ALMOST 3,000 wild deer were culled in Donegal in one year, according to new data.
Data released by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to the Irish Deer Commission show a record number of 78,175 wild deer were culled in Ireland in the 12-month period up February 28, 2023.
In Donegal, 2,704 wild deer were culled.
The cull sets a record for the number of wild deer culled, up 41 per cent from the previous record set in 2022 when 55,008 deer were culled.
Hunters must make an annual declaration to NPWS stating the number of deer culled by county, sex, and species, and this data is provided to the Irish Deer Commission annually.
While the data is not independently verified, hunters are required to sign a declaration confirming the accuracy of the information returned.
However, Damien Hannigan, a spokesperson for the Irish Deer Commission, said he believed that the actual deer cull is likely to be “significantly higher”, as the cull total does not include wild deer killed illegally known as deer poaching, nor does the total include the growing number of deer killed on our roads.
The number of hunters licensed to cull deer has grown significantly with 6,486 licenses issued in 2023, up 45 per cent in the last 10 years when 4,502 licences were issued to cull deer during the open culling season from September 1 to February 28, with dedicated periods when male and female deer can be culled.
Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue recently announced a tender for €3.4m (excluding VAT) to appoint a programme manager for the establishment of 15 deer management units in areas the department believe have high deer populations.
In correspondence with the Minister, the Irish Deer Commission was informed there was no scientific basis or evidence for the proposed deer management units which would include large scale culling of wild deer, including County Kerry where the last remaining herd of native Irish Red deer can be found.
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