RECREATIONAL shooters have defended their role in managing feral species in Victoria following an attack by a lobby group.

The Field and Game Association and the Sporting Shooters Association have branded claims that hunters are deliberately spreading feral deer as "ludicrous".

In a submission to the Victorian Government, the Invasive Species Council said bounties or recreational hunting schemes could become an incentive for the spread of deer populations.

The submission said most of the recent increase in the number of feral deer herds in Australia had occurred due to hunters illegally moving deer to new areas.

The report's author, Dr Carol Booth, told The Weekly Times the deliberate release of feral pigs into scrub in NSW and Queensland was "widely known."

Dr Booth said illegal translocation of other species had also occurred.

She said there was genetic evidence from pigs in southern Western Australia that showed they had been transferred a great distance.

"Presumably it was done by hunters because they were found close to roads," Dr Booth said.

She said a report from last year attributed a burgeoning deer population to translocation.

Dr Booth said the evidence pointed to hunters.

"They talk about having cowboys in their ranks and spotting the bad eggs, but they should not be acting surprised," she said.

Dr Booth said recreational hunters should not be used to manage feral animal populations as professional hunters were more effective.

Field and Game Australia chief executive Rod Drew said allegations of hunters moving feral pigs into new areas to hunt had been around for years.

"But we never hear of any evidence," Mr Drew said.

"It's just a ludicrous allegation and it's unproven."

Mr Drew said the deer population had increased partly due to them being turned loose from farms.

"That's why deer are more a pest species than a game animal," he said.

Sporting Shooters Association spokesman Colin Wood said a few "lunatics" might have moved young pigs to new areas.

"But a few of them have been caught and prosecuted, and we support that," Mr Wood said.

He said deers hunters could not spread deer as they were too difficult to catch.

Mr Wood said the spread of deer was more likely to be due to escapees from farms.

He said recreational shooters had been successful in controlling feral goats in the Murray-Sunset National Park.