Hunting in the Tasmanian Midlands
Australia's finest fallow herd on historic grazing runs
The Tasmanian Midlands carry what many regard as the best quality fallow deer herd in the southern hemisphere. Nearly two centuries of careful management on the historic grazing estates between Launceston and Hobart have produced genuinely world-class bucks, hunted under Tasmania's licensing and tag system.
The country itself is unique in Australia: frost-hollow valleys, native grassland runs, dry stone walls and hawthorn hedgerows planted by the first generation of graziers. Hunting a croaking buck through a hedgerow gap on a frosted March morning feels closer to an English park hunt than anything else on this continent, except the deer are wild and the country is big.
Access has always run through the landholders here, which makes the Midlands a natural fit for booked stays. Tasmania's rules are specific: an annual hunting licence, a tag for your one allowed antlered buck per year taken in the season that runs from late February into early April, and a long antlerless season from February to October for management and meat animals.
Terrain
Frost-hollow valleys, native grassland runs, dry sclerophyll ridges and hawthorn hedgerows: a landscape unique in Australia.
Seasons & timing
Tasmania's antlered buck season opens in late February and runs into early April, covering the start of the rut, with one male deer per licensed hunter per year under tag. The antlerless season runs from February to October with no government quota on participating private properties.
Licences & access
A Tasmanian hunting licence for deer plus the male deer tag where applicable, your firearms licence and booked landholder permission. Note that Tasmania is fox free, and wallaby control on some properties runs under separate crop protection permits that hosts will explain.
Nearest centres
Campbell Town · Ross · Oatlands · Longford
Tasmanian Midlands hunting: common questions
How does Tasmania's fallow deer season work?
Deer are managed game in Tasmania under NRE Tasmania. The antlered buck season opens in late February and runs into early April, and each licensed hunter may take one male deer per year under a tag ordered ahead of the season. The antlerless season is far longer, February to October, with no government quota on most private land. You need the appropriate Tasmanian licence in addition to your booking.
Why are Midlands fallow deer considered special?
Genetics and management. The herd descends from quality English park stock introduced in the 1830s and has been managed by the same grazing families for nearly two centuries. Mature bucks here carry mass and palmation rarely seen on the mainland.
What else can I hunt on a Midlands property?
Rabbits and hares are abundant and superb for young hunters. Tasmania is fox free, so there is no fox shooting, and some properties hold crop protection permits for wallaby that operate separately from deer licensing. Each listing states exactly what is available.
Do I need to book Tasmanian fallow hunts far in advance?
For the buck season and the croak, yes: late February to early April dates on quality properties are reserved many months out, often by returning guests. Antlerless and meat hunts through winter are much easier to secure.
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Hunting properties in the Tasmanian Midlands
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