From the Executive Officer

“The deer problem, its definition changing decade by decade, had less to do with the deer themselves than with what people thought about deer; and that thinking was shaped largely by the verities and myths of a tightly-knit rural community living on small islands in a large ocean.

"The progression of events had an inevitability about it such that individuals, and individual decisions, were not particularly influential. The outcome would have been similar had all the principals been struck down by some rare and selective virus before each had reached his prime. It would be grossly inaccurate, and grossly unfair, to blame individuals for decisions that might now appear inept. They were contributing to an administrative and political process that severely curtailed their discretion, and over which they exercised scant controls.”

— Dr Graeme Caughley – The Deer Wars – October 1982

Forty or so years ago, across the ditch, reflecting on the preceding half-century — a few tweaks here and there and Dr Caughley could well be writing about what we are in the middle of in Australia in 2021.

Caughley’s seminal work, The Deer Wars, should serve as a cautionary tale to governments, land managers, and conservationists (both pro and anti-hunting) — instead you might be forgiven for thinking that it’s being used as a “how to” manual.

Too much of the discussion about wild deer in Australia is based on “verities and myths” and too little on a sober analysis of the facts. What the community want to see or want to hear (or more accurately, what the decision makers believe the community want to see and hear) takes precedence over what should be the primary goal of wildlife management programs — addressing negative impacts and protecting biodiversity.

So much of ADA’s work in our state and federal parliaments is focused on steering this conversation to where it needs to be; because, if we don’t, the environment, agriculture, the deer and hunting will all be worse off.

In 2020 we made submissions to inquiries and presented to politicians and decision makers across the depth and breadth of Australia. In 2021, with (touch wood) less restrictions and with our growth in membership unlocking more resources, we are planning on doing even more.

We take our role as the voice for deer hunters and for sound deer management very seriously. A big part of that includes driving accountability for governments and academic institutions. In turn, we are accountable for our actions, first to ADA members, but also to the hunting community more broadly.

It is fair that you judge us on what we do as well as what we say. It is also fair that we make our agenda as transparent as possible.

Our agenda for 2021 includes (but is by no means limited to):

Queensland – Continuing to work with other stakeholders to progress public land hunting.

New South Wales – Growing deer management programs and extending the role of recreational hunters in deer management. Growing R-Licence numbers and hunter participation.

ACT – Advancing discussions about wild deer management with private and public land managers.

Victoria – Positively influencing the development of the new Sustainable Hunting Action Plan and the new Wildlife Game Regulations. Growing public land access. Further developing game meat processing for personal use.

Tasmania – positively influencing the new Wild Deer Management Strategy. Continuing to fight for evidence-based management and reject the misinformation from groups like the Invasive Species Council and the protagonists for unfettered commercialisation.

South Australia – Developing and growing co-operative deer management programs.

Western Australia – Developing and growing co-operative deer management programs.

Northern Territory – Extending the Remote Area Hunter Education Program and supporting the growth of the Backcountry Hunting Initiative.

Nationally – Promoting wild food and the role of hunters. Creating a broadly applicable wildlife management app. Advocating for evidence-based wild deer management. Advocating for the continuation of community television.

There are great opportunities for hunting and for well-considered deer management — it’s up to us to lead the way on that and steer other stakeholders in the right direction.

About Dr Graeme Caughley (1937-1994)

Dr Caughley was the assistant chief of the CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology, at Gungahlin. He researched and advised on the ecology of large mammals, and extinction processes, on all continents. He earned an international reputation for outstanding theoretical work and for applying his science in the field.

He was probably best known in Australia for his aerial surveys of kangaroo populations, and for his two years as a commissioner with the Resource Assessment Commission's inquiry into forests.

Born in Wanganui, New Zealand, Dr Caughley worked in the 1950s as a government hunter for the NZ Department of Internal Affairs, later studying the ecology of introduced mammals and birds for the NZ Forest Service. In 1958 he moved to the NZ Antarctic Division, where he studied penguins and seals.

Dr Caughley completed a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of New Zealand in 1959. He then moved to the University of Sydney, completing his Masters degree in 1962, before returning to NZ to complete a PhD at the University of Canterbury in 1967.

While studying for his PhD Dr Caughley worked again for the NZ Forest Service, researching the population dynamics of that country's alpine mammals. He then spent two years with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, advising on the conservation of endangered species in Nepal, Afghanistan and Kenya.

In 1969 he was offered a research fellowship in zoology at the University of Sydney.

He left Sydney in 1971 to work again for the FAO, researching and advising on the decline of elephant populations in Zambia and Kenya.

Dr Caughley returned to the University of Sydney as a senior lecturer in 1973, and was awarded a DSc from that university in 1979.

The same year he moved to the CSIRO in Canberra, where he began a mammoth task of understanding the dynamics of aridzone kangaroos and their environment in Kinchega National Park. This work, in which he led a team of more than 30 people, culminated in a book called Kangaroos: Their Ecology and Management in the Sheep Rangelands of Australia. The book is recognised as the most comprehensive study of the interactions of mammalian herbivores and their food source.

While engaged in this study, Dr Caughley continued his NZ interests. His book The Deer Wars had a profound influence on NZ deer management policy.

In 1992 Dr Caughley was elected to the Australian Academy of Science. In 1993 he was awarded the CSIRO's highest honour, the annual $25,000 Chairman's Medal.

Dr Caughley died of cancer in 1994, aged 56. He had a huge influence on the theory and practice of conservation and vertebrate ecology throughout the world.