Donal Hickey: Deer numbers are now out of control

The number of deer reported shot during the hunting season has quadrupled in the past 20 years

Bringing back natural predators, such as wolves to control deer numbers would be strongly opposed. Picture: Don MacMonagle

Moves to bring back natural predators, such as wolves, would be strongly opposed, even by some of the people most affected by the exploding deer population, farmers for example. But something must be done to deal with out-of-control deer numbers. Game shooters, in Co Cork, say they are meeting more deer than pheasants or woodcock. That’s also true in many other areas.

We don’t know how many wild deer there are in Ireland. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage says no national deer census has been undertaken and none is planned. But, an almost five-fold increase in licence returns from deer hunters, in the past 20 years, offers some idea of population size.