The future management of feral deer in the South East took a step forward at a meeting in Kingston last week.
Six resolutions were agreed upon at a closed meeting for Livestock SA southern region members.
These include lobbying the federal government for appropriate funding for the aerial survey and culling program beyond 2018, and expanding it to include more Upper SE properties.
Livestock SA has also been asked to encourage the Department of Environment, Water & Natural Resources, and other government agencies, to enforce compliance of the Natural Resources Management Act 2004, which states those keeping deer must maintain an adequate standard of fencing.
Members also requested Biosecurity SA provide them with an update on the Feral Deer Review, as well as a list of the notifiable livestock diseases that deer can carry, and results of any testing undertaken.
Keith farmer James Darling – who put forward the resolutions – says the results from the lastest aerial cull show deer numbers are “escalating” at an alarming rate.
In 4.5 days late last month, 200 more deer were shot than in a two week period in 2016.
“When I was out on the motorbike yesterday after the rain I could see deer tracks everywhere,” he said, on Monday.
Mr Darling says continuing the aerial survey and culling program is crucial but landholder participation must also be expanded.
“I was encouraged by the attitude of some landholders at the meeting who expressed the view of ‘one-in-all-in or we are lost’ with feral deer management,” he said.
“The areas where the aerial survey occurs should be wherever the authorities deem it is necessary as long as the helicopter is flying above a legal height.”
Mr Darling says all landholders must be subject to the same compliance.
“Australian Deer Association have been running deer in the landscape since the mid 1970’s without tagging or fencing them and are aiming to control only a portion of the population on the properties they shoot.”
“We can’t have that happen and then at the same time be placing a court order on the Brinkworth family for deer escaping from their enclosures,” he said.
Keilira farmer David Rasheed says the resolutions are “steps in the right direction.”
He has seen a spike in feral deer numbers in the past five years damaging pastures and reducing their stocking capacity.
They have taken numerous steps to reduce the population, including inviting friends onto the property to hunt deer.
Last year they erected 4.5 kilometres of 1.9m high deer proof fence around renovated lucerne.
“People who want to keep deer should have to fence them in. It shouldn’t be up to other landholders to put up costly fences to keep them out,” he said.
For the first time this year their property, Boolapuckee, was included in the aerial culling program which he hopes will continue to be funded.
“It wipes out a lot of deer in a short period of time, but the hard part is to try and get everyone to be involved – some people are making a good side income by having hunters on their place,” he said.
Mr Rasheed says illegal poachers are another major concern with increasing deer numbers.
“You don’t know who is walking around your place with guns but we often see dead deer,” he said.
Livestock SA chief executive officer Andrew Curtis said there was robust discussion among the members at the meeting, which led to a consensus that the current management practices needed reviewing.
“We are not saying we need to throw the current management out and start again but it is clear the current system is not containing the deer,” Mr Curtis said. “From all of the resolutions we have things to pursue.”
Natural Resources South East has sent out a survey to SE landholders, which it is asking them to complete by May 5.
NRM SE manager, parks & sustainable landscapes Nick McIntyre says the information gathered from the survey will help shape future on ground works to combat feral deer in the region.
“The South East Natural Resources Management Board has used the feedback previously collected to initiate a range of activities such as aerial monitoring surveys for deer populations, deer control work including working with deer farmers to reduce risk of escape and educating landholders on their responsibilities relating to feral deer,” he said.
