Wild Deer in South Australia face an ongoing and increasingly uneasy reality in a hostile legislative environment.

With the passing of the Landscape South Australia Act 2019, legal obligations are placed on landholders to destroy certain animals or plants found on their land.

If a landholder fails to do so, they may be subject to an Action Order, which compels them to do so, and if they fail to comply, they are then exposed to penalties/fines. 

Alongside this, there is an 11-year eradication attempt underway by local authorities. 

Whilst eradication is unlikely, significant funding has been apportioned to the attempt. 

The South Australian example is at odds with the rest of Australia regarding the management of Wild Deer.

Other states with larger populations of wild deer, such as New South Wales, Tasmania, and Victoria, have a more mature response to management, which includes benefiting from the significant financial windfall that recreational hunting on public land provides as well as enabling participants to develop connections to nature and help live a healthier lifestyle than otherwise.

The Australian Deer Association will continue to highlight and advocate the value that can be realised by taking a sustainable long-term approach to wild deer management.