Wallis Lake Feral Deer Control Program

Summary and scope

MidCoast Council (MCC) in cooperation with project partners including NSW Local Land Services has been undertaking ground shooting of Rusa deer (Cervus timorensis) to reduce the damage caused by expanding feral deer populations and to control the future expansion of feral deer into urban areas, including Forster and Old Bar. The Wallis Lake Feral Deer Program commenced in 2022 through a funding partnership with NSW Local Land Services and has continued in various forms since. The program initially used contractors for ground-shooting on Council-managed public land, but due to the cross-tenure nature of the program this has expanded to use of a boat to access islands and public foreshores, as well as ground-based shooting on private land with owner’s permission. During this time some 650 deer have been controlled over the combined target areas. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service are also undertaking complementary ground shooting of Rusa deer in the target area on their land. As the...