Auctioning the death of a deer

[RockinSockBunnies]

Just come across this on The Times website.

I'm so disturbed by the very notion that hunters are excited and competing for the prospect to slaughter a rare deer. The comments in the piece, denoting the glee that there's an opportunity to stalk and butcher a wild animal that looks 'different' to the others just beggars belief.

I completely fail to understand the attraction to deer stalking, but in these particular circumstances, I'm staggered . Why do people think this kind of thing is acceptable?

I am a bit at sixes and sevens on this issue.

Deer are culled every year as they have no natural predators in the UK and this has to be done to keep herds healthy.

The culling process is done under the strict direction of gamekeepers and the 'hunter' is typically a fairly wealthy individual who has paid for the privellege of shooting a deer that has been selected and identified by the gamekeeper. The 'hunter' is not allowed to shoot any other deer than the selected animal.

The money is ploughed back into the estate and paying the gamekeepers.

That said and despite the fact that I come from the country ahd have shot game myself (not deer) I still feel the process of wealthy people bidding for the right to kill something is a slightly distasteful process.

I wonder what motivates them.

i have no problem with dead animals, especially if they're on my plate. yum.

it's the idea of amateurs paying for a shot at a freak that i find tasteless.

FAQ, so? I am pretty sure the deer who end up dead are not really that interested in how they are targeted are they?

In any case, it is not done like that, selecting animals to hunt is done based on the numbers of animals required to keep healthy stock.

So many young bucks, so many old bucks, so many does and, in this case a white one. Because they are not needed to keep the population healthy.

But this deer hardly knows it's being hunted, any more than the others which are shot as part of culling. I don't see why the sport itself is any more unpleasant for the deer. A deer still gets shot.

I think what's causing the revulsion here is the pleasure taken in the sport, which I agree, is somewhat tasteless. But if the job has to be done, it has to be done. The "sport" and the pleasure taken in it, doesn't make it any more cruel for the deer.

So actually the revulsion isn't against the killing of the deer itself, it's what it says about us as humans.

It's revulsion that a person can behave that way.

However, still means nowt to the deer.

is anyone proposing that, mmc?

Is anyone proposing what?

I was just making an observation on the general theme.

I am pretty sure that is what I said above (although not in the post directed at you) It doesn't matter which way up you turn it, animal death sentances are sold every dy.

How do you feel about the auctions of beef cattle? The only real difference is that it is done for profit rather than pleasure and trophies. Is that better or worse?

I'd laugh my arse off if someone bought the rights to stalk it, then captured it and released it elsewhere where it can't be hunted.

But then, I have very little faith in mankind.

is anyone proposing that it's more cruel that it's a white deer? i dont think so. apart from expat, but we can ignore her as she thinks it's mythical.

The castle (like many Scottish castles) is said to be haunted. A story is told that in 1920 during renovation work the skeleton of a woman was discovered behind a bedroom wall. On the day the remains were laid to rest in Fyvie cemetery, the castle residents started to be plagued by strange noises and unexplained happenings. Fearing he had offended the dead woman, the Laird of the castle had the skeleton exhumed and replaced behind the bedroom wall, at which the haunting ceased.

OK, no one said that as such. Why you feel the need to pick up on it as such I'm not sure.

However, the OP isn't about deer hunting in general. It's about this particular one. As I say, I was just making an observation about which particular part of the story is shocking.

lol, i only picked up on it cos you said it. i'm getting confused.

From the Op "I'm so disturbed by the very notion that hunters are excited and competing for the prospect to slaughter a rare deer. The comments in the piece, denoting the glee that there's an opportunity to stalk and butcher a wild animal that looks 'different' to the others just beggars belief."

The whole thread is based on it being worse because the deer is different!

no, i don't read that at all. what i read is an OP questioning the motivation of someone wanting to kill a rare, rare creature. not a proposal that the deer will care either way.

How about:

"other deer are shot pretty much at random so they all have the same chance whereas this one has had a death sentence put on it"

and

"This deer is actively going to be sought out to be shot."

I think it's worth responding that its not going to be wandering the hills in a paranoid manner. Maybe concerned people could provide a disguise?

There is something quite horrible about people who, when confronted with a very rare animal, go 'ooh, how soon can I kill it'. Nasty pieces of work. Heirs to those Victorian prats who exterminated so much wildlife.

And I AM allowed to feel sorry for the deer (am a vegetarian, if that helps overcome the objections about hypocrisy. Or even if it doesn't).

i'm completely meh about the deer. unless it's a particularly tasty one. but yes, agree with your first para, edam.

Edam, you can feel sorry for the deer, of course, I was just saying that it is hypocritical (ish that is not the perfect word) to feel more sorry for this deer than any other deer about to be culled!

Dittany, I think the hooves may cause a problem with the rifle...