The South Australian government has ramped up its aerial feral deer culling program as some drought-affected farmers battle large numbers of the pest on their properties.Â
Experts are urging NSW and Victorian authorities to step up their eradication programs to prevent a feral deer plague.
Invasive Species Council chief executive officer Jack Gough said SA’s deer eradication program was the most ambitious in Australia and other states should follow.
“Feral deer are the next big rabbit plague for Australia,” Mr Gough said.
Feral deer damage pastures on the Limestone Coast. (Supplied: Limestone Coast Landscape Board)
He said New South Wales and Victoria had high populations of feral deer and they were not being managed.
“Unfortunately, feral deer are trashing, trampling and polluting the place,” Mr Gough said.
“Once that population is out of control, like it is in NSW and Victoria, there really is no going back from a permanent deer plague across the state.
He said there was no funding behind the “ambitious” National Feral Deer Action Plan from the federal government or the NSW and Victorian governments.
Feral deer walk across a road in the upper south-east of SA. (Supplied: Limestone Coast Landscape Board)
Minister for Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins, said significant progress was being made in delivery of the National Feral Deer Action Plan 2023-2028.
“The federal government funds the National Deer Management Coordinator Program and has invested $8.26 million in feral deer-related projects since 2021-2022,” she said.
“This included funding to continue the national coordination program for feral deer and to co-fund priority pest projects with the states and territories.”
Culling drives down numbers
The Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) said the population has almost halved since it launched the South Australian Feral Deer Eradication Program in 2022.
The program is the most extensive in the country, with South Australia the only state actively moving towards total eradication.Â
Feral deer populations can grow by more than 30 per cent a year. (Supplied: Limestone Coast Landscape Board)
Despite the South East having the highest feral deer populations, officials said they could be at a turning point with enough momentum to eradicate the pest.
The Limestone Coast Landscape Board has been undertaking aerial culling in some parts of the region, removing about 1,100 animals from the landscape so far this year.
The aerial culling program involves helicopters sweeping low over conservation areas, plantations and landholder-approved properties, causing concerns from deer hunters about animal cruelty and the danger of being shot themselves. Â
Steve Bourne says aerial culling is the most effective way to remove large numbers of feral deer. (ABC South East SA: Elsie Adamo)
Landscape board general manager Steve Bourne said South Australia’s recent dry conditions had changed where deer populations were congregating.
“We’re seeing them spread around more and they’re being seen in places where they haven’t been seen before,” Mr Bourne said.
Aerial culling of feral deer in South Australia has been more effective than on-ground shooting. (Supplied: Limestone Coast Landscape Board)
He said the movement was making it easier for aerial culling efforts, with feral deer travelling into more open areas.
“That really does give us an opportunity to get in and drive those populations down really quickly,” he said.
“In really dry times when there’s irrigation in an area, the deer are congregated there.”
An economic analysis undertaken by PIRSA in 2022 said about 40,000 deer accounted for $36 million in agricultural productivity losses.
Feral deer can significantly impact the availability of livestock grazing pasture when left unchecked. (ABC South East SA: Elsie Adamo)
PIRSA feral deer eradication coordinator Myall Tarran said the initial results were promising.
“We’ve removed 27,000 deer over the last three and a half years, and we estimate we’ve just about halved the state’s feral deer population,” he said.Farmers show support for deer culling
The South East has the highest populations of feral deer in South Australia, followed by the Adelaide Hills and the Fleurieu Peninsula, and the Mid North.
“We’re making really great strides in those areas, but it is tough and the numbers of deer in some places are really stubborn, particularly in the South East,” Mr Tarran said.
He said a deer on a farm could take as many resources as 1.5 sheep, 2.5 kangaroos or 43 rabbits.
If the program continued to be funded, Mr Tarran said he was confident it would reach its goal of total eradication by 2032.Â
“There’s every indication that we’re going to be able to eradicate deer according to the plan,” he said.
Farms impacted
But not every landholder has noticed the decline in numbers.
Ian Mulligan, who operates St Mary’s Wines and Spirits with his family on their farm and vineyard in the Coonawarra, said deer numbers appeared high.
Ian Mulligan says the deer problem is getting worse, not better. (ABC South East SA: Elsie Adamo)
While there had been sightings of feral deer around the property for decades, Mr Mulligan believed the problem was worsening.
“Ten to 15 years ago you would probably see one or two a year … it’s not uncommon to see them three to four times a week now,” he said.
Although the Mulligans have not seen much damage from the animals on their farm, they are part of the Limestone Coast Landscape Board’s deer eradication program and undertake private culling efforts throughout the year.
“The frequency is enough to warrant looking after it privately ourselves,” Mr Mulligan said.