Prince William goes 'deer culling' in Balmoral

[vera99]

What's wrong with these people? I can maybe understand the need for occasional culling (though it is most often for the human agency not a concern for the animal) but to go out and enjoy stalking these magnificent creatures get them in the sights of your guns and kill them - that's just sick.

PS. King Charles was a big fan of fox hunting

AIBU? - Yes this is actual nature conservation activity and William is showing concern and leadership in participating in the shooting.

YANBU? - No this is a sick perverted hobby of the super-rich who glory in the pleasure killing of defenceless animals.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11300807/Prince-Wales-visits-Balmoral-goes-deer-stalking-Scotland-trip-Queens-funeral.html

"Deer stalking is the act of culling ageing stags that would otherwise die in the winter, with William shooting his first when he was 14 years old, something that is said to have left him delighted at the time.
The activity, which has been a shared passion among generations of the Royal Family, was encouraged by William's father King Charles III, while Princess Diana used to jokingly call him 'my killer Wales'.
William is not thought to have been joined in Scotland by his wife Catherine, who is herself a keen markswoman, and their children. A spokesman for Kensington Palace declined to comment."

An ethical viewpoint

@plant You have ignored my comments that the first step is to make it illegal to feed wild deer - it artificially inflates the numbers and feeding of wild deer over winter is common in estates where stag hunts happen - and make sure the law is enforced.

I'm obviously not a royalist.
But I think there's a lot of hypocrisy here.
Royals are hypocrites for claiming to love animals but into hunting etc.
People saying it's barbaric hypocritical because most of them will eat meat and farmed animals have awful lives.
Meh, everyone's a hypocrite. Hell I am a hypocrite for being vegan and being friendly with the local farmers.
I don't have all the answers. Not sure anyone does. It'd be nice to reintroduce apex predators but that would probably introduce a different set of problems.
I just go by the philosophy it's not something I condone but it's not the worst animal abuse and certainly not the worst abuse the royal family partake in.
We give them money to sit around and be useless. Of course they are going to find meaning elsewhere. Killing things is kind of how they got where they are. Just be thankful they aren't lopping off heads and burning people alive like they used to.
It's a toffy activity. They're top toffs. If we don't like it, we probably shouldn't support the rest of their existence.

In terms of the Royal Family, this is just another example of their hypocrisy. Like talking about climate change, but flying frequently by helicopter when they could take a car.

They start them young too

Prince George Goes Grouse Hunting with Kate Middleton [2020]

He was 7 years old!

The deer population has exploded in Scotland, they cause damage to the landscape, cause road accidents, many die from starvation because their food sources are becoming scarce due to numbers. Have you ever seen a deer with parasitic pneumonia? Rife among deer population, not pretty.

Culls take out the weakest, the deer which would die a miserable death. It's humane, quick and necessary.

It's a similar response to people objecting to kangaroo culls in Australia. It's an absolutely necessary job.

But, obviously another stick to beat the royal family with.

Indeed, echo chambers really promote healthy debate.

Do they still “blood” them I wonder, smear blood from the kill on their faces?

@antelopevalley Given the current number of deer on the hills, many would starve to death over the winter - you would prefer this to having them shot?

WTF?

Do you think the deer won't need killing if we put a border at Carlisle?

If there are no natural predators maybe the deer do need culling, in order to ensure enough food* for them all.

I live not far from Richmond Park (2000 acres) where the deer are culled by expert marksmen twice a year, otherwise there would soon be too many for the space and available food.
Ditto in nearby Bushy Park, @anexcellentwoman .

*besides grass, in autumn they may be seen scoffing conkers. Official signs ask people to leave them, since, ‘they are an essential part of the diet of deer.’

@Hilarymantelspencilsharpener Deer hunting targets the largest most magnificent deer. There is no fun in shooting a sick-looking old animal.
Its why they feed wild deer in winter. Keep the numbers up so there are more to shoot.

Exactly ! And the meat is eaten !

I’m sorry but you clearly haven’t a clue what you are talking about. Firstly, the deer are not ‘chased and terrified’ 🤦🏻‍♀️ The whole point of stalking is that the deer don’t see you coming. Can you please describe the more ‘gentle and humane’ method that you have in mind? Because I personally cannot think of one.

