Info and resources

Six introduced deer species occur in the wild in Australia, with all states and territories having at least one species present. In comparison to other introduced ungulates in Australia the impacts of wild deer have not been well documented. Globally, wild deer can have a wide variety of negative economic, social and environmental impacts – and some of these impacts are being reported in parts of Australia. However, investment in research and innovation to understand and minimise the negative impacts of wild deer has been ad hoc, with no national coordination. This workshop was held to identify national priorities for research and innovation to improve understanding and management of wild deer impacts in Australia.

This Framework, which is based on the experience and knowledge gained through the Harrietville Living with Deer project, is for use by land managers and communities wanting to develop a community response to deer impacts in a Victorian community.

Helicopter-based shooting has been widely used to kill deer in Australasia, but the animal welfare outcomes of this technique have not been evaluated.

The rapid adoption of collective impact in Australia and overseas is testament to the fact that current responses to the complex issues of contemporary families and communities are inadequate, and that a holistic and coordinated response resonates with practitioners in the social services sector.

The catch per unit effort of contract shooters was four times greater than that of volunteer shooters. After accounting for key operational costs, the cost per deer killed was 10.1% higher for contract than volunteer shooters. The effectiveness of ground-based shooters is increased by operating at night using vehicles, spotlights and thermal-vision equipment. Contract shooters kill sambar deer at a faster rate, but are slightly more expensive per deer killed, than are volunteer shooters.

In this video, the Upper Murray Landcare Network presents some examples of fencing methods used in that area to protect your assets from the impact of feral deer.

Aerial shooting from helicopters as an emergency response operation is a highly effective and efficient way to manage introduced animals for the benefit to biodiversity, especially where there is good visibility and in inaccessible or remote terrain. The open canopy, loss of understorey and the congregation of animals around scarce resources as a result of the 2019-20 bushfires provided a time-critical management opportunity perfectly suited for aerial shooting.

Cervus unicolor (sambar) were introduced to Australia in the 1860s (Bentley 1998) and have since expanded their range throughout eastern Victoria and more recently into New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory (Moriarty 2004). They are a large deer; mature hinds weigh 130–150 kg and stand up to 1150 mm at the shoulder and stags weigh 200–250 kg and are up to 1300 mm at the shoulder (Bentley 1998; Mason 2006). C. unicolor are opportunistic in their food selection, and depending on availability may be classed as predominantly browsers (Burke 1982; Ngampongsai 1987; Shea et al. 1990; Semiadi et al. 1995), grazers (Padmalal et al. 2003) or intermediate feeders consuming approximately equal quantities of both browse and graze food plants (King 1990; Varman and Sukumar 1993; Stafford 1997). Selective browsing by C. unicolor may impact on species abundance and distribution, and thereby alter species composition of forest types, while social behaviours, such as rubbing and wallowing, may lead to impacts on water quality and biodiversity.

Authors Centre for Invasive Species Solutions. David Forsyth, Sebastien Comte, Andrew Bengsen, Jordan Hampton, Tony Pople. Summary This Glovebox Guide to Managing Feral Deer is a practical resource designed to assist Australian land managers (farmers, public land managers and Indigenous groups) to manage the impacts of feral deer. A large …