THE CHALLENGE AHEAD

DEER DIARY Sean Kilkenny

Many of you will have read and been aware of the recently launched ‘National Feral (sic) Deer Action Plan’.

While this is only a plan, and it’s at a federal level and not prescriptive in terms of what a state or territory must do to manage deer, it attempts to set a course and direct funding towards specific goals.

Its main goal is for the development of toxic baits/poisons.

This is something that the Australian Deer Association strongly opposes, and a view that is shared with contemporary society. As the ‘Deer People’, we are the first to acknowledge and get involved in managing deer and their impacts where necessary. This is also widely reflected in our membership. While the ADA runs deer management programs with government bodies and other non-government entities, you, our members, also spend considerable time and effort helping private landholders manage deer on their property in urban and regional areas.

Moving forward, we must continue to walk the walk regarding deer management. Deer management on private property should be distinct from recreational hunting; there is a stark difference between harvesting animals on private property with a thermal device or spotlight and harvesting a deer via recreationally hunting on public land. Both have their place and are integral to the tools available to manage deer. And it’s perfectly fine for people to do both. This reflects the reality for many people, and it’s not likely to change anytime soon.

We also find ourselves in a unique position regarding deer; while some are paid to complain about deer but contribute nothing to their management, we have the credentials of delivering huge harvest numbers and on-the-ground delivery of deer management. This is a capacity that we will continue to improve upon and ensure that we maintain this position in the conversation regarding wild deer.

Across the country, we face an ever-changing landscape, from a draconian approach to deer in South Australia, where landholders have no choice but to sign up for aerial control programs or face the risk of significant financial fines and penalties, to more mature responses to deer in New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania, where public land that the ADA fought and won for recreational hunting plays a significant role in harvesting deer and providing economic windfalls for the respective states.

Articulating and sharing this value that wild deer provide is a huge part of our advocacy work. Deer hunting is ever-increasing in popularity, with more than 50,000 licensed deer hunters in Victoria. Being able to engage and be relevant to growing communities across the country is a challenge in the modern world, but one that the ADA is not shying away from and is actively investing in.

Over the next few months and into next year, you will see changes in how we communicate with you via the magazine, emails, our website, social media, and podcasts. We need to adapt and implement change so that, as the Deer People, we are always a click away and front of mind. Starting in August, a new employee, Paul Gray, will be focused on delivering our marketing strategy and plan. It’s a huge job and will bring some change, but as deer hunters, changing and adapting is the norm. And in these challenging times, we must and will change, so that we can grow, go from strength to strength and deliver a better future for the next generation of deer hunters.

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