It is apples and oranges, but even so, the seal hunt is

Deer do not eat cod?<<

I've seen deer killed because they eat rose bushes and Moose killed because they eat cabbage.

>>Do deer hunters gather in large groups then herd deer them then kill them in large numbers?<<

Seal hunters don't do that, not the ones we are talking about anyway. You can't herd harp seals. Perhaps you are thinking about the Alaska hunt. Which is perfectly legal and not protested because the Coast Guard would kick Paul Watsons ass.

>>Do deer hunters kill off the young & not the adults?<<

No they pervert nature by killing off the best breeding stock during breeding season for the sake of trophies. Most states call it a cull but I is actually antithetical to responsible game management.

>>Are the methods in hunting the same & does one have a better sporting chance than the other?<<

They are not exactly the same. But on average, the seal has a much better chance than the deer.

For one thing they are protected by numbers, There are six million seals, only 278,000 will be taken this year. The odds against an individual seal are one in twenty.
The are protected by the environment, hundreds of thousands of square miles, ice flows, bad weather. I'd wager a lot more men have died hunting seals than deer, yet thousands of times more deer have been killed.
As far as the sport goes, have you ever tried to shot the bobbing head of a deer from a moving boat? Where the deer could dive and swim hundreds of yards underwater any time that he wants. Now imagine a head about half as large. The seal hunt can be very very sporting.

>>No, they also don't take the young & there are laws prohibiting the number one hunter can take per season & they make the taking of females into consideration too

The laws vary from state to state. Some states allow a deer a day every day of the year. But the seal hunt is certainly more regulated than any deer hunt. For instance, my Dad and everyone one else in the seal fishery has to report their catch daily so that the quota is not exceeded. He also had to take special training in methods to insure that the animal is dispatched as quickly and humanely as possible. His is not Bubba in a deer blind drinking beer who is in no shape to track a deer if he wings one.

I am not saying that Bubba is common. But I don't see Paul Watson in the woods of the US trying to take his picture.

That is the main difference between hunting seal and deer. White ice and open spaces, leading to publicity. Leading to money, and a nice home and ecogroupies for lying assholes for Paul Watson.