Tackle Deerhunter safe or unsafe?

I thought you were supposed to use a ball for deer hunter. I wouldn't do it with tackling. Tackling is almost like olympic weightlifting. Better to have good reps each time. After making 5 tackles and chasing their target around, could they still execute a good tackle?

Dave Cisar uses Deer Hunter as an evaluation tool to separate the quick & fast from the not-so-nimble & slow, and as an unpadded recreation as essentially a break from the practice routine, possibly a reward for finishing early.  I guess you might also discriminate a little in throwing skill in it.  It's not meant to teach anything.  I'd use it as an ice-breaker in a program where you have a certain amount of practice time before the players have pads & helmets.  So I could see a tackling game used similarly; it's the kind of thing kids would make up on their own without a ball or adult supervision anyway.