What is deer hunting?

Deer hunting is a real life game of cat and mouse, where wild red or roe deer are pursued by hunters and packs of dogs to the point of exhaustion, until the deer is eventually captured and unceremoniously shot dead.

Over 100,000 years ago you could rightly argue that deer hunting played a vital role in human survival, however today it is no more than a violent blood sport enjoyed by those with a twisted interpretation of the word 'fun'.

Deer hunting is a real life game of cat and mouse, where wild red or roe deer are pursued by hunters and packs of dogs to the point of exhaustion, until the deer is eventually captured and unceremoniously shot dead.

A typical hunt will last around 3 hours and throughout this time the deer will be in a constant state of fear and panic and will roughly travel the distance of 18km.

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What is deer poaching?

You can listen to our Campaign Manager, Jim, explaining what deer poaching is, what Naturewatch Foundation are doing to combat it and what our supporters can do to help.

What happens in a deer hunt?

Over the course of the hunt the deer will be subjected to a barrage of intermittent ‘flights’, where the deer will flee from the dogs at full speed, exerting all energy until enough distance between them has been built up. These ‘flights’ will continue to the point where the deer has become utterly exhausted and unable to continue running.

Upsettingly there have been studies that have shown that certain deer do not have sweat glands and therefore are not adapted to long distance running. This almost guarantees that towards the end of a deer hunt the deer will suffer chronic fatigue, reduced strength and an all-around decline in athletic performance. At this stage the deer are known to ‘stand at bay’ and turn to face the hunters in their final frightening moments.

Deer hunting and the law

Sadly there are very few legal protections given to the wild deer of the UK.

At present they are only protected from deer hunting during the ‘close season’ or during the night. However, by acquiring a licence to shoot deer these rules no longer really apply. During the ‘open seasons’ however, it’s a different story entirely. As long as the hunter has a valid firearms certificate, and follows a few rules, they can legally hunt deer throughout the ‘open season’. Similarly to all other blood sports it seems the odds are forever stacked against the animals, and the ‘game’ has been rigged to where the house (or humans in this case) will always win. We strongly believe the entire concept of deer hunting has no real place in modern society and with your help we hope to make this ‘blood sport’ a thing of the past.

Reporting wildlife crime

First and foremost, if you believe you are witnessing wildlife crime taking place please report it directly to the police by dialling 999.

If it isn’t a ‘live’ incident, or you are suspicious of a person/group using dogs to hunt wildlife, you can either call 101, or alternatively make an anonymous report to our investigations team who will further investigate the matter. Our online form can be found by clicking the link below.

How you can help

There are lots of ways to help with our work, from making a donation through to holding fundraising events or even getting involved as a volunteer. Below, you can explore the different ways to help us continue raising standards for animals.