Feral deer numbers are rising "markedly" and getting denser on the edge of high-conservation wilderness, according to a survey critics claim show a management failure.
Aerial mapping of the species in central and northeast Tasmania, released on Thursday, has revealed a jump in numbers from 53,660 in 2019 to 71,655 in 2024.
The report said deer had spread outwards since 2019 and their population become denser near high-value conservation areas near the Walls of Jerusalem National Park and Central Plateau.
The population's 33 per cent increase was marked and unexpected, it said.
Feral deer cost producers and the community $91 million nationally every year, a federal government action plan has found.
The Invasive Species Council, which estimates there could be 100,000 deer across 27 per cent of Tasmania, said the report confirmed current management had failed.
The increase was staggering and should be a wake-up call for the state government, council conservation officer Tiana Pirtle said.
"Policies to date have prioritised recreational hunting as the primary management tool and failed to curb deer population growth," she said.
"There is a wealth of evidence to show that the only effective approach is properly resourced, long-term, co-ordinated professional programs."
The report, by an independent environmental research company, said the rate of deer spread needed to be quickly abated to prevent them from harming native habitats.
It recommended more frequent aerial surveys and annual monitoring for wilderness areas.
Tasmanian Primary Industries Minister Gavin Pearce acknowledged more needed to be done.
The state government was working with industry to unlock more public and private land for recreational shooting and was progressing work to remove red tape for deer control, he said.
There were plans for another survey in 2027 and a new feral deer plan would be created when the current one expired in 2027, he said.
Independent MP Craig Garland wants a review into the current plan and quicker action.
"The Liberals' deer management plan fails farmers and it fails the environment," he said.
"Deer numbers are not just growing - they're spreading into our precious World Heritage areas."
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Carlo Di Falco backed recreational shooters to get the job done and said they were taking more than 20,000 deer annually.
Deer were causing irreversible environmental damage and the government should remove their partially protected species status, Greens MP Tabatha Badger said.
