The Aug. 13 article "Mie crop-eating deer: venisons of the forest" (reprinted from the Chunichi Shimbun) is interesting but very naive with regard to controlling the deer population. Good wildlife management is imperative, but that doesn't exist in Japan. "Hunters," most of whom aren't very skilled, just want to shoot an animal with little understanding of wildlife management.
I have a gun and a Japanese hunting license and am the chef-owner of a restaurant in Kobe. During winter we serve venison, but the best meat comes from summer deer, which is not so easy to get. Winter deer meat is not as good.
That's why it is so important to understand the deer life cycle before any venison-eating campaign is started. I will be very happy to talk with anyone that really cares about this.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.