Pest experts say hunting won't solve NSW feral deer crisis alone

But while the call for action grows, the Shooters, Fishers, and Farmers Party continue to rubbish proposed reforms that would likely allow the pest to be managed more effectively across the state.

Deer are costing farmers up to $20,000 annually due to reduced stocking rates, while landowners across the state have told The Land they are spending an increasing amount of hours in the paddock fighting off the destructive animal, which some claim is in plague proportions.

Government has been accused failing to act on deer for four years, except to provide the animal as a plentiful resource for the hunting lobby, who, via the Shooters Party, brokered a deal in 2012 for deer management to be further tilted in hunters’ favour.

Shooters MP Robert Brown has also debated the veracity of the expert-led, scientifically-backed Natural Resource Commission Report into pest animal management - which currently sits with government - and which says deer is the state’s most dangerous emerging pest threat.

WHILE farmers and environmentalists wait to see if Macquarie Street will take the report’s advice and strip deer of its game status - which would allow for coordinated pest management - budget estimates has hinted at how far the problem has gone unchecked.

Figures from the Department of Primary Industries’ game licensing unit shows registered hunters killed just 896 deer in NSW in 2015, and 745 to date in 2016.

Invasive Species Council chief executive Andrew Cox said an annual cull of 30,000 to 40,000 was needed in NSW just to keep deer from growing in numbers, based on his estimate that the current population was at least 100,000.

“Victoria has more deer and more hunters than NSW, and they are seeing 50,000-plus deer killed by hunters each year,” Mr Cox said.

“But even then, (the deer) are spreading. 

Mr Cox said the mindset of recreational hunting was completely at odds with effective pest management. 

“(Hunting) does not provide feral animal control. It just doesn’t. Especially when all you want is more deer and more room to shoot in.

“There is a lot of fury out there among landholders – the animal raised with me most is by far the deer.”

SHOOTERS, Fishers, and Farmers MP Mr Brown rubbished Mr Cox’s scientifically-backed evidence and said the budget estimates figures only showed the amount of deer 25,000 ‘R’ licence shooters killed in the 1 million hectares of state forest they are allowed in.

Instead, he said, a community of 200,000 shooters, bowhunters, and pig doggers in NSW likely saw 30,000 to 40,000 deer killed, or die through natural causes, each year.

“Andrew Cox’s “estimates” could best be described as a guess,” Mr Brown said.

He nominated kangaroos as the main threat to farmers in NSW, with only 355,824 (or 13 per cent) of the allowed commercial harvest of 2,701,593 taking place in 2015. 

He also pointed to the seven million foxes and 22 million feral pigs in Australia. 

He also disagreed with suggestions that hunters only want to take the male deer for their antlers, leaving more females to produce foals.

“Hunters are encouraged to take at least one doe or hind for every buck or stag harvested.

“Where local populations exhibit a “female bias”, hunters are encouraged to increase this ratio.”

Mr Brown also says there are 50 million-plus hectares of private land available for deer to roam in throughout NSW, even though landholders currently have to spend their own time eradicating the animal with little guidance or support from coordinated control programs. 

While shooters say they are are simply passionate about their sport, The Land has been told by several farmers they fear trespass and vandalism from illegal hunters if they open their properties up.

CALLS to apply pest status are widespread, including from the federal government’s Environment Department, local councils, farmer and conservation groups, and the CWA of NSW.

Ultimately the fault lies with government, according to NSW Labor’s Mick Veitch and The Greens’ Jeremy Buckingham.

Both have unloaded on Macquarie Street this week for its lack of action on the problem.

“The NSW government is failing farmers by sitting on their hands on this issue.

“This is costing farmers, as well as impacting on the environment,” Mr Veitch said.

“I’m being told that leaving the problem to amateur shooters alone is not working.”

Government says it is still considering the Natural Resource Commission (NRC) report. Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair also told budget estimates deer monitoring maps would be available next year.

“We know all too well the impact pest animals can have on the state’s primary industries, environment, economy and society so we are now thoroughly considering the NRC’s findings,” Mr Blair said.

“It is vital we know where current and emerging deer hotspots are. Updated maps will be available in 2017.”