Central plateau deer cull pushed back

A deer cull in the Central Plateau Conservation Area has been pushed back by a week.

The delay means anglers can now fish in the area until the brown trout season closes.

The cull was originally scheduled to begin on April 27, but will now take place between May 4 and 31.

This year’s cull program will have members of the Australian Deer Association and the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia volunteer members taking part.

“The program will utilise the skills of experienced volunteer conservation shooters, supported by trained and authorised departmental Authorised Firearms Officer staff, to help reduce the impacts of deer on the natural values of the reserve,” the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) said.

During this period:

• the Central Plateau Conservation Area will be closed in the vicinity of the designated hunting zones, including their associated buffer zones.
• Hunting Zones 1, 2, and 3 encompass the area east of Talinah Track (the eastern section of the Central Plateau Conservation Area), west of Highland Lakes Road, and north of Marlborough Road.
• The boom gate at the Lake Augusta Dam wall will be locked on Sunday, 3 May 2026, in line with annual practice. Together with buffer zones, this measure will help prevent unauthorised access to the hunting area.

The PWS said that between 2023 and 2025, 1340 deer were removed from the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

“Most of the deer shot were located within the high-density zone of the Central Plateau Conservation Area.

“This has resulted in also reducing migration pressures of deer in the Walls of Jerusalem National Park.

“To continue suppressing deer numbers and to reduce the likelihood of reinvasion into the Walls of Jerusalem National Park, targeted ground-based culling is considered a necessary and effective complementary measure.”