However a number of people against hunting with hounds argue that it is immoral to get fun out of this killing and cruelty to animals. It is wrong to make a deer run large distances over a long period of time, driving the deer to exhaustion to a point it can hardly pick up its legs. Video footage taken by the League Against Cruel Sports shows a deer stumbling and falling, struggling to get back up to flee from the hounds. Many argue therefore that hunting with hounds is torture made into a sport. The majority of the public agree that deer hunting with hounds is a barbaric sport and should be abolished.
Those against hunting with hounds further argue that the use of a high-powered rifle by a stalker is much more efficient and would cause little or no stress. Deer are usually shot at a time when they are unaware of the presence of a stalker, usually when they are grazing. When the deer is shot the surrounding deer might be alarmed and run away but the dead deer would have felt little or no pain. Using a rifle is simple, fast and clean. Marksmen will not leave an injured deer in the wild.
On the other hand hunters believe that shooting deer with a high powered rifle is not acceptable. Although trained marksmen state that stalking is better than hunting with hounds, mistakes can be made even if you are a highly professional marksman, leaving a deer crippled or a strong stag dead. The stalker often cannot find the deer again. Deer hunters argue they use the process of “Harbouring” where deer herds are observed and the hunt plans are made according to the health of the herd, targeting only old and weak deer. It is a more natural way of killing deer. When wolves hunted deer they always chose their prey carefully and killed the oldest and weakest of the deer herd. In this case the hound dogs are the wolves and as it was only natural for wolves to kill deer it should not be thought of as a cruel sport.
This is disagreed by the League Against Cruel Sports. Being hunted with a huge group of hounds is not natural – wolves or other predators would go for the weakest deer from the herd and there would be far fewer of them. The League states that the hunters choose any deer that will give them a good chase, usually the finest and most magnificent stag. This can be shown by looking at how long a hunt lasts for. On average a hunt lasts four to five hours long, some can go on for longer. Any weak or old deer would not be able to be run that length of time without being caught by the hunter or collapsing.
Hunters also state that their dogs do not have any contact with the deer because the deer would be shot by the hunter before the hounds got a chance to touch it therefore there would be no wounding of the deer. The dogs are simply there to chase and get the scent of the deer. On the other hand stalkers and marksmen can have poor aim and wound the deer causing great suffering.
Unfortunately video evidence of cruelty by the League Against Cruel Sports shows this is actually a lie. Films show hounds pouncing on an exhausted deer; surrounding it and driving it into a river where the hounds still pursue it. This shows great cruelty to the deer.
After looking at both arguments, I agree that deer hunting with hounds is a very important part of some people’s lives. Banning this type of hunting will affect their business industry and thus causing unemployment. However I strongly disagree with the cruel methods that hunters use to track the deer therefore I am in favour of deer stalking and culling by trained marksmen.
