Neerim South Police Sergeant Matthew Height said illegal shootings of deer on private property from roads by “rogue deer shooters” were not uncommon.

“Over the past 12 months there have been many instances where rogue deer shooters have been illegally shooting deer from the road or from their vehicles, shooting into private property without consent of the land owners,” Sgt Height said.

“In several cases these shooters have merely shot the deer and left them to rot on the private property for the owner to find. In some cases they have only removed the head of large stags and left the body to rot on the victims farms.”

Sgt Height said offenders caught have had their firearms seized and licenses suspended while their cases are before the courts.

They were also charged with wildlife regulations breaches.

“While most deer shooters adhere to the law and hunt properly in the appropriate areas, I encourage those doing the right thing to inform police of illegal activity and known offenders,” Sgt Height said.

“These offenders need to be stopped, they put people in danger through their carelessness with high powered rifles and give those doing the right thing a bad name.”

Any information on illegal shooting practices should be reported to Neerim South Police on 5628 1303 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.