Do you have a source for this?
Red deer have no natural predators just now and plenty of food - they will continue to increase in number.
You will also find that a lot of those that stalk deer are not "the gentry".
Red deer have no natural predators just now and plenty of food - they will continue to increase in number.
You will also find that a lot of those that stalk deer are not "the gentry".
It does make sense to manage the Scottish red deer population through limited hunting of both stags and hinds in the relevant seasons. Red deer are a valuable source of revenue for the highlands, both in direct fees associated with stalking, but also from tourist Pounds invested in local communities and employment.[1]
I can appreciate why there is some concern regarding the potential introduction of wolves and their effect on the deer population. However, I think that also needs to be considered in light of the economic benefits of such a re-wilding. How much revenue would wolf hunting and tourism bring to the highlands?
[1] http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefingsAndFactsh...