Deer management units are aiming to control Ireland’s deer population.

FRS Co-Op, based in Co. Tipperary, have recently appointed local coordinators to lead 15 new Deer Management Units (DMUs) across the country, specifically targeting areas known as wild deer hotspots.

FRS Co-Op was awarded the contract earlier this year to bring these recommendations to life, focusing on establishing these units in key areas and appointing local coordinators.

These DMUs are a direct result of recommendations from the Deer Management Strategy Group’s final report, published in December 2023.

The deer management programme is being managed by Michael Keegan of FRS Co-Op.

The role of local coordinators is to facilitate deer management within each of the 15 designated areas. They will act as the link between landowners, hunters, and other interested parties.

FRS Co-Op will be acting as the central hub, connecting landowners who are struggling with the impact of wild deer with licenced hunters ready to assist. They won’t be directly employing hunters but will oversee the coordination with local hunters and hunting groups who want to be part of this deer killing programme.

The coordinators will be actively engaging with farmers and landowners in their respective DMU areas. Their goal is to identify existing deer-related issues and then work with local hunters to implement deer management strategies. The awarding of this contract to establish Deer Management Units (DMUs) is against a background that provides no existing population figures for Ireland’s deer species.

Deer Species In Ireland
Ireland has four deer species; Red, Fallow, Sika and Muntjac. The deer hunting season is from August to April. Male and female deer can be hunted with rifle (deer stalking) during a defined Open Season with Muntjac deer having no closed hunting season.

It has being claimed that deer are causing biodiversity loss, damage to natural woodlands and agricultural land. However, little or no research has been carried out to establish the true impact of this loss.

In addition, reports that there has been a rise in deer-related traffic accidents has not been substaniated with factual statistics of road accidents caused directly by deer.

The establishment of Deer Management Units (DMUs) has also been met with scepticism by Irish deer hunters. Many see these units as a first step in the commercialisation of deer stalking in Ireland. For them, paying in cash to have a shot at a deer is something they will never accept.

Animal rights groups have also criticised any attempt to use lethal methods to control deer. They believe that artificial control methods to ‘control’ wild animals seem more about providing recreational killing opportunities rather than evidence-based animal conservation.

Reference Website: Deer Management Programme – FRS Co-Op (frscoop.ie)

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