Ireland Extends its Deer Hunting Season: Swift Changes Raise Concerns

Changes to deer management in Ireland have been expected for some time. The deer population, both in terms of numbers and geographical spread, has expanded exponentially over the last 15 years. Compounding this problem is the lack of a deer census or a reliable system to record the number of deer shot by hunters. As a result, the voices of complaints from farmers and ecologists alike, have been getting louder. To address the situation, in September 2022 the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, with support from the Minister of State for Heritage, Malcolm Noonan, set up The Irish Deer Management Strategy Group (IDMSG) and appointed a dairy farmer, Teddy Cashman, as Chairman. The appointment raised a few eyebrows as one would expect a person with a scientific background or at least some deer management experience to fill that position. Nevertheless, Mr Cashman who admittedly has a reputation as a skilled negotiator was set to lead the development of the ​​strategy for the management of wild deer in Ireland.

The obvious concern was, as a senior officer from one of the deer hunting organisations put to me, that “they want to hammer them (deer) all”. Nonetheless, the group proceeded with the public consultations and created several stakeholder sub-committees. Consequently, late in 2023, the IDMSG published a report with eight short-term and eight mid-term recommendations. They ranged from setting up Deer Management Units in critical deer hot spots to developing the venison market. The review of the Open Season Orders for mammals, specifically deer hunting season, was also among the recommendations.

Fast forward to the 29th of February 2024, the last day of hunting season and Minister Noonan drops a bombshell, revised deer hunting season - effective immediately. That unexpectedly swift decision extended the hunting season for female deer for another month and effectively re-opened it for male deer. Although the lengthening of the season was not a surprise, how soon it happened and the extent of the prolongation was surprising. I could only imagine that the minister was under a lot of pressure to do something about the growing deer “problem” and resorted to a knee-jerk reaction to alleviate some of that pressure. Let’s examine the changes.

The season for male deer is now set to start on the first day of August and run until the last day of April. That constitutes a mammoth extension from four months (previously September to December) to nine months. The open season for female deer will now run from the first day of November until the end of March, extending it by only one month (previously ending on the last day of February). Can you see the problem yet?

The main objection is that the decision was made with little to no scientific evidence as to whether the changes would have any impact. On the contrary, some evidence suggests it might further exacerbate the problem. Focusing the season extension on male deer makes no sense if the goal is to have fewer deer in the country. You don’t need a PhD in biology to know that a single male deer can impregnate many females. So even a drastic reduction in males is of little significance to the overall deer numbers as all you need is one… To reduce the deer population you need to manage females.

Female deer season, on the other hand, was lengthened by only one month. The impact of such an extension on the female count will be minimal or non-existent. Hunters will have an extra month to hunt males, and likely already have their freezers full of venison, before the female season finally opens. In addition, some hunters don’t shoot females from January onwards anyway, as they find it ethically questionable to kill females that are in advanced pregnancy, or off-putting to gralloch an animal with a fully formed foetus inside it. The end of March after all is about two months before female deer start dropping their young. Overall, the motivation to shoot female deer will be even lower, especially since males will be a legal quarry throughout the season for females. The likely result is that even fewer females will be taken out! Exactly the opposite of what is needed.

There are some other issues too. The minister’s decision doesn’t seem to take into account that the total deer shot last year in Ireland was at a record high. Or that the number of recreational hunters is steadily growing year on year. Also, the increased hunting pressure on deer will likely push them to be nocturnal earlier in the year effectively cancelling additional cull time. It will almost certainly increase deer dispersal, effectively aggravating the problem instead of solving it. In the end, it might become more difficult for recreational hunters to kill a deer.

Ireland should conduct a deer census and have some scientific basis for its deer management strategy. Yes, I understand that the scientific process takes an awfully long time and in the meantime, the pressure from the farming, forestry and ecological lobby has been increasing. So the minister wanted to be seen as taking some action after all. And that’s how we ended up with this half-baked decision which will likely make things worse for deer, deer hunters and those experiencing agricultural and economic losses to deer.

As for me, at the end of each deer season, I, like most hunters, was always bummed out that it was over and wanted it to last a little longer. Everyone has seen those memes on social media 'Is it September yet?' appearing on the 1st of March. Now, when the season has unexpectedly been extended, it feels weird.