RESEARCH into Hog Deer populations in Victoria has been ramped up in an effort to improve sustainable hunting opportunities for the prized game species.

Game Management Authority executive officer Greg Hyams has announced a $200,000 research project to assist the GMA assess the abundance and distribution of Hog Deer.

The funding boost was welcomed by the Australian Deer Association.

“Hog Deer are the only species of deer in Victoria where research has a realistic prospect of influencing management in a practical sense,” an ADA spokesman said.

“That is why the Australian Deer Association put in a bid for funding in this year’s budget and we are delighted that the Victorian Government has listened.”

Mr Hyams said Hog Deer was a popular and highly valued game species, but due to

relatively low numbers and a limited geographical range, they could be at risk from unsustainable management practices.

“The new research will assess the abundance and distribution of Hog Deer using traditional and some modern population monitoring techniques like drones and thermal imaging,”

Mr Hyams said.

“This research will be conducted periodically to monitor any change in distribution and abundance and will help to identify risks, threats and constraints on Victoria’s Hog Deer populations.”

“It’s vital that we continue working hard to ensure that people who want to hunt can do so in a safe, responsible and a sustainable way.”

Research will focus on areas where public hunting access is permitted (six State Game Reserves) and where balloted hunting occurs (Blond Bay, Snake Island and Boole Poole).

Some areas where large populations of Hog Deer are present but not available for hunting such as Wilsons Promontory National Park, will also be targeted.

The hunting of this species is strictly regulated in Victoria, with licensed hunters permitted to harvest only one male (stag) and one female (hind) during the one-month hunting season in April each year.