As expected, we received notification of the changes to the Open Deer Seasons today to take immediate effect for the 2023/24 Open Deer Season.
The changes are as follows:
- The 2023/24 open season for female deer and antlerless deer will finish on March 31st, 2024, with the 2024/25 open season beginning on November 1st, 2024, and ending on March 31st, 2025.
- The 2023/24 open season for male deer will finish on April 30th, 2024, with the 2024/25 open season beginning on August 1st, 2024, and ending on April 30th, 2025.
- There will be no open season for red deer in County Kerry due to conservation concerns.
These changes will be welcome by some and cause considerable concern for others. To assist members and hunters we would like to offer guidance and understanding of how these changes came about.
Why are the open deer seasons changing?
While deer need to be managed with record numbers of deer culled annually by an ever-expanding number of licensed deer hunters to reduce negative impacts on farming, forestry, and the wider ecosystem, it is not clear what the rationale is for the changes to the open seasons, as there is no scientific evidence to support such a change or requirement for additional culling at a national level. While claims of expanding deer populations have been made, there is no data on deer densities in any county or area of Ireland.
It is likely the changes to the seasons have come about because of sector lobbying and political pressure through the Irish Deer Management Strategy Group, chaired by dairy farmer Teddy Cashman with Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine influence. While the stakeholder engagement of the Irish Deer Management Strategy group was welcome, the recommendations made by the group regarding the open seasons had no scientific basis, apparently informed solely by sector voting.
A further indication of politics and deer management rather than science was a statement by An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on October 23rd, 2023 when he said in response to a dail quesiton that “the Government does not believe a national cull is needed”, by December 6th, 2023, a national deer cull was government policy without any scientific evidence.
Consequences and considerations for changes to the open season for male deer.
The current open season for male deer is a four-month season and is now set to change to a nine-month season. Such a long season has the potential to cause animal welfare issues due to consistent hunting pressure, and male deer in poor condition post rut.
Best practice deer management in the reduction of deer densities require a focus on reducing the female population, as culling pregnant females is also culling future offspring. With such a long male season it is likely less females will be culled resulting in an increase in deer numbers, as we have seen in the UK and Northern Ireland when similar changes were made to their open seasons.
Most hunters have a limited ability to store venison or supply family and friends, as do game buyers with all but one game buyer currently accepting carcase in Ireland due to oversupply. Larger male deer over a much longer season will quickly fill freezers long before the female season begins three months later resulting in reduced demand for female deer.
Deer are a highly adaptable species, and quickly spread as result of hunting pressure, or become nocturnal making them more difficult to manage in dense commercial forestry.
Consequences and considerations for changes to the open season for female deer.
As mentioned, reducing the female population is the most effective method of reducing the overall deer population, and while the additional four-week extension to the female season will result in more female deer being culled, the overall impact will be minimum, for two main reasons, firstly the significant extension to the male season will mean less female deer are culled, and secondly while female deer are pregnant from September/ October and therefore always pregnant during the current open season for female deer starting on November 1st, many hunters dislike removing fully formed foetuses in January and February not to mention in March within two months of the birthing season.
Potential impacts for traditional deer stalking.
Many hunters and families will have enjoyed the tradition and social occasion of the opening day of the new deer season on September 1st, now the opening day is during the hot summer, and peak family holiday season, with a mere three-month season break from what can be physical and exhausting season, with an obvious knock on for family life.
The changes announced today, are only the first of many, with Irish Deer Management Strategy Group chairman Teddy Cashman recently calling for the contracting out of deer management to a small number of contactors, again without any scientific evidence or other rationale. Such a move would potentially disenfranchise thousands of hunters from their traditional hunting areas, and from the excellent work they are already doing.
Sporting or unsporting.
There will be many strong and polarised views on the changes announced today, such as the the lack of rationale or scientific evidence, the potential consequences for the future of deer stalking in Ireland. Some will believe shooting heavily pregnant female deer, or shooting male deer outside the previous open season, or monetising deer, is unsporting, while many hunters are likely to observe the previous seasons, it is important we all respect each other’s views.
Further comments or views.
If you have any comments or views on the changes announced today, you can contact the following individuals:
Minister Malcolm Noonan (Minister with responsibility for deer) malcolm.noonan@oireachtas.ie
Minister Charlie McConalogue (Minister for Agriculture) charlie.mcconalogue@oireachtas.ie
Claire Crowley (NPWS/ Teddy Cashman spokesperson) claire.Crowley@npws.gov.ie Niall.Feery@npws.gov.ie
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