In advocating for sound deer management, we are often confronted with a set of popular myths. It is truly suprising just how often misnomers are repeated to us by politicians and bureaucrats who have heard them from groups which, quite frankly, should know better.
One of the most common myths is that hunters should not be a part of the conversation about management because "we only target male deer".
Unfortunately, this myth gets a fair bit of traction because it’s often trotted out by groups who people assume actually check their facts, groups like the RSPCA or the official sounding Invasive Species Council.
The data tells a different story.
The annual harvest data from Victoria shows that there is a statistically significant sex bias favouring females.
More than one hundred thousand deer killed by recreational hunters and more than half of them are female.
Data from other jurisdictions with a smaller harvest broadly mirrors that or shows no clear sex bias.
These silly jingles from groups who should know better make for good media soundbites, but, they do absolutely nothing to advance sensible discussions about practical wild deer management in the Australian landscape.
We continue to advocate for the role of hunters in the conversation about deer management in Australia. We do so based on facts, not silly jingles.
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