Tasmania's wild deer problem is keeping farmer Simon Cameron up at night with worry.

Key points: Farmer Simon Cameron says wild deer damage his fences, land and cause erosion

Farmer Simon Cameron says wild deer damage his fences, land and cause erosion He's frustrated with the Tasmanian Government's lack of action on deer control laws

He's frustrated with the Tasmanian Government's lack of action on deer control laws A 2017 legislative council inquiry recommended changes to the laws, but nothing has happened

The introduced pests damage his fences and farm infrastructure, graze on his best land and cause erosion on his property, which produces some of the highest quality wool in Australia.

Mr Cameron wants more autonomy to control deer on his property.

He believes crop protection permits allowing property owners to poison, trap and shoot wildlife causing damage should be extended from one to five years.

It is one of the recommendations of a 2017 state parliament inquiry which considered the impact of deer on the environment and economy.

The committee's findings were tabled exactly two years ago and Mr Cameron is disappointed by the lack of progress since then.

"We've yet to see any progress. Of the initiatives we've got the Tasmanian Game Council, and nothing has come out of that," he said.

"They've changed the name of the section within the department that manages deer and I've seen no improvements in how we're able to control deer as a result of that.

"The question really needs to be put to the government – what are you doing?"

Mr Cameron is demanding the State Government act on 2017 recommendations to change the laws. ( Supplied: Guy Ellis )

Mr Cameron estimates there could be as many as 1,000 deer on his property at any one time.

"I'm missing out on the income from the sheep that I should be able to run here and the extent of that is about $50,000 a year, or $1,000 a week," he said.

"That's at the farm-gate, and it's money that I don't have to put back into the community.

"But as the wool progresses through the supply chain the end value the economy is missing out on because of deer is the equivalent of about $1 million worth of suits."

Concerns about environmental impact

Managing the problem is also time consuming and stressful.

"It [deer] really impacts everything that we do on the farm," Mr Cameron said.

"It's a massive distraction and it could be up to 20 per cent of a person's time is spent either controlling the deer; or administering the system required to control deer; or just worrying about them.

Ecologists fear wild deer are impacting the environment and potentially endangering motorists. ( Supplied: Guy Ellis )

"They're also reaching the stage where they're becoming dangerous to motorists and the population is growing to a point where we don't know the impact, in a biosecurity sense, of the transmission of disease."

Ecologist Professor Chris Johnson from the University of Tasmania said there were also concerns about the impact of wild fallow deer on native bushland.

"You have to add to that problem of livestock that they potentially influence native vegetation in ways that might be harmful and that's something, particularly in Tasmania, that we don't know a lot about yet," he said.

"It's at least potentially true that deer could change the way native forests and woodland regenerate and in the long run they could shift the structure of vegetation and they may have effects on certain species that are very sensitive to browsing.

"Organisations like Greening Australia and the Tasmanian Land Conservancy which do land management for conservation in areas which has deer see it as one of the biggest threats to their management and one of their biggest costs."

Hunters left in the dark

Lee Neasey doesn't think the current strategy is reducing deer numbers. ( ABC News: Jessica Hayes )

Some recreational hunters also believe the current system isn't working and progress has been slow.

Field Hunting and Conservation Tasmania president Lee Neasey said the largely administrative changes implemented since the 2017 report had not been effective.

"It's great to set up these things but there's been no changes to it," he said.

"Is it doing anything for the deer numbers? I don't think it is."

Mr Neasey was also critical of Game Services Tasmania, an advisory committee established to manage all issues relating to hunting, game and browsing animals in Tasmania.

"We've heard nothing really, we don't know what's going on," he said.

"We've been told nothing and if there is anything happening, it's behind closed doors and nothing seems to have changed."

The State Government says it trys to balance agricultural and environmental concerns with hunting needs. ( Supplied: Guy Ellis )

The Government recently announced plans to conduct a census of the wild deer population using a combination of aerial surveys, camera traps and citizen science.

In a statement, the Primary Industries Department said it recognised there were diverse views in the community about wild deer management.

"The Government's focus is on maintaining a sensible balance between managing the impacts of deer on production agriculture, conservation areas and forestry, and ensuring the sustainability of the state deer herd as a recreational hunting source," the statement said.

A spokesman said the government was committed to introducing five-year crop protection permits and find ways to cut red tape to support landholders.