problems can be over-stated and that current arrangements and legislation broadly work across the country as a whole, although there are a number of pressure points.
However, is something now changing that we need to be aware of?
Changing behaviour
There is little doubt that numbers of people accessing the mountains have increased since lockdown in 2020.
Beyond the actual numbers, behaviour patterns are changing, too.
Some BDMG members used to be able to avoid problems simply by not stalking at weekends, but walkers are now increasingly there during the week as well.
The named Munros used to be the attraction, making it fairly predictable and, therefore, manageable, but the lesser tops and unnamed peaks are now increasingly the objective for walkers.
This might be because not everyone has the experience, stamina or time to take on the bigger hills. It is also speculated that many walkers have now done the Munros that they want to do, but they can see the attraction in the smaller hills as well.
If this sounds a bit anecdotal, it is the case that estate staff talk to walkers about what they are doing and why, and they build up a picture of what is happening on their ground.
The emerging picture is of greater numbers of people accessing areas where they may not have gone before. Put this beside a situation where estate staff are under pressure to get bigger culls on environmental grounds, and you can see how a problem might start to emerge, affecting greater numbers of people.
It is also the case that, while most members of the public are perfectly reasonable, some can have a different mindset, and most stalkers have encountered people who are aggressive or dismissive about the work they need to do.
Dilemma
The right people have is responsible access, but there is not always meaningful sanction for those not responsible. A stalker dealing with aggression cannot risk confrontation or provocation for fear of losing their firearms license, so their options for dealing with difficult situations are very limited. This creates pressure as well.
Dogs are another issue, with both sheep and red deer calves having been killed in this area in recent years. There can be an agricultural and animal welfare cost.
The purpose of this article and survey is to begin collecting information about what is going on out there, at the moment.
Is the situation in relation to public access changing? Is it affecting your ability to do your work, or are you just able to bite your lip where necessary and work around things?
Please answer the survey, below, by clicking on the link:
