Cllr Michael McClafferty says deer cull should not become a wild west

Safety and respect must be to the fore in order to ensure the safe culling of deer in the north west, an independent councillor has said. 

Independent Councillor Michael McClafferty has called time and time again for deer to be culled following a spate of road accidents involving the animal, in the Glenties Municipal District. 

In a recent meeting of the Donegal County Council Agriculture committee councillors were informed of the dangers that can be associated with the shooting of deer. 

Two incidents were outlined where people were accidentally shot while people were out hunting.

Cllr McClafferty said it is important to avoid a wild west situation and hopes that matters will be taken in hand to ensure that safety is paramount while deer are being hunted.

He said: "The emphasis needs to be one shot one kill and I am talking about experienced hunters only. First of all, we don't want things turning into a wild west situation where people are going out shooting guns, firing rifles, shooting out windows at something that may or may not be a deer." 

He said experience dictates that experienced hunters will take a shot at a deer when they have a clear shot of the deer in the head or in the heart and where death is instantaneous. 

"One shot, one kill, if they can get a clear shot of the heart or possibly the head, if that is necessary, but most of them try to get the heart where death is instant. If you take a shot at random and you are not an experienced hunter and you hit them in the leg for example - the deer runs off wounded. That is not what we want even though I am looking for a respectful deer cull. Only take a shot if you get a clear shot at the deer."

He said he did not want people out shooting at night from a vehicle where animals are injured as a result and die a slow painful death. He added that there is also a danger that people could be shot and that the rifles being used are highly dangerous. 

"We would hope that there will be some kind of management of who is out shooting these animals," he said.