With the help of funding from the NSW Government’s bushfire recovery program, South East Local Land Services is extending its wild deer management program into the Jamberoo Valley.

“We’ve had reports of an increase in deer numbers across the Jamberoo Valley area, and this could be a result of the impact of last year’s Southern Fires on habitat further south,” says Senior Biosecurity Officer Liam Orrock.

While the program has been running in the Illawarra since 2011, it will be the first time it has operated in the Kiama LGA.

“Deer pose a significant risk to natural environments and agricultural production in the South East,” says Mr Orrock.

“For this reason they have been declared a priority pest under our regional strategic pest plan.

“Not only do they increase grazing pressure on public and private land and damage fences and other infrastructure, but they can also spread diseases – such as Leptospirosis – which affect animals and humans,” says Mr Orrock.

“Significantly for an area like Jamberoo and surrounds, they also have a marked impact on the natural environment. They will strip bark from woody plants and browse on younger plantings.

“Given the Illawarra Sub-Tropical Rainforest and the Illawarra lowlands grassy woodland are endangered ecological communities, we need to protect them.

“The deer can have a detrimental impact on biodiversity in these environments.”

He says their impact on fencing cannot be underestimated, “The damage they do can be significant and relentless. Exclusion fencing needs to be 6-7 foot high, with no breach points, for it to be effective.”

Given their size, they also represent a threat to motorists in the event of a collision.

Three types of deer are known to be in the Valley – Rusa deer (the most prevalent across the Illawarra); Fallow deer; and Red deer (the second largest deer species in Australia, with bucks reaching 200kg).

Sambar deer are also thought to be encroaching our region from the south, with reports of them reaching nearby Kangaroo Valley.

Fallow deer

“The grant provided through the bushfire recovery program gives us scope to identify some of these hotspot areas where there are increasing deer numbers, and look at implementing some strategic control measures,” says Mr Orrock.

“People have already had recreational hunters visiting their properties, so it is clear that deer have been present across the Jamberoo Valley area for some time.”

Getting an accurate picture of the deer population in the area is challenging given the varying terrain and dense vegetation. A range of surveillance measures are used, including community reporting, camera traps and thermal imagery technology.

“At the first stage of this program we are urging landowners to report the presence of deer on their property, using a community-based mapping resource called Feral Scan,” says Mr Orrock. 

“The easy-to-use app allows you to map sightings of pest animals, damage and control undertaken. It can also be used to report on other pest animals. This information will be used to inform management programs.”

He says on ground control operations [shooting] will commence in mid-March with no disturbance to residents.

“The Program is run using strict operating protocols. We have professional, qualified contractors who carry out the work. The protocols include regular contact with the landowners and NSW Police.

“Public safety is the guiding principle of the Program, both in regard to how it operates and the outcomes we want to achieve.

“We are seeing deer being pushed into areas of the Illawarra where the human/wildlife interface is posing an issue for public safety, so now is a good time to be acting.”

Rusa deer in suburbia to the north

Quick action at this early stage is hoped to be able to help suppress the population.

Tim Burton-Taylor, who has a property off Jamberoo Mountain Road, is one landowner who is going to participate in the program, given his concern about the damage that is being done to his fencing.

“I usually see two to three herds of four or five deer in a week,” he says.

“They come up from Kings Creek and Burra Creek.

“It doesn’t really worry me that they eat the grass, but it upsets me that they break the barb wire fences regularly by charging at them.”

He’s also had the disappointment of his bush regeneration efforts being compromised.

“LLS made contact with me and have been out to scout the property,” says Mr Burton-Taylor.

He has none of the worries that kept him from using recreational hunters on his 24ha property, where he runs Angus cattle.

“These guys have impressed me with how professional and through they are.”

Feral Scan can be downloaded for free from app stores. Landowners wishing to work with LLS on their properties, should contact them on 4464 6000