Wiltshire police hunt mystery deer shooter

Twenty-five fallow deer, from fawns to old bucks, have been randomly shot by an unknown criminal on a Wiltshire estate

By Selena Masson

Thursday, 04 March 2010

Police are concerned for public safety after dozens of fallow deer are randomly shot on a private Wiltshire estate

A total of 25 fallow deer have been indiscriminately shot since last December by an unknown shooter trespassing on a Wiltshire estate.

Local police have said there are fears for the safety of the public walking on the 3,000-acre Hamptworth estate near Salisbury, which is home to between 200 and 300 deer.

Estate manager Guy Anderson told Shooting Times that the sooner the criminal is caught, the better: “We all became very concerned about the arbitrary nature of this apparently sadistic killing and injuring of deer, as the shooting continued into January and February of this year.”

He added that some of the carcases have been found close to houses, public footpaths, bridleways and roads. “We are exceedingly worried that an individual could be injured or killed while walking their dog.”

Some of the deer have been discovered wounded and have had to be despatched by the estate stalker. Mr Anderson said the culprit is not a poacher, as the carcases have not been taken off the estate. “This criminal appears to be shooting these deer simply for pleasure. Whoever is doing this, I ask them to stop and go and get medical advice because they need it.”

The rest of this article appears in 3rd March issue of Shooting Times.