Feral deer debated at Neerim South forum

by Courtney O'Brien
The status, impact, control and management of feral deer was discussed during a Feral Deer Forum held at the Algie Hall in Neerim South last week.
Representatives from the Invasive Species Council (ISC), Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA), Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) and the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (SSAA) presented to about 70 people.
In Victoria, feral deer are listed as a game species under the Wildlife Act 1975, which governs regulations and licenses for hunting and wildlife control, but allows landowners or licensed hunters to shoot deer on their land without permits.
ISC, VNPA and DEECA would like to see feral deer listed as a pest species.
They argue this would provide a clear and co-ordinated approach to managing deer and their impact on vegetation and fragile ecosystems in native bushland, waterways, crops livelihoods and public safety on roads.
"One of the issues that we've seen for the last 20 or so years, is the listing of deer under the Wildlife Act," said Jordan Crook from VPNA, explaining changing the status would bring Victoria in line with New South Wales and Queensland.
"We think in land management it would be more appropriate to put deer under the Catchment and Land Protection Act, with other invasive species like the fox, feral cat and the like."
David Laird from SSAA agreed that while feral deer could have a negative impact, recreational hunters, as the biggest single takers of feral deer, were a big part of the solution.
"Deer have one offspring a year so they are manageable. They don't prey on native animals," explained Mr Laird.
"Game status does not stop public land managers from controlling deer. PV (Parks Victoria) kill them, DEECA kill them, landowners can kill them. There is no restriction on you doing that apart from the caliber (used). So, if anyone is telling you that game status is stopping you doing something about your deer problem, it's just wrong."
Mr Laird said the only exception to this was Hog Deer, which were not known to inhabit Baw Baw, and were listed as globally endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
According to the Game Management Authority (GMA), about 158,500 deer were killed by licensed recreational hunters across Victoria in 2025.
John Kelly from ISC said the number of deer in Eastern Victoria had exploded over the past 30 years.
"We have the largest population of deer in Australia in Victoria. There's up to one million animals in our environment. That's been partly bought about by the protected status that they enjoy and partly by the lack of a long term coordinated feral deer management strategy in the state."
However, Mr Laird from SSAA disputed the number and said there was no scientific evidence of this and rather, the number was estimated to be closer to 191,000 deer on public land.
The cost of feral deer on the Australian economy also was a hotly contested topic, with Mr Kelly explaining it would be about $2.2 billion by 2050.
Mr Laird disputed this also and explained there was an economic benefit.
"State Government stats are showing that every year - this was back from 2020 - (there is) $201 million dollars of economic benefit to this state. So, you extrapolate that out at the same time, that's $4 billion dollars they're bringing in."
"We need to keep that in perspective when we're looking at this stuff," added Mr Laird.
While there were a number of points disputed on the night, all parties agreed that a planned, co-ordinated, and multi-pronged strategic course of action with clear direction and outcomes was needed, across affected landowners and relevant organisations, to control and manage the adverse impact the animals have on the region.
The LaTrobe Catchment Landcare Network is seeking expressions of interest from landholders experiencing impacts from deer on their property, licensed hunters with appropriate permits, references and experience, and community members interested in feral deer management.