Record property details and dates of the plan commencement and review dates to assist with tracking the plans progress, implementation and next review date (Table 1).
Clarify and document the aims of the plan to assist with prioritizing control actions and locations of control (Table 1).
Provide a description of the property and surrounds (Table 1) including:
This information may be recorded as text (Table 1) or on a property map (Figure 2) or a combination of both.
Table 1. Example of property details and aims that might be included in a deer control management plan
Landowner/Farm Manager | |
Plan commencement & review dates | Commencement: ##/##/##, review ##/##/##, review ##/##/## |
Aims of the plan | e.g. Deer control to stop damage to fencing, crops grazing areas, revegetation areas, ornamental garden, vegetable garden and reduce soil disturbance and contamination of dams. Need to control deer before increasing cropping area as current crops are heavily impacted by deer – see property map. |
Surrounding land use | e.g. property covers 50 ha, surrounded by national park to the north and east, farming properties to the west, road and plantation to the south. Multiple dams and uncleared bush on neighbouring private properties – see property map. |
Description of property | 50 ha. Drainage lines running north south on the northern side of the property connected to two dams near the northern boundaries of the property. Steep sided gullies and ridges with dense bush on the northern boundary extending south from the national park with limited access. Flatter more undulating accessible to land with open vegetation on the western side of the property and beyond in the national park. Flatter land in the central and southern parts of the property. Standard post and wire fencing on the north west boundary, no fencing on the north east, or eastern boundary – see property map. |
Current property use | Cropping, grazing, revegetation and domestic use. |
Proposed property use | Increased cropping and revegetation, decreased grazing – see property map. |
Current impacts from deer | Deer are impacting pasture and crops along the northern property boundary, revegetation near the house and the vegetable and ornamental garden near the house – see property map. |
Prepare a map of the property (see Figure 2) that includes:
The map (or a duplicate map if this map is too crowded) can be marked up to show:
This will help to determine priority areas for management. The map can also be used to record:
The map can be updated regularly to record:
Prepare a list of management actions including the deer control methods, location and timing of deer control to be undertaken each year (Table 2). The selection of methods is often dependent on the amount of native bush and where it is located in relation to your property. The following flow chart outlines control options available for different scenarios.
Flowchart of management actions when you have bushland on your property and/or on neighbouring land
The plan should include enough information about the methods, timing and frequency to be followed and repeated by the landowner or others in the future. When developing the plan first consider the following:
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The deer control plan should also include monitoring and evaluation of methods which should be undertaken to assess the effectiveness of control methods so they can be updated as required (see example in Table 2). Monitoring frequency will depend on individual landowners resources, accessibility to parts of the property where deer occur, and size of the deer problem and threat.
Monitoring at least each season (Summer, Autumn, Winter Spring) is recommended to keep track of changes in deer activities over the seasons. This can provide important feedback to the landowner and neighbours to track deer activity in the local area and determine the most effective methods, timing and frequency of control.
Table 2. Example of the information that might be included on deer control methods, monitoring and evaluation in a deer control management plan
Year | Action | Method | When | Where | Who | Evidence of effectiveness* | Evaluation | Updates |
1 | Control deer | Shooting | Monthly | Northern boundary of North West (NW) paddock, home paddock and eastern paddock | Game harvester and landowner | Fewer pellets and fresh prints, browse lines growing out (see photos), fewer deer on camera traps in the NW paddock but not the home paddock Camera traps in the NW paddock caught # deer over # camera trap nights in Sept 20## and # deer on camera traps over # trap nights in Nov 20##. Number of deer decreasing over time in the NW paddock with fewer juveniles Camera traps in the home paddock caught # deer over # camera trap nights in Sept 20## and # deer on camera traps over # trap nights in Nov 20##. Deer numbers not decreasing. Large number of deer still captured on camera traps, fresh wallows and pugging present around edge of dam, thrashed vegetation not recovering in the home paddock or eastern paddock – crops still being browsed Deer still impacting revegetation areas and ornamental garden | Deer are being effectively controlled in the NW paddock and goals of protecting pasture and water sources are being achieved. Deer are not being effectively controlled in the home paddock so need to consider changes to methods | Ongoing – continue until deer have reached low enough levels then reduce frequency of shooting gradually to find the minimum frequency required to control deer adequately |
2 | Control Blackberry to remove harbour and food source on property boundary – request crown land owner to undertake blackberry control near property boundary | Spring/summer 20# and over successive years until removed | Northern boundary of NW paddock and home paddock | Landowner or professional weed controller | Blackberry removed and not returning | Blackberry has been effectively controlled, deer numbers declining | Completed – continue monitoring for any Blackberry recruits/seedlings and treat immediately before fruiting and spreading | |
3 | Install deer exclusion fencing – consider retrofitting if existing fencing is suitable, consider electric fencing as less expensive alternative | As soon as possible when able to afford to | Along the northern and western boundary of the property | Landowner or fencing contractor | Deer no longer accessing property evidenced by fewer pellets and fresh prints, browse lines growing out (see photos), fewer deer on camera traps, crops, vegetables and ornamental garden plants are not being browsed/grazed by deer, no deer sightings or close honking/roaring and waterways not being impacted by deer | Deer are being effectively excluded from the property | Completed – monitor the fences for breaches and repair immediately to prevent deer entry. Monitor for deer evidence and assess if deer are using other access points which need to be addressed e.g. areas that do not have deer exclusion fencing | |
4 | Fence dams to reduce need for shooting | Spring20## | Dam in north west paddock and home paddock – install water troughs and empty them when not in use | Fencing contractor | After fencing there has been no evidence of deer around dams, no fencing breaches, no fresh prints on game trail leading to dam, vegetation recovering from browsing and grazing in north west and home paddock | Deer being effectively controlled | Completed – check for breaches regularly and repair immediately | |
5 | Large number of deer still captured on camera traps, fresh wallows and pugging present around edge of dam, thrashed vegetation not recovering | Deer not yet effectively controlled | Increase shooting frequency, use recreational hunters with hounds to flush and deter deer, look at fencing options for property boundary and/or nearby dam |
*Photos are a very useful way to record the effectiveness of deer control. Take photos before and after control showing deer evidence e.g. browse lines, wallows, thrashed areas, game trails, rub trees, fresh print and scats. Store and label photos for future comparison, reference and records.