Coordinated feral deer program planned in the Clare Valley
An intensive and coordinated program to manage Clare Valley’s feral deer population is planned for winter, with landholders encouraged to register their property.
More than 1000 landholders received letters from the Northern and Yorke Landscape Board in May inviting expressions of interest as part of the Landscape SA funded Now or Never project.
Property owners can fill out an online form via bit.ly/CVdeercontrol to register their property for potential inclusion in the ground and aerial control operations. Aerial operations will begin in July and ongoing ground control programs will continue to assist landholders with their feral deer management.
Northern and Yorke Landscape Board pest animals project officer Tim Howard said deer numbers had increased rapidly in the area in the past 5 years and were problematic for vineyards, native species and on roads.
“Feral deer are an introduced species that cause extensive damage to our landscapes, including chewing and trampling vegetation and vines, damaging native animal habitat, and impacting residential gardens,” he said.
“They compete with livestock for food and water, spread weeds, are potential carriers of disease, and degrade both conservation and productive land.
“These impacts are especially significant during dry seasons, when pressure on our environment is already high. Feral deer also pose a considerable risk to road users, with increasing vehicle collisions becoming a serious safety concern, especially during dawn and dusk when deer are more active.”
The Board has carried out ground control during the past 12 months with Clare local Shaun Mills from Outback Hunting Contractor. About 250 deer have been removed as part of this operation, and now aerial control is key to controlling greater numbers.
“It’s difficult to pinpoint a specific number, but we expect thousands of feral deer roam throughout the Clare Valley,” said Mr Howard.
“There’s a small window of opportunity to act before the population becomes unmanageable, causing significant damage to our region’s biodiversity and primary production.”
Mr Mills agreed that the feral deer population had reached a tipping point.
“We culled about 1000 deer around here about 5 years ago and the numbers have snuck up again,” he said. “Give it another 3 years and the numbers will be out of control if nothing is done.”
“Professional and recreational hunters are part of the solution, but aerial control work is needed in thick vegetation where there’s a lot of timber.”
Control of declared pest animals like feral deer is the responsibility of individual landholders under the Landscape SA Act 2019. The upcoming, funded control program aims to assist public and private landholders with this obligation.
It is part of a bigger operation targeting feral deer and goats across the Northern and Yorke region, including the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary, the Southern Flinders Ranges and the Mid North district.
“We’ve had great success over the past two months in the Mid North and Southern Flinders, removing more than 5000 pest animals in two aerial operations,” said Mr Howard. “This has included offering an aerial mustering option to landholders prior to the control work, where more than 3000 goats were mustered and used as a commercial resource.
“These aerial control works are carried out by highly skilled professionals using thermal technology for efficient and safe results.”
The Board encourages all landholders interested in participating in the program or learning more about how they can contribute to managing feral deer on their properties to complete the online form or contact the Board by calling 8841 3444.
