Deer Hunting Is Wrong And All Animals Deserve Respect

To the editor: There are myriad reasons to applaud milestones, achievements, or broken records. However, celebrating an increase in the number of slaughtered deer at the hands of humans misled by the false notion that they are participating in population control is not one of them. To revel in the bloodshed of animals doing nothing but trying to live their lives in peace, unhampered by the threat of harm and human intervention, is a sad statement about what we value as a society.

Deer hunting is profoundly wrong and callously misguided because it inflicts needless suffering on gentle animals who simply want to live free from fear and violence. Killing is never a compassionate or ethical solution—especially when science has clearly shown that hunting does not effectively control populations. Disrupting natural herd structures can actually trigger higher reproductive rates, creating a cruel cycle of pointless, merciless killing year after year. Worse, celebrating this violence teaches future generations that humans are entitled to dominate and destroy other beings.

This mindset erodes empathy, normalizes harm, and ignores the truth that all animals deserve respect, autonomy, and safety.

Sincerely,

Blair Patrick Schuyler
Research Specialist, Hunting & Wildlife Issues
The PETA Foundation