Over the past few months at Wildscape Deer Management, we have unintentionally stepped into one of the most powerful tools for public engagement we have ever used. It was not a policy paper, a seminar, or a well crafted ecological argument. It was venison. More specifically, the twenty kilograms or more that we have been giving away each week to friends, family, colleagues, neighbours, and anyone with even a passing interest in food, countryside issues, or wildlife.
At first, it was nothing strategic. We simply had carcasses available that were not required for contract outlets, and rather than let good meat sit in the chiller for longer than necessary, we handed it out. What followed has been remarkable. Meals were cooked, shared, and talked about. People who had never tasted venison asked for more. People who were unsure about deer management started asking questions. People who were firmly opposed to culling suddenly found themselves having reasoned conversations about population impact, woodland regeneration, animal welfare, and biodiversity.
In short, we rediscovered something we had forgotten. The dinner table remains one of the most powerful platforms for meaningful debate.
Why Venison Makes a Better Argument Than Words
For years, many of us in deer management have tried to explain the ecological consequences of unchecked populations. We have spoken about browsing pressure, soil compaction, regeneration failure, invasive species outcompeting natives, road traffic accidents, woodland collapse, and the simple reality that without natural predators, deer will continue to expand their numbers without limit.
These arguments are true, and they matter, but they rarely change minds on their own. People often see deer as emotive, symbolic animals and that emotional connection can harden firmly held opinions.
Wild venison changes the tone. It shifts the conversation from theory to something real and tangible, something people can smell, cook, taste, and understand with their senses rather than only with their intellect.
When someone prepares a meal using high quality, nutritious, naturally sourced venison from a local woodland, they suddenly begin to see deer management as part of the food cycle rather than a distant ecological debate. They understand that wild game is incomparable to mass farmed protein. It is lean, healthy, sustainable, and genuinely traceable. Most importantly, they recognise that nothing is wasted. That changes everything.
The Practical Reality Behind the Meat
Not every estate has the capacity to give away venison. We recognise we are in a fortunate position with our throughput and our larder infrastructure. But from what we have experienced, the returns in understanding and goodwill far outweigh the effort.
It has been especially effective with individuals who would usually stand firmly against culling. Once they understand that deer management provides:
- truly wild, free ranging, antibiotic free meat
- a reduction in biodiversity loss
- protection for young trees and new woodlands
- improved soil stability
- lower crop damage and reduced financial loss to farmers
- fewer road traffic accidents
- and a healthier, more balanced deer population
their views soften. Not always, not universally, but often enough to make a difference.
For some of the hardest anti cull voices we have met, there has been a quiet realisation that their stance, though emotionally understandable, had not been grounded in the ecological realities of overpopulation. Venison has opened that door. Not forcefully, not confrontationally, but gently through shared conversation over a meal.
Why the Conversation Matters Now More Than Ever
The South East is under immense pressure from exploding fallow numbers. These herds move across multiple estates, causing huge damage to regeneration and affecting the future structure of woodlands. We now have government funded tools such as CWS1 and the PA7 species management plans, which finally recognise the scale of the problem and the importance of professional management.
Yet even with grants, support, and professional capacity, we still face resistance from some members of the public who view all forms of culling as morally unacceptable.
This is why engagement matters. We are not looking to convert everyone into supporters of deer management. That is unrealistic. What we can do is ensure that discussions are fair, informed, and grounded in ecological fact rather than emotion alone.
We can talk openly about the reality that without predators, deer will reproduce faster than landscapes can regenerate. We can talk about the damage we witness every week: stripped bark, hammered rides, exhausted ground flora, collapsed understories, failed planting schemes, and the increasing number of deer casualties on roads. We can talk about animal welfare, and the fact that starvation, disease, and herd stress are far crueller outcomes than professional population control.
People may still disagree, but they will disagree with a clearer understanding. That is progress.
The Rising Cost of Beef and the Role of Venison in the British Diet
We are also seeing a national shift in the conversation about meat. Beef prices continue to rise, partly due to feed costs, partly due to labour shortages, and partly due to inflationary pressures in the entire supply chain.
At the same time, we have an abundance of venison in the South East. This is not just food. It is a resource, one that can support rural economies, reduce environmental impact, and provide households with healthier protein at a fraction of the environmental cost.
Deer managers, estates, agents, rural butchers, and policymakers all have a part to play here. If the public begins to see venison not as a luxury, but as a normal, accessible option, the entire market shifts. Demand becomes more stable. Prices become more realistic. And deer become understood as a food resource that must be managed responsibly, not simply as an emotive woodland symbol.
Hard Conversations Still Need to Be Had
There is no way to manage deer populations without facing difficult truths. We can love deer, admire their behaviour, understand their ecological importance, and still recognise that unmanaged numbers cause harm.
Some people will never accept culling under any circumstances. That is fine. But as professionals, we cannot avoid the reality. We have a duty to:
- protect habitats
- maintain herd health
- safeguard public safety
- prevent suffering
- uphold ecological balance
These conversations can be uncomfortable, but they are necessary.
The dinner table, unexpectedly, has become one of the best places to have them.
The Role of Community Engagement in Future Deer Policy
As government support grows and as the scale of deer impact becomes impossible to ignore, public understanding will shape the policies ahead. If people see venison as a sustainable, local, healthy source of food, and deer management as a necessary part of producing it, policies will reflect that understanding.
If they do not, the pressure will shift onto estates, onto professionals, and onto woodland owners to justify every decision.
We are already seeing the beginning of this shift. Better understanding now prepares us all for what is coming.
The simple act of giving away venison has done more for honest conversation than a hundred meetings or presentations. It has shown people the value of the animal, the importance of management, and the connection between food and ecological balance.
If we want the public to understand deer management, we must invite them into the conversation. Sometimes literally around a table.
At Wildscape Deer Management, we will continue doing just that. And if you are a landowner, agent, or estate manager looking to explore what responsible, sustainable deer management could look like on your ground, we are always happy to help.
