11/08/2026
DSC1 – Deer Stalking Certificate Level 1
A Better Way to Prepare for Your DSC1
Whether you are completely new to deer stalking, have some practical experience, or have a lifetime of experience but now need a recognised qualification, Orion Wildlife Training’s DSC1 course is designed to prepare you properly for assessment.
Our approach combines pre-course online learning, practice questions, two days of instructor-led review and practical training, two range sessions and full DMQ-approved assessment
The aim is straightforward: give every candidate the opportunity to arrive prepared, develop confidence in the practical elements and demonstrate their knowledge and ability under proper assessment conditions.
Learn Before You Arrive
Rather than trying to cram a large amount of information into a classroom immediately before assessment, your DSC1 journey starts before you attend.
Our pre-course online learning allows you to work through the required knowledge at your own pace, in your own time.
You can revisit subjects whenever you need to and use practice questions to test your knowledge and identify areas that need further attention.
For someone completely new to deer stalking, this provides a structured introduction and helps build a solid foundation of knowledge.
For the experienced stalker, it provides an opportunity to refresh existing knowledge, identify any gaps and become familiar with the terminology, standards and level of knowledge expected during formal DSC1 assessment.
You arrive knowing what is expected of you.
Two Days That Build on Your Knowledge
Once you have completed your pre-course learning, you join us for two days of review, practical skills and assessment.
These are not simply two days of classroom teaching.
We review the important areas of DSC1 knowledge, clarify anything candidates are unsure about and concentrate on applying that knowledge in a practical deer-stalking environment.
It means our instructors can spend more time helping candidates with the areas where face-to-face training makes the greatest difference.
Two Range Sessions
The shooting assessment can be a concern for new and experienced candidates alike.
For a beginner, it may be the first time they have been required to shoot to a defined assessment standard.
For an experienced stalker, it may simply be some time since they have had their shooting formally assessed.
That is why the Orion Wildlife Training DSC1 includes two range sessions.
These sessions allow candidates to settle into the range environment, practise the required shooting positions and hone their skills before assessment.
Our instructors can help identify issues with shooting position, stability, r***e handling, consistency and technique, giving candidates the opportunity to make improvements before they are formally assessed.
The purpose is not simply to get you through an assessment. It is to help reinforce the safe, consistent shooting skills expected of a competent deer stalker.
Proper Assessment
All DSC1 assessments are carried out during the two-day course under full DMQ-approved assessment procedures.
Training and assessment are treated as separate parts of the process. We prepare you thoroughly, give you opportunities to practise and then provide the appropriate environment in which you can demonstrate that you have reached the required standard.
There are no shortcuts and no lowering of the assessment standard.
You earn your qualification by demonstrating the required knowledge and practical ability.
Support for Different Ways of Learning
Not everybody learns, processes information or performs under assessment conditions in the same way.
Orion Wildlife Training is committed to making our training and assessment as accessible as reasonably possible, including providing appropriate support for candidates with learning differences or additional learning needs.
If you have dyslexia, difficulties with reading or written assessment, or another learning difference that may affect your training or assessment, we encourage you to speak to us before the course.
Where appropriate and permitted within the assessment requirements, we can discuss suitable support and reasonable adjustments.
The assessment standard remains exactly the same – but having a learning difference should not prevent a knowledgeable and competent candidate from having a fair opportunity to demonstrate their ability.
From Your First Steps to Formal Recognition
You do not need years of stalking experience to attend an Orion Wildlife Training DSC1.
Equally, you are not too experienced to benefit from it.
You might be:
Taking your first serious step into deer stalking
Looking to build your knowledge before gaining more practical experience
An existing recreational stalker wanting a recognised qualification
An experienced deer manager or stalker who has never previously needed formal certification
Someone whose employer, client, estate, forestry contract or organisation now requires evidence of recognised competence
Returning to deer stalking and wanting to refresh and formalise your knowledge
Whatever your starting point, the required DSC1 assessment standard is the same.
Our job is to help you arrive properly prepared to meet it.
Orion Wildlife Training DSC1
Online learning before you attend.
Practice questions to test your knowledge.
Two days of instructor-led review and practical skills.
Two range sessions before your shooting assessment.
Full DMQ-approved assessment during the course.
Support for candidates with different learning needs.
From absolute beginner to a lifetime of experience – prepare properly, demonstrate your competence and gain the qualification to prove it.
