Deer stalking, or simplystalking, is aBritish term for the stealthy pursuit ofdeer on foot tohunt forvenison, for leisure, astrophies, or tocontrol their numbers[1] as part ofwildlife management, just as withrabbiting andboar hunting. Deer hunted in the UK arered deer,roe deer,fallow deer,sika deer,muntjac,water deer, andhybrids of these species.[2]
Stalked deer are commonly shot with abolt action rifle. This may happen onmoors, or inwoodland. Controls provided by the Game Act apply to deer (from the Deer Act 1991). Venison is also a highly popular meat, with sales quadrupling in the UK in 2014.[3][Quoting a single year, some time ago, may not be representative of the general trend.] Prior to the invention ofcenterfire ammunition, deer were stalked with the aid of asighthound, such as theScottish Deerhound.Bowhunting is illegal in the United Kingdom for all animals.[4][5]
The termdeer hunting is used in North America to describe thehunting strategy of deer without usinghunting dogs, but inBritain and Ireland, the term generally refers to the pursuit of deer withscent hounds and unarmed pursuers, typically onhorseback. The hunter is called agame stalker.[6] Thedeerstalker hat is a design associated with this style of hunting.
Stalking is defined as pursuing or approaching stealthily, which is often necessary when approaching wild deer or the high seat[clarification needed] overseeing the area where the deer are likely to be passing. Scottish deer stalking is often under the guidance of aprofessional stalker or a resident expert.[7]
Apart from the stalking ofred andsika deer on the open hillsides of Scotland and the EnglishLake District, which takes place in daylight, most deer stalking takes place in the first and last two hours of daylight. The only historical English county without any wild deer isMiddlesex, and in all other English and Scottish counties, as well as most Welsh counties, there are deer populations controlled by deer stalking.[7]
For trophy hunting, antlers are measured by one of several scoring systems used to compare the relative merits of the heads. In Europe, including the UK, theConseil International du Chasse (CIC) system is used; in America, it is either theBoone & Crockett or theSafari Club International (SCI), and in Australia, it is the Douglas system.[8]
There are no natural predators of deer in Britain. Therefore, to maintain a stable population of deer, acull[9] of some of them is performed each year. Yearly, the deer population is counted to determine the age and sex profile of those to be culled. Barren, genetically odd or very old animals are then killed during the correct[clarification needed] deer season. This selection results in a pyramid profile, with a few healthy older animals of each sex at the top and increasing numbers of each sex down to the yearlings at the bottom.[10]
The males with outstanding[clarification needed] antlers are sometimes referred to as trophy animals, and as part of the cull they can be shot as part of a purchased sporting package to bring income to help with the management of the deer population as a whole. If population reduction is required, more females will be culled. If a population increase is required, only a select few will be culled.[6]
There are many scenarios that prevent a shot from being taken, such as no safe backstop, no clear shot, the deer does not stop, there are other deer behind the chosen deer, the deer which is visible is out of season, it is not an appropriate animal to cull, or it is a trophy animal which could bring in much-needed funds. As such, not every stalk results in a killed deer.[6]
