Deerhunters should ask questions first

IN HIS column headlined ‘Government may allow open shooting season on red deer’ (Irish Examiner, May 23), Donal Hickey suggested that deer cause car accidents and damage farms and golf courses.

I would urge a note of caution. I made a short film on deer for the Galway Film Fleadh. There were buckets of anecdotal evidence - all entertaining and uncheckable.

Specifically, the car insurance industry data does not corroborate the story locally. And internationally, the web has no hard data. Donal Hickey’s column, which was very good, relied on farming and civil service sources.