Culling is necessary to sustain the herd

We must maintain the balance between deer numbers and the environment, says David Kenyon

Culling is essential for the health of the national herd. It maintains the balance between deer numbers and the environment they live in. If there are too many deer, they eat out the understorey of the woods, so there's nowhere for other mammals and birds to roost. It can be bad for the deer too: when densities get too high, they can become diseased.

Red stags are in season and as long as the stalker was the landowner, or had the permission of the landowner, and used a legal calibre rifle, then no laws were broken in shooting this stag.

Deer managers try to preserve the best animals, as they are most likely to survive the winter. It helps maintain a healthy, fit herd. The issue with this stag being shot now is that the rut hasn't really started and he won't be able to pass on his genes this year. Not all reach the size and superb antler formation that this stag did. It had reached his prime.

The landowners may have spotted another good stag and decided to let that one have an undisturbed run at the hinds this year. But if you're going to make that decision, you should have made it last year. Trophy hunting does happen. A landowner might want a stag shot and people are willing to pay £500 to do it. The deer gets culled, the venison goes into the food chain, and the chap goes off with his trophy, has it stuffed, and puts his hats on it.

People get to know these deer, but most in the countryside understand the need to cull them. The key to sustainability is for the herd to be culled in accordance with an agreed plan, which does not remove all the top animals and which is sympathetic to the needs of the herd, including the opportunity to rut without undue disturbance.

David Kenyon, British Deer Society