Media attention from around the world has focused on the recent shooting of a stag known as the Exmoor Emperor – but Martin Hesp has discovered there is a more serious and far-reaching background to the story.

Even the most scientific and cautious of the professional deer watchers agree – deer numbers are down significantly, even alarmingly, on Somerset's Quantock Hills.

Organisers of the Quantock Hill deer count are officially cautious over the big drop in numbers, while admitting this year's count was carried out in clear weather. They say it was extremely cold, which could have kept some deer sticking to the dense cover of the woods.

However, the organisation confirms numbers are definitely in decline.

"Yes, the general rule does suggest they are down," said Dr Jochen Langbein, who was secretary of the Quantock Deer Management and Conservation Group (QDMCG) for a decade.

"What seems to have happened is that until last year the count saw no reduction in northern half of the Quantock Hills – it was all in the southern half. Now we are seeing numbers down in the north too."

These are the shocking figures which the deer count brings to light:

in March this year the 55 volunteers counting wild red deer in the Quantocks recorded 498 animals;

in the same count last year the volunteers counted 680 deer;

back in 2005, 958 red deer were recorded.

Dr Langbein stressed the annual count was by no means a watertight test and that a great many deer might not be spotted on the day for various reasons.

"It does depend on the weather and there are other factors, but we have been doing it for 15 years so a pattern emerges," he said.

This year's count raises concern for the fate of stags in particular – only 92 male deer older than 12 months were spotted.

It is known the most celebrated of these animals has since been killed.

The King of the Quantocks, as he was nicknamed, has been missing for a month – presumed dead…

"He used to often live on my land, eating my wheat," said farmer Nick Gibbons, who is chairman of the Quantock Staghounds.

"I could have shot him any time I liked over the last eight years – if I'd wanted to – but we left him alone and we wouldn't hunt him.

"Then one day he walks off somewhere and – bang. Farmers in the area can get a lot of deer damage and you expect some to take out a couple of hinds.

"But this business now with the rifles and quad bikes… I think there are people going out to shoot stags.

"If you think about it we've lost three emperors recently – this one's gone, the one they called the Exmoor Emperor was shot and there was a famous stag in the Barle Valley.

"When it comes to the general herd there is a marked decline."

The joint-master of the Devon and Somerset Staghounds agrees.

Diana Scott told the Western Morning News she had to be cautious in what she said about the subject as deer management was a contentious issue.

"However, I'd be prepared to say there really are concerns when it comes to deer numbers on the moor since the hunting ban," she said.

"There is a certain amount of irresponsibility as regards poaching and even taking the deer legally. One of the other factors is, because there are more (pheasant) shoots, the deer are disturbed.

"They avoid all the shooting by going away to denser areas where they may be shot."

Mrs Scott said she had heard some "trophy shooting" was going on, where people shot large stags so they could take home mounted heads and antlers, but she played it down as a threat.

"There is a value in the heads," she said, "but actually the bigger stags weigh a lot more and therefore have more meat."

This, as a nameless marksman told me, might be the core reason why deer are disappearing.

A person earning a low agricultural wage can more than double his income with a single shot.

"A good stag carcass would fetch about £300 and you'd get £150 for a good hind," said the deer stalker.

"Prices of venison are good at the moment – all you need is a land-owner's permission and it's an easy, legal, way of upping your income.

"It is easy with a night-vision scope. You don't need much skill – that's part of the problem – anyone could do it."

He added one further concern which is being voiced by many people in the hills.

"Look at all the red tape farmers have to go through when they are selling their animals for meat," he said. "Yet you can shoot a deer and dump it into the public food chain through a game dealer with no certification at all other than a firearms licence."

Across England and Wales wild deer are regarded as pests – which is why people are allowed to shoot them with so little in the way of official control – but many believe the last remaining big wild herds (i.e. those on Exmoor and the Quantocks) should be given special consideration and placed under more rigorous management schemes.

To some degree this happens already – the QDMCG has been generally praised for its work over the past 15 years – and anyone who delves into the complexities of deer management knows that numbers must be kept in perspective. Indeed, Dr Langbein says the policy of the deer management group has been to reduce high numbers in recent years – so the recent decline has partly been in accordance with QDMCG aims.

However, such bodies are mere advisory – they have no real teeth when it comes to controlling who shoots or kills what, and so the long-term future for these magnificent animals is dubious to say the least.

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) takes an altogether more sanguine view of the threat posed by guns to wild deer.

"Is there a serious threat to deer in Westcountry?" said the organisation's spokesman.

"The answer is no. As for night vision scopes – they are illegal for shooting deer – and we've got no concerns that they're being used to target wild deer."

"The BASC supports sound deer management plans which take into account the size and fitness of the deer herd in relation to the nature of the ground they occupy."

In 1995 the government established the Deer Initiative to develop a "partnership approach to reduce the adverse environmental and economic impact of wild deer, through advice and support". Six years ago it decided to continue funding in order to "provide advice on co-operative deer management throughout England and focus effort in establishing and supporting deer management groups in priority areas".

Such words sound laudable, but it seems there are two separate worlds when it comes to deer management: there is the world of the overview, as taken by decision-makers in committee rooms – and there is a real world which echoes with gunshots when economic, social and technical conditions change on the ground.

Mrs Scott is in a position to know about the long-term future for wild red deer.

"I don't think the deer on Exmoor will be wiped out, but it could be their numbers will be greatly reduced – they certainly won't be so visible for the public to see and enjoy," she said.

But one man goes much further. Roger Hutchings is a veteran deer watcher of high repute, and he's been following the Quantock Staghounds all his life.

"I'm 84 and I've always gone out on the Quantocks to see the deer," he told the WMN.

"And I've never seen them in the poor state they are now.

"At one time you'd see magnificent stags – now people are out after the stags all time – they've got more flesh than the hinds so sell for more – and they go for the head as well.

"I cannot see the Quantock Staghounds lasting more than two more years – partly because people prefer to go out hunting stags and there are hardly any left."

Red deer and large stag captured on film. Footage captured by Richard Austin.

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

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