In reply to Cloverleaf:
> The deer do not care that you are there, they will simply move over a bit. The deer might not be where you'd like them to be for the purposes of an easily organised shoot, but that shouldn't matter and it certainly isn't good reason for keeping the majority off large swathes of land in favour of the enjoyment of a very tiny minority.
Just to add a bit of experience from my side. My brother shoots on Meggernie estate next door to Glen Lyon sometimes. I go with him every now and then (I don't personally shoot) to follow the stalk. It's a nice day romping- not that I agree with the goal.
I will say it takes a lot of time and patience to get in to a position that will allow you a shot on a deer that is upwind, safe, close enough not to miss and cause the deer distress and the right kind of deer at the right age. The day I went out last year we followed a few around from pillar to post but didn't fire a single shot.
So I can see how it would be very easy to spend a few hours trying to get in to position only for a walker to wander and send them away. This isn't great for repeat business with people wanting to stalk and given these estates have little liquidity, I can see why they'd want to deter walkers/climbers.
Note: I'm not defending them btw. It's still outrageous behaviour.
Post edited at 19:02