The Wakatipu Whitetail Deer need your help today!!!

If we all put in even $10 towards protecting this herd, together we can secure its future.

Wakatipu Whitetail deer numbers are critically low and mortality like that observed in the 2014 ‘Battle for our Birds’ operation cannot be allowed to happen again. The Department of conservation has recognised the value of this small historic deer herd and are using deer repellent in the upcoming pest control operation. This is largely thanks to hunters and hunter groups supporting my research and standing up to help protect this small herd. However, the effectiveness of this repellent on wild Whitetail deer has not been assessed. The main worry is that this bait coating repellent will wash off if exposed to moisture or light rain and stop repelling the deer before the bait has broken down and 1080 has leached out, resulting in significant by-kill despite the attempt to prevent this. If the repellent is not as effective as we hope for then we need to know now so that adjustments can be made for future operations. If it does work then we need to make sure that it is used in all future operations.

The reduction in Whitetail deer numbers due to by-kill caused from the 2014 “BFOB” operation means it is not practical to repeat the carcass survey conducted in 2014 (https://researcharchive.lincoln.ac.nz/handle/10182/6929). The only method left to assess the repellent in the wild is to monitor individual deer for mortality using GPS iridium collars. These collars allow us to monitor the deer daily and know quickly if the deer repellent has worked. We need to collar 10 deer at minimum to have any confidence that the repellent has or has not been effective (sample size estimated at 10% of the population within the drop zone based on current population survey data).

Each deer costs $6000 to collar. While costly this research must be done to ensure the future of this herd. The protection of this herd is up to us and we have the power and the voice to make it happen.