Hundreds of Illawarra hunters have dusted off their guns for the biggest event on the recreational shooting calendar, the annual deer-hunting season.
From now until October 31, red, wapiti and fallow deer can be legally hunted in state forests and private properties around NSW, in addition to rusa deer, more commonly found in the Illawarra, which can be hunted all year round.
The season launch follows a report in Saturday's Mercury which found scores of deer have been killed on University of Wollongong land as property owners enlist amateur hunters to cull the feral animals.
VOTE IN POLL: Do you support the culling of deer by recreational rather than professional shooters?The story prompted a flood of online feedback, with many declaring their confidence in the skills of recreational shooters while others expressed horror that the public were not informed of the culls.
Some 412 recreational shooters in the Illawarra hold game hunting licences.
Sporting Shooters Association of Australia Illawarra branch president Alois Ambs said deer hunting was more popular in the cooler months when the animals were more active.
"A lot of people hunt deer because they value venison - they bury the guts and head and take the rest of the body away," he said.
"Other people look for a big set of horns; they shoot one big stag and leave the rest."
NSW Game Council operations manager Stephen Hurt said an advertising blitz launched to coincide with the start of the season aimed to encourage compliance among recreational shooters and discourage illegal hunting.
He said fleet-footed deer were a notoriously difficult species to hunt and made for highly prized game.
"They're particularly alert to their surroundings - they know where to hide, when to hide and when to come out," Mr Hurt said.
"When they're not being hunted they're as bold as brass, but when you're looking for them you can't find them anywhere."
However the practice of using dogs during deer hunts, which is allowed under existing state legislation, has prompted concern from animal welfare groups.
Game Council-licensed hunters are allowed to use dogs to locate and flush out a deer, however the law stipulates they should not be used to chase or attack.
But executive director of welfare group Animals Australia, Glenys Oogjes, said the use of dogs was an "abomination".
"It's virtually impossible for there to be proper surveillance; it's the natural instinct of some dogs to chase and attack an animal," Ms Oogjes said.
"Obviously dogs in wooded bush areas may well chase, pursue and even attack deer - it's terribly stressful and cruel."
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