Deer hunting in alpine bushland will be bolstered through a $1m investment by the Victorian government.

Minister for Outdoor Recreation, Steve Dimopoulos, last week announced the government will spend the money building and upgrading remote huts, to give recreational deer hunters the perfect basecamp and making hunting trips easier and even more rewarding.

He said huts will feature basic facilities and secure meat safes, allowing recreational hunters to safely and sustainably harvest more deer, store venison and extend their trips.

"Until now recreational hunters have had to rely on game bags, but these new meat safes will change the game, ensuring high-quality, hygienic storage," Minister Dimopoulos said.

"With better meat storage, recreational hunters can bring home more venison, helping to reduce deer populations that can cause damage to native vegetation, agriculture and forest ecosystems – a win for the environment and the local economy."

The huts are also to be available to bushwalkers, four-wheel drivers, mountain bikers and adventurers of all kinds.

The government said it will collaborate with hunting and community groups to help guide how the huts are delivered, including determining their number and locations.

North East bushland areas, including those in the Mansfield Shire, remain among some of the most popular for deer hunting in the state.

Mansfield Shire already has a strong reputation as a hunting destination for deer, with data from the Game Management Authority’s (GMA) 2023 deer harvesting in Victoria report positioning the region as the number one spot.

The shire also topped the list for the total number of deer harvested as well as the total number of reported deer hunting days in the report, with Mansfield also securing pole position when it came to deer hunting with hounds.

Of the estimated 137,090 deer harvested in 2023, as many as 40,000 came from the North East.

The 2023 deer harvest was an 11 per cent increase on the estimated 123,400 deer harvested in 2022 and a 59 per cent increase on the long-term average of 86,400.

Sambar deer were the most harvested species with an estimated harvest of 106,500 deer, of which 53 per cent were female.

Fallow deer were the second most harvested species, with an estimated harvest of 27,500 deer, of which 59 per cent were female.

The number of licenced recreational deer hunters in 2023 was 52,321, an increase of more than 3.6 per cent from 2022 (50,478).

Of the licenced deer hunters, 60 per cent actively hunted in 2023, with hunters harvesting an estimated average of 4.3 deer over 10.5 days.