Exmoor Stag Shot

I see the media is going apeshit about the shooting of a large stag on Exmoor:

"A giant red stag, thought to have been the biggest wild land animal in the UK, has been shot dead.

The creature, named the Exmoor Emperor, weighed more than 135kg (300lb) and stood nearly 2.75m (9ft) tall. It was killed in the middle of the annual rut.

A witness reported hearing two shots before seeing the stag's body near Rackenford, north Devon. The carcass was removed soon after.

A licensed hunter rather than poacher is thought to have killed Emperor."

So what?

A 10 to 12 year old red stag is past its prime by a year or two & will only go backwards from there.
Far better for it to die quickly from a gunshot than slowly from illness or harsh weather.
The trophy fees & stalking payments are what ensure the deer of Exmoor are healthy, NOT the whining of the bunny huggers.
As for any suggestion that deer hunting ought to be stopped; I wonder how keen the proponents of such a measure would be after receiving a stag through their car windshield at 60mph.....


As for THIS pile of journalistic crap - get a life you tossers. You can't even find a correct photo to head up your drivel.
The guy is holding an over & under shotgun - most certainly NOT something used to stalk deer in the UK. In fact it's illegal to kill a deer with a shotgun except in VERY rare circumstances.

Gah - now wonder this nation has become so fucking WET, when a big, blown away Bambi is front page "news".

Addendum:

Having waded through the comments on the Daily Mail's take on this, I was saddened to see even its readers appear to in the main be tree hugging pussies.

I wonder if my post there will be published....

"The outrage shown by many here is only surpassed by their ignorance of both hunting & the reality of managing our countryside.
ANY red stag is past its prime at 10-12 years old & needs removing for the benefit of the herd.
Failure to do so may lead to a healthier successor being disabled in a contest during the rut & also to a continued restriction on the genetic make-up of the herd.
YES the deer was almost certainly shot for a trophy fee - which goes right back into managing the herd & the land for the benefit of all. Rural employment NEEDS the money from these activities but I guess all the outraged urbanites fail to understand this.
Apart from the trophy horns, this stag will also provide a goodly amount of venison & a hide to be made into leather goods, thus being MORE use than your average beef animal.
Get a grip people: If you eat meat from a butchers or supermarket, then the animal that provided it had a far less natural (30 month) & pleasant life than any culled deer."