Management Information
In Argentina, wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) are generally treated as a resource, mainly for trophy hunting, and currnently there is no comprehensive strategy to monitor and control populations. Although considered an unwanted invasive species in National parks, current manipulations are restricted to trophy hunting. Only where densities have reached high levels on some private lands, red deer are specifically culled to decrease the density. Several provinces and National parks with wild red deer have established their hunting regulations, though not being based on population characteristics or conservation goals (Werner, F., pers. comm., 2004).
Integrated management: The Department of Conservation in New Zealand has released a policy statement on deer control, (Department of Conservation Policy Statement on Deer Control, 2001), which adopts an integrated approach to control of deer, working with all interest groups. Please follow this link for a case study on the management of red deer in New Zealand compiled by the IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG).
Location Specific Management InformationArgentina
In Argentina, wild red deer are principally treated as a resource, mainly for trophy hunting. Although considered as an unwanted invasive species in National parks and other protected areas, current manipulations are restricted to trophy hunting. Only where densities have reached high levels on some private lands, red deer are specifically culled to decrease the density. Generally, population manipulations are not based on field data, and there are no basic wildlife management approaches employed. Red deer are also commonly kept in enclosures stocked with imported specimens. The aim is to release supposedly superior offspring to the wild, sell individuals to other enclosures or use the animals for hunting within the enclosure. Frequently, animals from enclosures are sold for the purpose of new releases to areas without red deer presence. Cases of escapees have been common. Auckland Region (New Zealand)
Feral deer are declared animal pests in the Auckland Regional Animal Pest
Management Strategy.The ARC ( Auckland Regional Council) and land owners may use one or a
combination of the following techniques to control deer where they become
a threat to areas of high conservation value:
- Shooting - hunting and spotlight shooting by licensed shooters.
- Poison - must be an approved toxic substance and only applied by licensed
operators.
Patagonia
In Argentina, wild red deer are principally treated as a resource, mainly for trophy hunting. Although considered as an unwanted invasive species in National parks and other protected areas, current manipulations are restricted to trophy hunting. Only where densities have reached high levels on some private lands, red deer are specifically culled to decrease the density. Generally, population manipulations are not based on field data, and there are no basic wildlife management approaches employed. Red deer are also commonly kept in enclosures stocked with imported specimens. The aim is to release supposedly superior offspring to the wild, sell individuals to other enclosures or use the animals for hunting within the enclosure. Frequently, animals from enclosures are sold for the purpose of new releases to areas without red deer presence. Cases of escapees have been common. South Island (New Zealand)
The Department of Conservation recognises that commercial and recreational hunters value deer as a hunting resource and that commercial hunting in particular provides effective control in those areas that are most suitable for hunting by helicopter.
Commercial helicopter hunting achieves effective control in grassland and open-canopy forest, which includes large areas of the South Island. A concession system is now in place for commercial helicopter recovery on public conservation lands. Public conservation land is open to commercial hunting unless a proper consideration of the legislative provisions establishes reasons for restrictions or closures. Restrictions are generally in respect of time periods allowed for aerial recovery and are usually dealt with by way of conditions in the concessions document. Recreational hunting is most effective in accessible areas that are close to a population centre, within 2-3 kilometres of a vehicle access point. In general, however, recreational hunting is not able to reduce deer densities to low enough levels to allow regeneration of palatable seedlings and saplings.
Although recreational hunters kill large numbers of deer in total each year, recreational hunting provides less stringent control than commercial hunting. This is because recreational hunters tend to harvest deer from a few high-density populations without reducing deer densities to low enough levels to protect ecosystems from damage. Stewart Is. (New Zealand)
The deer populations expanded rapidly, and in the 1930s and the 1950s the government initiated large-scale deer control projects. These impacted most heavily on the red deer. In the 1970’s commercial hunting (aerial) combined with competition from white-tailed saw a substantial reduction in red deer numbers (DOC undated). Please follow this link 'Southern Islands Biodiversity Action Plan - Deer management' for more details on the management of the red and white tailed deer on Stewart Island.
Management Resources/Links
1. Auckland Regional Council (ARC) Pest Facts.
Summary: Management and control- Factsheet. New Zealand.
Available from: http://www.arc.govt.nz/albany/fms/main/Documents/Environment/Plants%20and%20animals/animal%20pests.pdf [Accessed 18 February 2008] 6. Díaz, N. I. and J. Smith-Flueck. 2000. The Patagonian huemul. A mysterious
deer on the brink of extinction. Literature of Latin America, Buenos Aires.
149 pp. (English and Spanish version available). 10. Flueck, W.T, M. Franken, and J.M. Smith-Flueck 1999 Red deer, cattle and horses at high elevations in the Andean precordillera: habitat use and deer density Journal of Neotropical Mammalogy (SAREM), Vol. 6, No. 2 5-12
Summary: Notes on red deer in Argentina. 11. Flueck, W.T. 2001 Pregnancy rates of introduced red deer in Patagonia, Argentina after a period of drought. Ecología Austral, Vol. 11 17-24
Summary: Biology red deer. 12. Flueck, W.T. 1996 Interactions between free-ranging guanaco (Lama guanicoe) and introduced red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Argentina. Zeitschrift Jagdwissenschaft, Vol. 42, No. 1 (12-17).
Summary: Impacts of red deer on native mammals. 13. Flueck, W.T. J.M. Smith-Flueck, 1993.Über das in Argentinien angesiedelte Rotwild (Cervus elaphus L., 1758): Verbreitung und Tendenzen. Zeitschrift Jagdwissenschaft, Vol. 39, No. 3 (153-160).
Summary: Red deer Distribution in South America. Results Page: 1
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