The Westcountry's large red stags are in the crosshairs of public attention again after a giant young male was shot by poachers this month.

Exactly a year after the death of the famous Exmoor Emperor grabbed national headlines the new pretender to Britain’s largest-land-animal-crown was killed after rumours of his size began to circulate in North Devon.

Legal deer enthusiasts and illegal poachers headed for the hills south of Arlington Court earlier this month hoping to spot the animal during the annual deer rut.

Landowners in the Shirwell, Loxhore and Goodleigh areas reported being overrun by deer enthusiasts all trying to get a glimpse of the stag. Some, though, wanted more than sightings or photographs…

Throughout early October numerous shots were heard and one local farmer is reported to have heard a bullet “whizz past” him as he worked.

Since the Exmoor Emperor was shot legally, reportedly by a trophy hunter, there has been exaggerated talk in some poaching circles of the prices wealthy sporting enthusiasts are willing to pay for a large stag’s head.

One young Exmoor shooter told the Western Morning News that he believed sums in excess of £1,000 could be pocketed for a sizeable red deer head complete with antlers.

The dead stag in question – already being dubbed the Goodleigh Giant, never had a chance to make the record books – he was found dead in woods at an undisclosed location near Shirwell just over a week ago.

“On Monday October 17 the 19-point stag was found dead on private land locally,” said veterinary surgeon and deer expert, Peter Green. “I examined the stag post-mortem to recover forensic material and found that he had been shot two or three times in the back and in the belly. He had undoubtedly suffered considerably from these wounds before dying slowly.”

Mr Green lives locally and is veterinary advisor to the British Deer Society, the Royal Parks of London, the deer parks of the National Trust and many other deer parks.

He condemned the killing of the stag which boasted antlers with an impressive 19 points compared to the 14 grown by the Exmoor Emperor. Mr Green said: “On Saturday October 2, I chased two men with rifles who were crossing our farmyard. Shots have been heard on a number of occasions recently, both during the day and at dead of night when none of the local landowners say that they were shooting.

“One local farmer had a bullet whizz past him as he worked on his own farm.”

No deer can legally be killed during the hours of darkness.

There are also strict controls upon the minimum calibre of rifle that can be used, so that deer are not wounded by inappropriate bullets.

The big young stag may have fallen victim to poachers armed with inadequate equipment: “He had travelled some distance from where he had been holding his hinds and had obviously managed to flee from the poachers, who had clearly taken indiscriminate pot-shots at him as he ran away,” said Mr Green.

“This was the very worst of cruel, senseless deer poaching. The stag was not an elderly animal and was not past his prime. He would have continued to improve in size and spectacle and would probably have had even better antlers next year.

“He had probably mated with very few hinds this season, as the rut is barely under way,” continued Mr Green. “I am appalled and distressed by such killing – not only is it cruel and illegal, but also it makes no sense for the long-term quality of the local deer.

“Every farmer knows that herds are improved by keeping the best ram or the best bull for breeding, yet the best deer are at greatest risk of being shot because of the emphasis upon trophies.

“The venison from rutting stags is poor in both taste and texture – it seems that the poachers were simply after the head of the stag to hang a trophy on a wall. In the event, all they achieved was the painful and lingering death of a fine animal and they went away empty-handed.

Deer poaching is a vicious and violent crime, committed with no thought of animal welfare or human safety.”

Deerstalking near Hartland with Nick Wellington and Paul Messenger. Film by Adam Wilshaw.

Red deer and large stag captured on film by Richard Austin in November 2010.

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