DSC1 vs PDS1: Which Deer Stalking Qualification Should You Take? (2026)

DSC1 is Deer Management Qualifications' (DMQ) entry qualification, assessed by approved centres such as BASC and the British Deer Society through five modules: written, visual, game meat hygiene, safety and shooting. Safety and shooting are assessed in person; on BASC's online route the theory assessments are taken online. PDS1 (Proficient Deer Stalking Certificate) is a Lantra-accredited customised award delivered as an online course by an approved training provider, with practical elements signed off by an approved verifier.

ProSyllabus is an independent study site, not affiliated with Deer Management Qualifications (DMQ) or BASC. Each fee and rule below is attributed to the page it comes from, and the pages are listed in the sources at the foot of the page.

Side by side

How each DSC1 module works on the day

The written test is 50 multiple-choice questions taken from DMQ's bank of written questions, with a pass at 40. The visual test shows 20 images covering the six species of wild deer in the UK; for each you name the species and the sex, and both must be right to score. The Game Meat Hygiene test is 40 multiple-choice questions with a pass at 32. On the safety assessment you are walked round a path, shown four deer targets and asked whether you would shoot at each, and asked nine other safety questions, all of which must be answered correctly. The shooting test is two shots into the chest killing area of a DMQ deer target at 100 m from prone or from a simulated high seat if available (normal stalking aids such as a rucksack or bipod may be used), two more at 70 m standing, kneeling or sitting (aids such as bipods or sticks may be used), and two into the humane despatch (head) killing area at 10 to 20 m standing (sticks may be used). DMQ notes that the range for that last discipline may vary with individual range requirements, and that shooting safety glasses must be worn when taking it.

Fail one module and only that module is retaken, at any centre that agrees, within the three years from registration. BASC adds a rule on format: if you took an in-person DSC1 you resit in person, and if you enrolled on its online DSC1 you take theory resits online. DMQ's FAQ says the DSC1 assessment can usually be completed in one day, and that some training events are organised so that the individual assessments are taken on different days. The safety module is the walked shoot-or-not decisions and nine questions; the rifle is fired on the shooting module.

How PDS1 is delivered

Lantra describes PDS1 as a Lantra-accredited customised award, exclusively developed and delivered by a Lantra-approved training provider who meets its quality standards, and also accredited by UK Rural Skills. Candidates work through online modules, classes and exams delivered by a professional deer stalker who is also a Lantra approved training provider and approved verifier. Having completed the theory online, candidates receive a PDS1 certificate for what they have learnt; the practical elements are then signed off by an approved verifier from a list of verifiers in the candidate's area. The page names the course instructor and gives 16 as the minimum age.

Lantra's page does not give a price, a pass mark, the number of questions in the final exam or a time limit for completing the practical sign-off. Ask the provider for all four before you pay, so you can compare like with like.

Meat hygiene and trained hunter status

DSC1 assesses large game meat hygiene in its own module; Lantra says a Large Game Meat Hygiene Certificate is offered with PDS1. On the DSC1 side, DMQ says that passing the Game Meat Hygiene module completes the theory element of trained hunter status, and that DMQ's Trained Hunter qualification itself is achieved only after DSC2. Lantra's PDS1 page says a Large Game Meat Hygiene Certificate that complies with FSA guidelines for placing large game meat on the market for human consumption is offered with the course. If you intend to supply carcasses to a game dealer, ask the dealer which certificate it accepts.

Questions to ask any provider before you book

What PDS1 covers

Lantra's course page lists eleven modules and a final exam: understanding the need to manage deer; firearms safety and rifle components; where to place your bullet and variants of shot placement; zeroing and point blank range; marksmanship; after the shot; carcass extraction, handling and inspection; deer identification; UK legislation; deer stalking in Scotland; buying your equipment and getting out deer stalking. Lantra's page describes the course as a first step towards obtaining a firearm certificate, or a variation to an existing one, to hunt and shoot deer.

What DSC1 covers

DMQ lists seven knowledge and skill areas: deer biology and ecology; legislation; stalking techniques and taking the shot; deer identification; safety; shooting; large game meat hygiene. DMQ lists them for the assessment as a whole; it ties identification to the visual module and describes the hygiene, safety and shooting modules, but gives no complete area-by-module breakdown. The five modules can usually be completed in one day, including on an assessment-only day, though some events take them on different days; on BASC's online route the theory assessments are taken online and the safety and shooting assessments in person.

The syllabus side by side

This table is our own mapping of DMQ's DSC1 areas to the PDS1 modules on Lantra's page. It shows where topics meet, not that the depth, the content or the assessment is the same; where Lantra names no matching module, the row says so.

Whichever you choose, you will need to know the deer law where you stalk, and the rules differ across England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In England and Wales, the Deer Act 1991 sets the close seasons in Schedule 1 and lists prohibited firearms and ammunition in Schedule 2, including any rifle with a calibre of less than .240 inches or a muzzle energy of less than 2,305 joules (1,700 ft lb), with an exception in section 6(6) for Chinese water deer and muntjac (at least .220 inches, 1,000 ft lb and a soft-nosed or hollow-nosed bullet weighing at least 50 grains). In Scotland, the Deer (Close Seasons) (Scotland) Order 2011 has had no close season for male deer since 21 October 2023, and the rifle and ammunition rules are in the Deer (Firearms etc.) (Scotland) Order 1985 as amended in 2023. In Northern Ireland, the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 sets the close seasons in Schedule 10 and lists prohibited firearms and ammunition in Schedule 11, including any rifle with a calibre of less than .236 inches, with an exception in article 20(8A) for an authorised person shooting Chinese water deer or muntjac (at least .220 inches, 1,000 ft lb and a soft-nosed or hollow-nosed bullet weighing at least 50 grains). For supplying carcasses to a game-handling establishment, the hygiene rules are in Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 as it applies in Great Britain.

Which one suits you?

This table is our own suggestion, based on how each provider's page describes its route.

Before you pay, ask the estate or syndicate you will stalk with which qualification it asks for.