The number of wild deer culled in Ireland has increased by 24% reaching a new record of 55,008 animals in the 12-month period up to February 2022, figures published by the Irish Deer Commission have shown.

In the previous record year 2019 a total of 44,381 wild deer were culled, according to data released by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).

Co. Wicklow, which is "believed to have an overpopulation of wild deer in some areas", was responsible for 36% of the cull with 19,997 wild deer, including out-of-season cull totals.

Together Co. Wicklow; Cork; Waterford; Tipperary; Kerry; and Galway accounted for 70% of the national deer cull, totalling 38,526 wild deer (including out-of-season cull totals).

Licensed deer hunters culled 26,216 females and 22,401 males during the regular culling season from September 1 to February 28, while 6,751 deer were culled out of season.

A total of 924 permits were granted for out-of-season culling by the NPWS nationally, with 608 permits granted in Wicklow alone resulting in 4,717 deer culled.

The increase in the number of wild deer culled in Ireland has been impacted by a "significant" 17% rise in hunters licences issued, reaching 6,232 licences in 2022.

In 2021, 5,344 licences were issued to cull deer during the open culling season. The average number of deer culled per hunter remained between 6-8 annually since records began in 1999.

However, the cull total of 55,008 does not include wild deer killed illegally, known as "deer poaching", nor the growing number of deer killed on roads.

Commenting that thus the actual number of wild deer culled in Ireland is "likely to be significantly higher", spokesperson for the Irish Deer Commission, Damien Hannigan added:

"Over the last five years over 200,000 wild deer were culled in Ireland under licence from the NPWS.

The commission believes that deer management restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic, a worldwide crash in venison prices, delayed issuing of deer culling permits, poor forestry design for deer management, and afforestation resulted in higher deer numbers.

There is no open season for native red deer in Co. Kerry due to their national conservation importance. Management is undertaken by local NPWS staff.