Wild dog baiting program to begin in NSW's far west

The area covered in the program is from Enngonia in the northeast to Broken Hill in the west, near Pooncarie in the southwest and to Mt Hope in the southeast.

A ground baiting program will follow this work.

Terry Smith, Pastoralists' Association of West Darling, said the program was timely as numbers were low but could easily take off due to large areas of ground cover and goats for the wild dogs to feed upon.

"It's taken the last two to three years, but numbers are starting to build again," he said. "About seven or eight years ago, there were significant numbers of wild dogs, and it took a considerable effort to get on top of them.

"There's plenty of tucker out there, and they'll start to pop up in the next 18 months or so."

Mr Smith said he'd felt the impact of wild dogs in a paddock of ewes that had been scanned with a 100 per cent tally of single lambs. Only 45 to 50 per cent of lambs were recorded at lamb marking.

"We had three dogs go through the place, and they stirred things up," he said.

Mr Smith said pigs were also a focus for western landholders.

He encouraged landholders to be involved with the LLS baiting programs.

"The more areas we can cover, the easier it is to keep a lid on wild dog numbers."

"These types of large-scale programs help reduce the impacts of wild dogs and foxes and are more successful with more landholders involved.

Local Land Services Senior Biosecurity Officer Alana Coxhead said the program will be timely and effective.

"There are signs western NSW will have an early wild dog season, with pups already on the ground in some areas," Ms Coxhead said.

"When pups are on the ground, dogs will not roam as far from their home range as they otherwise might, so chances are if you see dog activity on your property, it will not be an isolated incident.

"Landholders should remain vigilant and report all sightings, attacks, or lost stock to Feral Scan or their nearest Local Land Services office.

"We urge landholders to be proactive this baiting season to help reduce wild dog numbers. This is particularly important given the reduced control work undertaken last year due to the wet seasonal conditions and major flooding," Ms Coxhead said.

To get involved in the upcoming ground baiting program, contact your pest group chair or Local Land Services biosecurity officer to order bait.

Now is also a good time for landholders to check their chemical accreditation cards. If these need renewal, please get in touch with your local biosecurity officer for assistance.

Following the aerial baiting campaign, ground baiting will be carried out.

Western Local Land Services extended its thanks to participating landholders and stakeholders for their involvement in the program.

Contact Western Local Land Services via 1300 795 299 or www.lls.nsw.gov.au to learn more.