With all of the hype about deer numbers increasing dramatically, it is interesting to look back at one population; the hog deer of coastal Gippsland.
Hog deer were liberated on the Victorian mainland adjacent to Snake Island in the mid-1860s. At the time this was a sparsely settled area and largely still a wilderness of coastal marsh and scrubland with extensive pioneering cattle runs.
From the few records that exist, hog deer must have dispersed and bred very successfully through this area in the years following their release. This is highlighted by reports that paint a picture of thriving populations that are now largely a shadow of previous times.
For example, it was reported in the Argus in 1914 that 50 deer (presumably hog deer) had been culled near Hedley in South Gippsland. Further news items from nearby Toora reported culls on Snake Island, with references to “wholesale slaughter”. Then in 1915 and 1916 hunting parties were licensed to shoot up to ten hog deer during week-long hunts on Snake Island. An official report recorded by Bentley indicated that there “were plenty of deer” at Tarwin Lower to the immediate west of Wilsons Promontory and Snake Island in 1924. Another interesting report by residents of Seaspray in the Gippsland Times in 1950 calls for the small remaining population of deer in the area to be protected as “where once there were hundreds of these creatures, there is now only an occasional one to be seen”.
While hunting might have contributed to the decline in hog deer numbers across this wide area, closer settlement, particularly following the First World War and the associated draining of the extensive wetlands, clearing of scrub and forest and other activities related to farming were undoubtedly much more important; changes that will probably never be reversed.
Rather than exploding in numbers, a picture closer to ‘hanging in against all odds’ best describes the hog deer population over the past 100 years. Apart from the still abundant kangaroos, the native wildlife in the area has undoubtedly followed a similar trajectory to the deer.
The National Deer Association in the USA (a successor of the Quality Deer Management Association) has released their Deer Report 2022, which offers some interesting reading and gob-smacking statistics on the 2021 hunting season.
There are 11 million deer hunters in the United States, compared to 3.1 million turkey hunters, 1.4 million duck hunters and less than one million elk hunters. Because of their dominance, deer drive the hunting and conservation industries in the country with an estimated annual spend by hunters of $23 billion.
Deer hunting season lengths vary greatly from state to state with a range from 30 to 277 days. Firearm use still dominates hunting, with 64 per cent of eastern-state hunters and 83 per cent of western-state hunters choosing a rifle or shotgun over a bow, crossbow or muzzle loader. State bag limits vary widely, from one buck per hunter per year to seven or more, while hunter success also varies widely, averaging 41 per cent, but ranging from 15 to 68 per cent depending on state.
The total annual deer harvest across the United States is around 6.5 million, made up of approximately equal numbers of does and bucks. Texas led this take in 2021 with 450,000 bucks and 400,000 does. The influence that the Quality Deer Management philosophy has had in the past thirty years is very evident from the statistics presented; in 1989 62 per cent of bucks shot were only 1.5 years old, while in recent times it is 26 per cent, with 41 per cent of the bucks taken now being 3.5 years old or older. This change in the ages of bucks shot is a testament to how far deer management has come over those 30 years.
The National Deer Association website allows you to download the full report, along with lots of other information and is well worth a look to learn more about wild deer, wildlife habitat and hunting in North America. Go to https//deerassociation.com
The ADA and SSAA (Vic) were partners in a sambar control program in East Gippsland from 2019 through to 2021 run by the East Gippsland Conservation Management Network (EGCMN) with significant funding from State and Federal Government sources and the involvement of traditional owners, government departments, landowners, Landcare and the Game Management Authority. A report on this trial was released in October 2022.
The stated aim of the trial was ‘… to develop and deliver a partnership-based deer control trial to reduce deer relative abundance and evaluate the effectiveness of coordinated hunting as a management intervention to improve littoral rainforest condition.’ Littoral rainforest has high conservation value as it has a very restricted distribution in Victoria.
The trial area included a mix of state park, state forest, aboriginal trust land and private property. The state forest and private property are open to recreational hunting, while the state park and aboriginal trust land are closed to all hunting.
The design and conduct of the trial are too complex to report here but it is estimated that around 1,000 sambar were removed from the 38,000 hectare trial area between 2019 and 2021, either by volunteer hunters and landowners (stalking, hounds, spotlights and night vision on state forest and private property) or by contract shooters employing night vision technology or aerial platform (state forest, state park and private property).
Monitoring showed a likely reduction in deer numbers in the trial area. This suggests coordinated hunting may be able to influence deer abundance. Vegetation regeneration declined where deer control did not occur, but remained constant where hunting pressure was elevated, suggesting deer control may stabilise and facilitate vegetation regeneration by reducing deer browsing.
It was concluded that further work is required to provide more robust results and that a partnership driven cross-tenure approach is most likely the best way to achieve a reduction in deer impacts.
One aspect of this study must be applauded; the involvement of recreational hunters from ADA and SSAA. Too often, the potential role of recreational hunters in deer management is discounted and their motives are trivialised.
The project’s full report can be found on the EGCMN website; www.egcmn.org.au
Melbourne Branch member Daniel Attard shot this stag with 30-inch antlers back in June. He was hunting a new area but fresh sign was non-existent. He decided to spend the last two hours of light sitting on a saddle hoping to catch a deer crossing.
“To my surprise when I got to the saddle I spotted the stag up and feeding 110m from me. I shot him with the 7mm Rem Mag a little far back and he took off straight down the hill towards the creek. I was lucky to find him after he ran over 400m without leaving any blood to follow. It was a big carry out of the cape and antlers that night, and returning the next morning for the back legs. It’s my best stag to date”, says Daniel.
Great work Daniel, that’s a beauty!
Deep in the high country with good mates, Steve Robinson captured these fantastic images of an eastern water dragon.
It had been a long time between drinks but the highly anticipated meeting was back at Steve Threlfall's store at Trelly's Shepparton for the Murray Valley Branch's October General Meeting. With over 100 attendees, of which 60% were non-members, the meeting was designed to accommodate all aspects of the hunting and shooting community.
The Branch appreciated the support from the crew from Outdoor Sporting Agencies and SJS Trading Co, and the Australian Deer editor Martin Auldist. The meeting focused on lightweight and long-range rifles and the ever-improving world of optics including thermal and infrared optics. Martin also spoke of his role within the ADA and the importance of the national magazine in an ever-changing environment. Deer harvesting has evolved and will continue to evolve with different methods and improved technology. The meeting clearly represented all these legal aspects of deer hunting, which resonated well with the crowd.
Topped off with a barbeque and a monster raffle sponsored by Trelly's, the night was a massive success and will now be back to being an annual event.
Brand new photo and trophy competitions kick off on January 1, 2023, so make sure you keep your cameras and rifles ready throughout the year for that winning opportunity. There are several different categories in both the photo and trophy comps, and all the rules and regulations for both are presented elsewhere in this issue of Australian Deer. Entry into the photo competition is easier than ever before, with electronic entries now accepted. There are some great prizes up for grabs in the photo comp too, with $150 Stoney Creek vouchers on offer to the winners of each category. Winners will also have their photos published in the magazine.
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