Secondly, of course you can tell the rough age of a deer on a shoot. It’s not difficult.

Thirdly, why should the deer be left to suffer and starve to death? How is that any better? Humans have eradicated all the natural predators in this country (wolves, bears etc). We can’t undo history, but we can try to manage the situation now as best we can. If a deer was hit by a car would you agree to shooting it to end it’s misery? The problem with overpopulation is just as man-made as that.

Whether or not this necessary task should be turned into a performance/sport is another matter.

FYI I am not a hunter or a royalist. But I do live in the ‘proper’ countryside, and I am a vet and animal lover. As such I have ‘killed’ many animals for humane reasons.

It’s not a question of being a fan of anyone. It’s the ignorance of city dwellers who want to eat their meat or enjoy their annual holiday in the Scottish highlands while demonising the rural workers who allow them to do that.

@gett Totally different scenario. They are not hunting like William is.

I love deer. Graceful and beautiful. I'm not a huge fan of the sheer number of them, munchity crunching their way across the land, impacting on rewinding schemes. The deer near me have also gone from a small number family groups of 3 or 4 to a large number of family groups of up to 10 before the males split off and form another group. They jump into the roads and one nearly knocked my daughter off her bike as it bounded over a wall, across a track and into a field. They have been wandering in places they never used to go just because there are so many of them locally now. For populations in even more rural places, they must be literally covering eststes.

So I can absolutely see the necessity in culling to control the deer population.

I also love venison. More venison in the shops would be ace.

I also have an issue with the grouse and pheasants- too many. If they could be picked off and the meat sold, I'm all for that too.

I massively disagree with attempts to domesticate wild animals like foxes. You're teaching them to trust humans, allowing them to expand territory into places that you may think are safe but really aren't.

I'm not against the cull, but shouldn't it be done by a gamekeeper rather than as a 'sport' that he travels up to Scotland to do.
I know they need to go, but I bet he's anti-trophy hunting in Africa, there is a nuance, but that can get lost and I think it would be best if the Royal Family kept away from it.

I believe Prince William will have been stalking hinds, not stags as the season for stags hasn't yet started. It is not trophy hunting, it is taking out the weak hinds that would probably not survive the winter.

Erm he is going to be King someday have some respect. They are following the old traditions of this country. A good thing surely? And even if some thing this is not acceptable today, he is royalty he can do it if he wants. No laws being broken.

I’m in Aberdeenshire a bit souther of balmoral and every organised hunting here is from rich folk in England you can spot them and their clothes a mile away . It’s vile , they literally chase and spot the deer with quad bikes and shoot only when they are almost impossible to run away .
it’s not that I don’t understand deer need controlling , they do here , they destroy crops and I’ve had 3 encounters with deer just in the last month while driving , last one yesterday and both me and the car in front of me are lucky to be alive .
But making this a sport and trophy hunting is vile !!
I tend to press the car horn if I see the organiser in hunting season trying to spot and corn the deers . Yes they get upset but I don’t give a f*k . Don’t make money out if trophy hunting !

It’s not something I would want to do personally, but from what I understand, it’s a necessary process to keep
the population under control. The practices employed in slaughter houses to bring meat to our supermarkets are far more barbaric imo.

You think all old traditions are a good thing? How about putting people in stocks? Public executions?

Deer stalking done properly is all about husbandry and management of a healthy population. There are courses and certificates that have to be completed and it is regulated to the nth degree.

I agree re fox hunting with horses etc is deplorable but again foxes need managing as we have wiped out their natural predators too.
They end up not having a food supply and become weak and diseased.

The deer don’t know anything about it if done properly and venison is an amazing lean meat. Plus they deliberately look for the old/injured animals to prevent a long drawn out death.

The reality of it is wildlife isn't just what you see when you chuck your children in your SUV and drive 40 mins outside of the city for a few hours to coo over the cute animals while you have a picnic.

I wonder how many of these people would object to culling, say, rats if they suddenly began to overrun their streets and gardens.

@Mfsf It is illegal to shoot deer from a moving vehicle. If you see this happening please report it. I can guarentee this is not normal practice.