SIR — Dr Lesley Evans (Your Letters January 11) is quite right to lament the disappearance of the deer from the Quantocks.
She is quite wrong, however, to blame this on "sour grapes" on the part of the hunting fraternity.
Deer hunting has not been made illegal; it has simply been suspended (voluntarily, it should be noted, even before the Government acted). To suggest that deer hunters themselves would decimate the Quantock herd to such an extent is plainly ridiculous.
Once hunting was suspended, all three staghound packs anticipated the resumption of hunting once the foot and mouth crisis was over. The deliberate destruction of the herd, even if staghunters were the blood-lusting fiends of LACS fantasy, would clearly be against their interests.
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"No hunting, no deer" was a prophesy - not a threat as Dr Evans would like us to think - and it would appear that the prophesy is being fulfilled. Not by hunt supporters, however - the other side of the equation is "No deer, no hunting".
Dr Evans should reflect on that.
Jonathan Marshall,
Handy Cross,
Lydeard St Lawrence.