The Game Management Authority Victoria (GMA) has released the Estimates of the 2021 deer harvest in Victoria report.
In 2021 a total of 118,900 deer were estimated to have been harvested, this represents the third-largest year on record since the surveys began in 2009.
The 2021 figure was an increase of 70% compared to the 2020 year. Both years were affected by lockdowns, with 2021 being less so.
This is reflected in the total number of hunting days increasing by 72%.
The two most harvested deer were Sambar 68,916 (58%) and Fallow 35,351 (30%). The report also demonstrated a continued female bias in harvesting, with females accounting for 57% of Sambar and 56% of Fallow.
2021 also saw the largest ever amount of licenced recreational deer hunters with 49,857 being recorded. This represents a 20% increase on the 41,056 licences in 2020.
The towns that had the highest number of deer harvested were Mansfield, Bright, Healesville, Wangaratta, and Lakes Entrance.
Surveys and harvest data are made possible by the game status of deer and the requirement of a licence to hunt them on public land. The data provided in these surveys enable quantifiable and evidence-based decisions to be made when managing wild deer.
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