Welcome to Best Practice Guidance on the Management of Wild Deer in Ireland. These guides are developed within Ireland’s deer sector to provide you with the best information available on wild deer management.
Wild deer in Ireland are part of Ireland’s natural biodiversity and are a protected species under the terms of the Wildlife Act, 1976 (as amended). The wild deer population in Ireland consists of red, fallow, sika, and hybrid deer. Muntjac deer have also been recorded in the wild in Ireland but have been declared invasive on a European basis.
These guides have been adapted from those produced by the Deer Initiative and Scottish National Heritage. IDMF are grateful for their permission to use them.