Stag hunting
Name(s):
Deer hunting
Nature
Deer hunting is hunting deer for meat and sport, an activity which dates back tens of thousands of years. Venison, the name for deer meat, is a nutritious and natural food source of animal protein that can be obtained through deer hunting. There are many different types of deer around the world that are hunted for their meat. For sport, often hunters try to kill deer with the largest and most antlers to score them using inches. There are two different categories of antlers. They are typical and nontypical. They measure tine length, beam length, and beam mass by each tine. They will add all these measurements up to get a score. This score is the score without deductions. Deductions occur when the opposite tine is not the same length as it is opposite. That score is the deducted score.
Hunting deer is a regulated activity in many territories. In the United States, a state government agency such as a Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) or Department of Natural Resources (DNR) oversees the regulations. In the United Kingdom, it is illegal to use bows or rifles chambered in bores smaller than .243 caliber (6mm) for hunting.
Source: Wikipedia
Incidence
On average, a stag hunt lasts 3 hours and covers around 12 miles. When the stag is finally caught by the hounds, it is at the point of total exhaustion. Scientific analysis of blood samples taken from hunted stags reveals a litany of suffering. In the early stages of the chase, glycogen and blood sugar levels fall sharply. As the hunt progresses, fatty acids in the blood rise, indicating high physiological stress levels. Red pigment in blood plasma increases, caused by ruptured blood cells. In the later stages of the hunt, high levels of muscle enzymes appear in the blood, indicating life-threatening muscle damage.
Claim
1. The cruelty involved in hunting deer with hounds does not justify its ineffective role as a means of culling populations.
2. Despite its name, stag hunting is not confined to the male of the species. Hinds are hunted too, sometimes when they are pregnant or with a calf at heel. Stag or hind, the end is the same. A free wild animal is hunted to death.
3. In areas where deer need culling it is more efficient and more humane for them to be shot by a marksman.
Counter-claim
Deer in the wild are accustomed to being chased; it is not clear what extra stress, if any, they suffer as a result of being hunted. But probably the hunt's most important contribution to the welfare of the deer is the preservation of the moorland and woodland in which they live. Hunting plays a vital role in preserving the habitat on which the deer depend and in securing the goodwill and cooperation of landowners and farmers in managing deer numbers. Without hunting, such land could be ploughed up for crops or grazed by sheep.
Aggravates
Strategy(ies)
Value(s)
Type
(E) Emanations of other problems