megsjockey
Well-Known Member
If you'll forgive me for saying this, I have read a lot of slightly introverted and paranoid comments on this site about 'the public' and their 'perception' of deer stalking and gun ownership and how, in effect, 'they' (whoever 'they' are) would like shut us down and only allow 'professional' deer control. The thing is, I've only very rarely encountered this type of attitude myself (except here). In fact, most people I talk to seem very interested in what I do. They accept that deer and other wild animals cause issues which make it beneficial to us and the animals themselves for the numbers to be controlled and equally those people seem to accept that a gun is frequently as good a tool as any for the job. Even my few vegetarian friends accept this. None of the people I talk to have any problem with country folk and even non-country folk owning and using guns, provided it is done safely and responsibly.
A particular, recently started, thread on this site mentions 'public perception' of stalking in terms that suggests there is a problem for us. Now, I can see that there are fringe groups who do object very noisily and rather hypocritically, like those hunt saboteurs (who preach pacifism and condemn the hurting of animals and then put Masters of hounds in hospital by beating them unconscious with iron bars) but I have never regarded such trouble making extremists as any sort of fundamental threat to shooting sport, a worrying and violent nuisance definitely but not a threat to responsible gun ownership.
So what really is the 'public's perception' of deer stalking?
A particular, recently started, thread on this site mentions 'public perception' of stalking in terms that suggests there is a problem for us. Now, I can see that there are fringe groups who do object very noisily and rather hypocritically, like those hunt saboteurs (who preach pacifism and condemn the hurting of animals and then put Masters of hounds in hospital by beating them unconscious with iron bars) but I have never regarded such trouble making extremists as any sort of fundamental threat to shooting sport, a worrying and violent nuisance definitely but not a threat to responsible gun ownership.
So what really is the 'public's perception' of deer stalking?