The Upper Ovens Valley Landcare Group has been leading the way in raising awareness of the impact of feral deer and helping landowners determine what they can do legally to reduce or eliminate the impact of deer.
In 2022, the Group hosted a forum of experts, followed by a field day visiting various properties to view the impact of deer, and to learn how landowners are dealing with the issues created by feral deer. Both the forum and field day were well attended.
The options available to landowners to control feral deer are often not well known or understood. There are legal technicalities because deer are a protected species for game under Victoria’s Wildlife Act. Upper Ovens Valley Landcare has been addressing this by developing a kit for landowners to learn more about feral deer species and their impacts, along with advice on options available for control. This kit, the first of its kind, received funding from Victorian Landcare Grants through the North East Catchment Management Authority.
The Upper Ovens Valley Landcare Group will continue to update the kit as new information becomes available.
The kit is available on the Group’s website at this link or via the home page.