Wild deer have been found to eat as much as 75% of the grass in some fields in Co Wicklow, in some extreme cases, according to the Manor Kilbride Deer Management Group (MKDMG).
The extent of damage to grassland where there are high deer numbers is not widely recognised by farmers, chair Sean Eustace told the group’s recent meeting.
The group began measuring grazing damage in 2016 using a protocol devised by agri-consultant Jim Fitzsimons. Wire cages were placed on swards to allow unhindered growth while the sward outside was exposed to grazing. This was done while livestock were housed but wild deer were free to enter land.
Initial results suggest:
Damage is greater on farms using higher levels of fertiliser. Damage is much higher in fields near forestry.There is strong evidence of deer poaching of grassland in early spring. Some 37,118 wild deer were shot under licence nationally in 2016/17, with 13,328 of them in Co Wicklow.
However, Eustace said that it is not clear if this level of hunting is enough to give control because no one knows the population of wild deer.
Drones
The MKDMG is exploring the possibility of co-operating with the Civil Defence to use the latter’s drones to count deer numbers. The group believes that the population of wild deer had gone beyond control by leisure shooters and that the input of professional shooters was also required.
While there are over 4,000 registered deer shooters most are not active. One third shot no deer last year, while another 27% shot between one and five deer.
Some 9% of registered shooters – about 350 individuals – carried out half of the total cull.
Read more
€120,000 deer control contract up for tender
Progress on TB in west Wicklow
Wild deer have been found to eat as much as 75% of the grass in some fields in Co Wicklow, in some extreme cases, according to the Manor Kilbride Deer Management Group (MKDMG).
The extent of damage to grassland where there are high deer numbers is not widely recognised by farmers, chair Sean Eustace told the group’s recent meeting.
The group began measuring grazing damage in 2016 using a protocol devised by agri-consultant Jim Fitzsimons. Wire cages were placed on swards to allow unhindered growth while the sward outside was exposed to grazing. This was done while livestock were housed but wild deer were free to enter land.
Initial results suggest:
Damage is greater on farms using higher levels of fertiliser. Damage is much higher in fields near forestry.There is strong evidence of deer poaching of grassland in early spring. Some 37,118 wild deer were shot under licence nationally in 2016/17, with 13,328 of them in Co Wicklow.
However, Eustace said that it is not clear if this level of hunting is enough to give control because no one knows the population of wild deer.
Drones
The MKDMG is exploring the possibility of co-operating with the Civil Defence to use the latter’s drones to count deer numbers. The group believes that the population of wild deer had gone beyond control by leisure shooters and that the input of professional shooters was also required.
While there are over 4,000 registered deer shooters most are not active. One third shot no deer last year, while another 27% shot between one and five deer.
Some 9% of registered shooters – about 350 individuals – carried out half of the total cull.
Read more
€120,000 deer control contract up for tender
Progress on TB in west Wicklow
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