Game Management Authority release 2019 deer hunting statistics

The latest Game Management Authority research into deer hunting shows a 43 per cent increase in the number of deer harvested compared to the 12 months prior.

The Estimates of the 2019 Deer Harvest in Victoria report found 173,800 deer were harvested in 2019 - a massive jump from the estimated 121,600 deer harvested in 2018.

Areas around Wodonga and Myrtleford continue to be popular hunting grounds, with the North East CMA recording the most deer kills across the state with an estimated harvest of between 45,001 and 60,000 deer.

Myrtleford was the top town across the entire state for number of deer harvested.

Sambar Deer was the most harvested species with an estimated total harvest of 131,258, of which 60 per cent were female.

Fallow Deer was the second most harvested species, with an estimated harvest of 30,307 deer, of which 62 per cent were female.

The number of recreational deer hunters licensed to hunt deer in Victoria peaked at 41,985 by the end of the year, which is another increase on 39,066 registered in 2018.

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The research also shows that each active licensed deer hunter killed an average of 6.8 deer and was active for an average of 13.6 days in 2019.

Deer hunters spent a combined total of 344,604 days hunting - a 45 per cent increase from the 2018 report.

Most of the deer were taken from public land.

GMA chief executive Graeme Ford said the 2019 deer hunting season continued the trend of an increasing annual harvest.

"The findings in the report show recreational deer hunting has grown in popularity with more hunters successfully harvesting more deer," he said.

"It is important to collect information about the number of deer harvested by recreational hunters each year.

"This information is used to help inform decisions about deer management and the management of hunting on public and private land in Victoria. Thank you to all the hunters who participated in the research."

Throughout 2019, 2600 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 report is produced by the GMA in collaboration with the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research.