Deer numbers across Victoria have climbed sharply over the last decade, and the Mornington Peninsula is no exception, with fallow deer established around Arthurs Seat, Red Hill, Main Ridge and the Westernport bush, and the occasional red or hog deer moving through. For a landholder watching deer strip a vineyard, flatten fences or browse new tree plantings, the first question is usually what you're actually allowed to do.
The key change most people don't know about: on private land in Victoria, landholders no longer need a permit to control most deer causing damage to their property. Deer were reclassified so that owners and people they authorise can control them on their own land to protect crops, pasture and property, outside the usual game-hunting rules. Sambar have some extra conditions, but fallow deer, the Peninsula's main problem, can be managed by the landholder year-round.
That doesn't mean anything goes. Whoever does the shooting still needs the correct firearms licence, has to follow firearm storage and safe-use laws, and on blocks close to houses, roads or townships a Victoria Police permit to discharge a firearm in a built-up area may be required. Humane destruction codes apply too, which is why the work is done with the right calibre, a clear backstop and a clean shot.
This is exactly the kind of job we're set up for. We hold the firearms and Game Licences, carry the Public Place Permit for tighter blocks, handle the landholder authority paperwork, and work the bush boundaries at dusk with thermal optics so deer are identified and taken cleanly. Carcasses are removed, or dressed on site if you want the meat.
If deer are costing you vines, fences or feed, you almost certainly have the right to deal with them now, and you don't have to navigate the paperwork yourself. Book a free first-night assessment and we'll walk the property, confirm what's needed for your particular block, and put a plan together.