Deer Hunting Discussion Paper

Hunting pressure can and does control deer if it is sustained over a longer period than is currently available and targets the females as well as males.  Currently vehicle based deer hunting is unavailable for significant periods (up to 6 months of the year) due to road closures creating a situation where hunters who walk long distances choose to harvest stags only.  This "backpack hunting" is becoming a very popular way of getting in to prime sambar habitat.  Sambar populations are increasing where hunters focus solely on trophy stags and do not take hinds (females) meaning the breeding population remains “unchecked”. Hunting regulations can be framed to deal effectively with this situation.

The other areas of note where deer populations are increasing are those where hunting is currently not permitted.  ADA recognises that  legislation changes will be necessary to open some of these areas to hunting but with appropriate analysis many of these areas can be opened with little impact to other park users and the added benefit of control of deer numbers.

Being a keen deer stalker, during the seasonal closure of the ANP I venture in for extended periods of time in the hope of observing/photographing/ and occassionally harvesting a deer if a suitable one is located.

The initial stage of my journey usually involves cycling which could be 10km +; I then leave my mountainbike concealled and continue on by foot. I have enjoyed this style of backpack hunting regularly for over 15 years, and on my travels have occasionally encountered Parks Vic staff.

It has only recently in the last week come to my attention whilst reading the PV Management Plan - Wonnangatta- Moroka Unit [Section 13.19.2, second item], that I became aware that cycling is not permitted on road closures.

Whilst there appears to be a general discreetionary tolerance to this practise from encountered PV rangers the technicality lies in that a pushbike is classified as a vehicle under certain regulations/Acts, and we all know vehicles,  generally such things as cars, 4WDs, motorbikes etc are excluded from the Park during 'seasonal track closures'.

I believe this regulation needs amending to allow cycling to occur during seasonal track closures for there appears to be no evidence to indicate that cycling has a detrimental effect on recognised vehicle tracks. In comparison horse riding can generally occur beyond seasonal closure gates.

I agree both Steve's and Michael's posts, particularly with
respect to seasonal track closures. 

 I think there should be a more flexible approach applied to
season track closures.  In recent
years the winter months have often been very dry and there has actually been a
greater danger of track damage as a result of wet weather when the tracks have
been open. Fraser (Science for Conservation 140 DoC. NZ. 2000) has suggested
that recreational deer hunting is a significant factor in suppressing deer
density within 3 km of a road. 
There are not many places in the Alpine National Park that are more than
3km from a vehicle track, but many are closed for long periods.  

Opening up more of the ANP's is one way that hunters can assist in contolling the deer numbers, as Steve Garlick has said, deer populations are growing where hunters have no access.

I feel that more could be done in the way that the NP's are advertised with regards to hunting opportunities, especially to interstate hunters. Advertising could done via hunting magazines and various other methods.

Deer hunters are no different to other tourists and must have food, fuel, accommodation and various other items and as such could benefit the economy of the local communities.

I have been hunting sambar in the Victorian mountains for close to forty years and still hunt there regularly with some success. I have also followed the popular and scientific literature on deer over most of that time, been involved in activities through ADA to maintain access for hunting, contributed to studies of sambar diet and behaviour and kept a keen watch on the expansion of sambar numbers and range over that period.

The past forty years have seen a dramatic increase in both sambar numbers and range so that at the present time there are probably huntable populations right through eastern Victoria. To the credit of the LCC, they recommended that hunting by stalking be allowed to continue in the traditionally hunted areas that were to be declared state or national parks (such as Eildon, Mitchell River, Baw Baw and the western parts of the Alpine National Park including the Avon Wilderness). At the time this seemed a reasonable outcome that satisfied the hunting fraternity (apart from hound hunters) while delivering improved conservation.

However, many hunters in the early 1980's, myself included, were aware that sambar numbers were expanding quite rapidly to the east of the "traditional" areas, such as along the Upper Murray, Gibbo, Buchan and Snowy Rivers, and these areas were starting to provide significant hunting opportunity. Unfortunately, the LCC did not recognise hunting as a use of these areas and recommended that hunting not be allowed in any parks proclaimed there.

Since the early 1980s deer hunter numbers have increased dramatically at the same time that reports of sambar damage have also increased, largely in areas that are closed to hunting, either because they are close to populated areas or because they are in parks where no hunting is allowed.

Although I am aware that allowing hunting in currently closed parks such as the Snowy River and Croagingolong National Parks would require legislative change, I think that it is important that Parks Victoria start to consider the possibility of openning these parks to hunting in the future, so long as public safety considerations can be met. A consistent approach to all parks where deer are present seems a very logical way to go.

A recent trip into the Suggan Buggan indicated that sambar and fallow deer were both present and that it was likely that red deer were also present. It appears logical to me that were species other than sambar are present they should also be available for legal hunting.

Improved access to isolated areas is another key to managing deer numbers. Consideration needs to be given to how access can be improved into key areas such as the Wonnangatta/Moroka, Upper Macalister and Upper Dargo areas, particularly during the winter period when rivers may be uncrossable or roads closed to vehicles.

I would like to concur with Ken Slees comments on the Snowy area & access for deer hunting.

This large area would benefit by improved access for deer hunting.  By allowing access for hunting the  deer population can begin to he controlled by a volunteeer group. ie deer hunters.  This is currently the situation with hunting on State Forests in NSW.  Parkes Victoria could work with the deer hunting fraternity ( peak body)to set the harvest rate of deer in any areas of the park where deer may be impacting on sensitive vegetation.

I guess that every organisation likes to formulate its own policies, implement them and then see how their policies work in the real world and make modifications as they gain new knowledge. However, when it comes to deer, Australian organisations are not all that experienced in deer matters compared with some of their overseas counterparts.

When it comes to deer perhaps the country that is most similar to Australia and that has been dealing with 'deer issues' for a considerable time is New Zealand.

New Zealand has perhaps 'been there and done it all' with respect to deer, starting with acclimatisation, trophy only hunting, government cullers, open slather meat hunting by helicopters, live capture for deer farming by whatever worked, poisoning with 1080 in possum control operations and conservation department culling by helicopter in 'high conservation value areas'. Much of this journey was described by the late and great Graeme Caughley in his book The Deer Wars.

New Zealand now seems to have recogised that deer cannot be eradicated, that they are there to stay and that perhaps it makes sense to utilise them as a resource for maximum benefit to the community rather than call them pests and do whatever it takes to destroy them. Recently it has been agreed that a New Zealand Game Animal Council be formed to manage that country's deer, chamois, tahr and wild pigs - with recreational hunting being a major plant in their management along with managed commercial harvest and probably government funded culls when there are localised conservation issues.

I don't think that we necessarily adopt the new New Zealand model but I do think that giving recreational hunters access to most or all national parks where deer occur and where there are no safety or other issues is a good starting point, and then introduce other specific options when there is a demonstrated issue to be addressed (my understanding is that most (all?) New Zealand National Parks are open to recreational hunting.

The Australasian Wildlife Management Conference in New Zealand in December is an excellent venue for discussions of issues relating to deer and their management - if anyone from Parks is going to be there it would be a gold-plated opportunity to talk to the likes of Cam Speedy, Garry Ottmann, the New Zealand deer researchers etc.

Cheers

Thanks Ken,

Here's the link to the DOC page deer hunting...

http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/activity-finder/hunting/

http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/threats-and-impacts/animal-pests/animal-pests-a-z/deer/

I'll find out about whether any Parks Victoria staff are attending the Australasian Wildlife Management Conference in New Zealand in December.