Now a DNA test for Deer will determine if it has been poached, but what if.....

Another load of old rubbish! Poaching has been part of our culture, whether it be rabbit, hare, pheasant, deer etc but now it seems we have a 'National Poaching Officer' who is presumably paid for the pleasure! Couldn't the money be better spent elsewhere?

And what about roadkill? Lets say the car in front of you hits a deer, you pick it up (which is quite legal) you skin and prepare for the table, but along comes the so-called poaching officer demanding a dna test on the carcase, only to decide that it came from Lord whoever's Estate! What another load of old b......s and I think I might consider stuffing an antler up the poaching officers nostrils!!!

Apparently butchers are going to be asked "where did you get the deer from" and if they look a little sheepish in responding they are in for a visit.

Just to clarify the earlier point about roadkill. If you (the driver) kill a deer with your car you must not take it home  because that is illegal. However, the person in the car behind you is entitled to pick it up and take it home. Still a country boy at heart, but I wonder how many will feel more sickened by my picking up the deer, as opposed to a National Poaching Officer employed to stop it?

I await the flak...

Ron, I agree with your thougths on this, as I know that if I had either hit a deer or a deer hit me...I wouldn't be waiting for Car 2 to come along and claim it, legally.

I will not and have never run deer with a vehicle, as I have worked a fair number of years on emergency services and have picked up people injured and killed by deer( primarily during 'rut' season). Once the deer has been hit...it needs to be put down(killed).

The butcher should always be allowed to legitimately declare where the deer came from, without fear of consequences.

Let some Common Sense rule !

"only to decide that it came from Lord whoever's Estate!"

It's what we in America call the European model of wildlife management.  Wasn't poaching once a capital offense in England?  I think some of Shakespeare's mates got in some pretty big trouble once for poaching.

Good question Barbara but no doubt they have them 'tagged' or will be from a specific blood line, hence the dna!

And yes Ruth, the old storyteller wasn't the only one to suffer!