There is a definition in the affect school of psychotherapy regarding feelings, that Iwould like to sharehere. Not that I claim this the only way of looking at the subject.

affects= the biological response (stressreaction, buzzing in the tummy)
feeling= when one can identifie and name the sensation ( Im scared)
emotion= when one understands the cause of the sensation (the lion might eat me)

Would it be OK with you folks if I said, that deer have affects, and maybe emotionsbutcertanly not feelings, in this definition. They spook, so they get into stress mode and run. But they probably dont tell themselves that they are affraid. Emotions, maybe they comprehend that they feel the way they do, because the big bad wolf is after them.

What are felings good for:
They show how important something is.
They make us act with the proper haste.
They communicate to others.
(like thoughts, they are not always correct)

Does your deer also flash a large white area in the rear when they flee? Would a deer always evaluate the situation completely before it runs away? Does a scared deer run faster than a neutral one?

I still say that deer musthave emotional responsesof sorts, or they would not have a limbic system in the brain,and they would not have behaved in such ways as they do. Given the importance of emotions for successful adaptation the scales tips that way, in my opinion.

But this have nothing to do with right or wrong. There is no connection between feelings and being right, having rights. Nor does this mean that we are obliged to feel sorry for deer, when we hunt them. We cannot know how a deer percieves the world. There is no evidence for deer feeling grief when losing a family member. So keep hunting the deer whatever their feelings may be. I will.