21 September 2021

The latest research into deer hunting in Victoria shows a significant decrease in deer harvested throughout 2020.

As we predicted this time last year, the lost hunting opportunity resulted in a steep decline in deer harvest.

Key points

- The recreational harvest of deer was reduced by over 100,000 deer in 2020

- There was a statistically significant bias in the harvest towards female deer

- There remains a lack of transparency on the efficacy and costs of government-funded deer control programs

The Estimates of the 2020 deer harvest in Victoria report, released by the Game Management Authority (GMA), has found that 69,900 deer were harvested in 2020 – a 60 per cent decrease on the estimated 173,800 deer harvested in 2019.

Sambar Deer was the most harvested species with an estimated total harvest of 50,635 deer, of which 56 per cent were female. Fallow Deer was the second most harvested species, with an estimated harvest of 11,372 deer, of which 73 per cent were female.

The number of licenced recreational deer hunters peaked at 41,056 by the end of the year.

Of the 41,056 licensed recreational deer hunters, 35 per cent actively hunted in 2020. On average, active deer hunters harvested an estimated 4.9 deer over 10.1 days.

The most popular hunting areas were around Mansfield, Bright, Jamieson, Omeo and Bairnsdale. The highest number of deer harvested were around Mansfield, Kinglake Central, Omeo, Myrtleford and Warragul.

Australian Deer Association Executive Officer Barry Howlett said that the lost harvest was significant.

"There are over 100,000 deer that did not die in Victoria last year because recreational hunters could not get out." Mr Howlett said.

"The numbers of wild deer killed by recreational hunters absolutely dwarfs that taken in expensive and largely secretive government-funded control programs. We have data on the harvest and the economic impact of recreational hunters, surely it stands to reason that we should have data on the harvest and economic impact that is paid for from the public purse". 

The GMA Chief Executive Officer Graeme Ford said the decrease in deer harvest numbers results from fewer active hunters in the field during the 2020 deer hunting season.

“Restrictions on recreational activity throughout the year has likely led to the significant reduction in hunter activity and the estimated number of deer harvested.” Mr Ford said.

“The report shows that while the number of deer harvested and days spent hunting in the field had reduced substantially, hunter efficiency remained consistent with previous years.”

“Information about the number of deer harvested by recreational hunters helps to inform decisions about deer management and the management of hunting on public and private land in Victoria.”

Throughout 2020, approximately 2,400 licensed deer hunters were surveyed to gather information about their hunting activity, including how many deer they harvested, where they hunted, what hunting methods were used and the species of deer they harvested.

The GMA produces the report in collaboration with the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research. You can view the full report here.