The population of fallow deer in Tasmania is on the rise, a group of academics have warned, as the state's legislative council investigates the impact the animals are having on the environment and economy.

Key points: The state's deer population could reach one million by 2050, academics have warned

The state's deer population could reach one million by 2050, academics have warned Farmers are struggling with the number of deer on their land

Farmers are struggling with the number of deer on their land Game meat producers suggest the deer could be harvested to eat

Game meat producers suggest the deer could be harvested to eat The State Government is holding an inquiry into the population of the deer

The deer were introduced into the state in the 1830s for hunting, and their numbers have been kept in check with a Quality Deer Management plan developed 20 years ago.

The deer are partially protected, with hunters issued tags for deer shot during specific hunting seasons.

Outside of that, farmers can apply for permits to cull deer to protect their crops.

Tasmania's Department of Primary Industry has conceded that numbers could be as high as 80,000 to 100,000 head — well up on past predictions of 30,000 to 40,000.

A group of academics, including Professor of Wildlife Conservation Chris Johnson from the University of Tasmania, have predicted that the population could reach a million by 2050.

"In a study published last year, we tried to model the magnitude of that potential increase, and came up with some numbers that were a little bit startling," Professor Johnson said.

"Deer could occupy close to two-thirds of this state and their abundance could increase to the extent that we might have a total population of something like a million, which is not a surprising number ... if you compare the population density that compares with the density of other parts of the world."

Those predictions have been challenged by deer hunters, including president of the Tasmanian branch of the Shooters and Fishers Party, Wayne Turale.

"I think that is a fallacy to be honest," he said.

"I feel those figures to be too difficult to believe. I think their modelling needs to be redesigned.

"There's never been an independent study on the actual numbers of fallow deer in this state. We would really like to see that addressed and answered independently.

"It's difficult to deal with a problem until you know what the facts are."

Marcus Griffin is spending $180,000 building a 15km electric fence to keep deer off his property. ( ABC News )

A fence to keep the deer out

Marcus Griffin and Samantha Hogg bought their 5,400-hectare property Dunedin in Northern Tasmania three years ago.

Their future plans include pivot irrigation, a dairy and high-value crops. They also have a significant boundary with state forest, home to wild fallow deer along with native browsing animals.

"It's funny, when we came onto the place the first day I saw this mob of 300 deer, and thought, 'wow isn't that fantastic?'" Mr Griffin said.

"It was only then when I took over the place and I started seeing mobs and mobs and mobs of 300 and 400 deer that we realised we've got a bit more of a problem than we first thought."

His radical solution was to spend a year to build a 15-kilometre electric fence from one boundary to the other.

"For every dollar we are spending on our development, we are only getting 20 cents back from it because of the sheer volume of deer that are coming into potentially very productive land," he said.

The deer were originally introduced for hunting. ( Supplied: Andrew Large )

'We just need to get the balance right'

Spending by the state's 5,000 recreational hunters is significant for Tasmania's regional economy, and hunters can pay some farmers up to $700 or $1,000 for the right to hunt.

Other hunters pay "in kind" by helping fence, undertake farm maintenance and control other browsing animals such as possums and wallabies when they hunt deer.

Tasmanian deer hunter Andrew Large said it was important to keep on top of the population. ( Supplied: Andrew Large )

Andrew Large is a hunter, fisher and game cook. He uses all the meat he hunts, turning it into sausages, stocks and soups.

"Deer hunting for me is a passion," he said.

"It's a culture, it's a sport, and it's something very much embedded into the Tasmanian way of life".

He said it was time farmers, hunters and the Tasmanian Government renegotiated deer management, including the number of tags and the length of the hunting season.

"I think we need two or three good years, extending the recreational season in the form of tags that are made available," he said.

"Obviously the more tags, the more deer that recreational hunters can shoot.

"I don't think there is any disputing we need to do something with the deer.

"We just need to get the balance right, we need to fine-tune, we need to remain flexible and just basically keep on top of the population."

Andrew Large said hunting for him was a passion. ( Supplied: Andrew Large )

Is the solution to eat more deer?

Pioneer game meat producer, John Kelly of Lenah Game Meats, said he believed one of the solutions was to harvest the deer for human consumption.

He imports 6 tonnes of wild, caught venison into Tasmania each year, and predicted he could sell 1.5 tonnes of boneless venison a month in Tasmania and another 3 tonnes a month interstate.

He said that would consume over 5,000 deer and generate 18 full-time jobs.

"There's a whole range of things we currently do with venison we can do with venison if we process it ourselves," he said.

"We currently do smoked venison, steaks, sausages for retail, but what I'd dearly like to do, and what I could do from Tasmanian product, is a dry-aged venison.

"Now I know chefs who would almost kill for a dry-aged haunch of wild, harvested, Tasmanian venison."

Tasmania's state legislative council is holding an inquiry into the wild fallow deer population. ( Supplied: Andrew Large )

But commercial deer farmers have told the state government's inquiry that the harvesting of wild deer for human consumption would threaten their industry.

Anthony Archer at Bothwell in the Central Highlands has Australia's largest herd of farmed fallow deer at Australia.

"The problem is that the market is already under stress. Tasmania is awash with venison, in terms of people's households," he said.

"Many families have a member or friends who are hunters, and so there's a lot of venison that's in people's freezers, so our market is really the restaurant and food services trade."

He said he feared that a poor eating experience from a deer harvested from the wild could damage the Tasmanian deer brand they have worked hard to build.

"If you look at salmon, I haven't had a bad eating experience with salmon. Every time I've eaten farmed salmon it's been a good eating experience," he said.

"That's exactly the same with farmed deer. It's a consistent eating experience every time."

So far, the Tasmanian Legislative Council has received over 50 submissions with rooms overflowing at public hearings. Their keenly anticipated report is due at the end of June.

Watch the story on Landline, this Sunday at noon on ABC TV.