We have discussed this here before. Basically, the choice we have created as a society is that we either encourage deer hunting, or we watch deer, which are overpopulated in many areas, starve to death by the side of the road. We eliminated all their major predators, so there is no check on their population. They are causing major devastation to the entire forest ecosystems in some areas. And people are up in arms about coyotes invading the suburbs, imagine how'd they'd feel if we let wolves - the deer's natural predator that we hunted to the brink of endangerment, lose there? We created the problem, and hunting is one way to at least curb the population. While being shot is not a pleasant way to die, frankly, I'd prefer that to slow and painful starvation if given a choice.

Have you seen starving deer trying to graze 10 feet away from the carcass of another who had died of starvation, by the side of a highway? I have, and will never forget it.