Winning hearts – and results – in feral deer management

A smart social marketing campaign is helping shift public attitudes to feral deer control – and the results are showing, both online and on the ground.

First trialled in 2022, the National Feral Deer Action Plan’s ‘Cute but costing us Deerly’ campaign has proven effective in building social licence for lethal control, while encouraging the public to contribute valuable data through FeralScan.

The campaign continues to achieve a strong year-on-year growth in public interest and, crucially, the number of sightings reported through FeralScan. Compared to 2024, this year saw a 72% increase in deer sightings, including in new areas, and a 140% increase in visits to the DeerScan map – strengthening the evidence base needed to guide coordinated management.

Turning to on-ground impacts, Jane McKenzie, the National Feral Deer Management Coordinator, highlighted several significant milestones in coordinated control efforts.

Western Australia has completed its first coordinated, thermally assisted aerial cull removing 524 feral deer. A second round of control is planned for 2026. Meanwhile, South Australia’s 10-year eradication program is now in its fourth year, culling nearly 29,000 feral deer in Government coordinated programs. Some satellite populations have been fully removed. Combined with efforts by landholders, South Australia’s feral deer population has been more than halved, with an estimated 15,000 – 20,000 remaining – a clear indication of what sustained, coordinated effort can achieve.

Together, these outcomes highlight the value of pairing social licence, community participation and reliable data with well-planned, on-ground action – a model that continues to strengthen national deer management.