Beware: Feral deer are wreaking havoc as their reach expands across northern NSW

Feral deer are looking for love in all the wrong places – in front gardens and on roads right across NSW. And they are heading north. Here’s what’s being done to control them.

The feral deer population is booming on the north coast of NSW, causing havoc for residents and motorists.

Would you be surprised to learn that feral deer pest management includes being put on the menu for the big cats at Port Macquarie’s Billabong Zoo?

In a win-win scenario, it’s a lip smacking outcome for the felines and an ecological one for Local Land Services (LLS), who continue to manage the booming feral deer population on the Mid-North Coast of NSW.

Only trouble is – despite the dinnertime delights for the zoo cats – the horny, havoc-wreaking deer are heading further north.

LLS Invasive Pests Leader Dean Chamberlain has been working on feral deer pest management for close to ten years, trapping and culling the invasive species.

Over the last three years LLS have trapped approximately 500 to 600 out of an estimated Mid-North and North Coast population of more than 10,000.

“All of the stuff that we cull out we take to Billabong Zoo as meat for the big cats so it’s given some use and not just put in a hole,” Mr Chamberlain said.

“We basically use corral traps and place feed into the trap, and then we’ve got remote gates.”

Feral deer are on the move on the north coast of NSW as mating season starts and stags work harder to protect their young.

Local Land Services and residents have found that Port Macquarie seems to be particularly attractive to the pest.

“They like some of the coastal areas of Port Macquarie, and are quite happy to move through vegetation corridors probably due to the fact that there’s no wild dogs in town areas,” Mr Chamberlain said.

“From a landscape perspective they’ve been called the new rabbit for the fact that they cause such devastation (to the natural environment),” he said.

Port Macquarie local Tim Jeffrey told this publication deer were out most nights between the lighthouse and Coles.

“I hope they don’t go to the wrong property because they could end up in a freezer,” Mr Jeffrey said.

Feral deer and kangaroos share a fairway at Port Macquarie golf course on the NSW Mid North Coast.

As deer breeding season is in full swing, feral deer are now on the move with the stags “rounding up their girls” and seeking new grounds to protect them.

Mr Chamberlain said while receiving reports from Port Macquarie residents and landholders are now the norm, reports are coming in from further north including the Upper Macleay Valley, Nambucca, Coffs Harbour, Nana Glen, Bucca and Woolgoolga areas.

“In Port Macquarie we get a weekly complaint but Coffs Harbour’s starting to be the same way with more and more reports of garden destruction and damage,” he said.

Deer also poses a serious risk to drivers on the road.

“Over the past 12 months, NRMA Insurance received 220 deer-related collision claims across NSW,” an NRMA spokeswoman said.

“Our claims data also shows there have been 23 deer collision claims in Port Macquarie over the past three years, with five claims received in the past 12 months,” she said.

The NRMA spokeswoman said the damage to a vehicle can be significant and can cause injuries to drivers and passengers.

“If you see an animal on the road while driving, try to slow down, brake and don’t swerve to avoid it, as you run the risk of colliding with another car or running off the road,” she said.

As for the LLS, they are urging motorists, residents and landowners to report sightings of feral deer by downloading and installing the FeralScan app.

Dead or injured feral deer can also be reported to the Midcoast Council.