Deer stalking is the primary management method for UK deer populations - animal welfare in stalking practice depends on marksmanship, shot placement, and follow-up.
Deer stalking welfare depends almost entirely on the skill and ethics of the individual stalker. A perfectly placed chest shot causes death within seconds - welfare-neutral or better than many slaughterhouse kills. A poor shot can wound and leave an animal to die slowly over hours or days. The welfare case for stalking rests on it providing population management while producing a food product, versus the welfare harm of alternative management (culling drives, snaring) or no management (starvation, disease, road collisions). Best practice stalking with appropriate qualifications, calibre selection, and commitment to following up wounded deer is welfare-positive management.