Yarra Valley Parklands Deer Program
About the program
The objective of the program is to protect biodiversity by removing deer which are damaging natural values within the Yarra Valley Parklands.
Deer are not a natural part of the Australian environment. Deer can cause serious damage to native plants and animal habitat through trampling and destroying plants, increasing grazing pressure, ringbarking young trees, fouling waterways, causing soil erosion and spreading weeds.
As part of the implementation of the Victorian Deer Control Strategy, Parks Victoria is delivering a state-wide control program targeting the rapidly growing deer population. The Victorian Government developed the Strategy to address the impact of deer across Victoria.
Impact of deer in Yarra Valley Parklands
The Yarra Valley Parklands form a habitat corridor along the Yarra River. The collection of parks that make up the Yarra Valley Parklands contain a number of billabongs, that are both culturally significant to the Wurundjeri and important for the biodiversity of the Yarra river corridor.
This river corridor is currently home to a large number of sambar deer on both public and private land. Sambar deer were introduced into Australia in the 19th and 20th century. Their presence threatens and impacts the values in this landscape.
These threats and impacts include:
- Extensive deer browsing, habitat structure damage and ‘rub’ pressure on native vegetation, natural regeneration and revegetation.
- Impacts to adjoining local landowners, agriculture, market gardens, private gardens and remnant bushland.
- Water quality and vegetation impacts through wallowing, trampling and erosion.
- Animal-vehicle collisions.
- Competition for food with native wildlife.
- Potential to carry and harbour disease and pathogens
If the deer are not controlled the condition of the billabongs and vegetation within the corridor will continue to decline as populations expand.
Deer population control
Deer will be targeted over three consecutive nights each month between May and August in the parklands. The desired outcome will be to remove all the deer currently residing in Yarra Valley Parklands corridor and Banyule Flats corridor. This will be dependent on the location of deer on the shooting nights.
You will be notified if your property adjoins a control zone. This will be by letter, at least two weeks prior to the operations commencing.
Main Yarra Trail closures
Main Yarra Trail will be closed to all public access over three consecutive nights each month between May and August during 2026 and 2027, between 4:30 pm and 6 am.
Download our map for locations of closures (PDF 2 MB).
There will be signs at the entrances to the parklands informing you when the shooting will be undertaken. Please do not enter the park between dusk and dawn if the sign has the date of your visit.
FAQ
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Why has Parks Victoria chosen ground shooting as a control method for this program?
Only ground shooting will be used for the Yarra Valley Parklands Deer Program.
Ground shooting is an effective method of humanely controlling feral animals when undertaken by appropriately trained and experienced professional shooters. Ground shooting is an accepted standard practice across Australia. Parks Victoria has an established deer control program which has delivered coordinated control programs since 2015.
Ground shooting helps maintain pressure on target animal populations in important habitat areas.
This is a successful approach used across other parks in peri-urban Melbourne including Warrandyte State Park, Dandenong Ranges National Park, Plenty Gorge Parklands and Yarra Ranges National Park.
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How will we ensure that deer control will be humane?
All professionals delivering deer control activities are appropriately authorised, skilled and experienced and must comply with all relevant legislation, Codes of Practice and Standard Operating Procedures.
Shooters are trained to only shoot in situations where they can achieve a humane result.
The successful contractor will be selected from a panel of contractors who have undertaken deer control elsewhere on public land in Victoria.
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Will I hear constant shooting during the night?Contractors will be using suppressors on their firearms to significantly reduce the firearm noise, however, you may still hear gun shots.
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Will my livestock be in danger?
No. Operations will only be undertaken within the park estate. Parks Victoria will not be controlling deer on private property.
Experienced contractors use drones and specialised equipment to confirm the identity of target animals.
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What happens to the carcasses?Carcasses will be harvested by a contractor with a PrimeSafe licence and delivered to a licenced harvesting facility.
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How do you guarantee the safety of residents, neighbours and the public?
- All professionals delivering deer control activities are appropriately authorised, skilled and experienced and must comply with all relevant legislation, Codes of Practice and Standard Operating Procedures.
- Shooters are trained to only take a shot where there is a safe backdrop and only where they are 100% confident of a safe shot.
- Very experienced contractors will be engaged for this program. They will be utilising thermal drones for both the security of the site and the locating of deer. They will also use thermal scopes to confirm the identity of target animals before considering taking a shot.
- There will be signs at the entrances to the park informing visitors when the shooting will be undertaken. These will be in place at least a month before the control program begins. On nights of control there will be additional signage with a shooters profile stating that ‘shooting is underway, do not enter’.
- Some park access points will have security cameras operating during the control program to alert contractors and park staff to any visitors entering the control zone.
- If anyone is found on site during operations, shooting will cease, the visitor will be asked to leave the site, and shooting will not recommence at that site until the visitor has been removed.