Feral Deer Causing Problems On Rita Island Farm

On Ken Duncan’s Rita Island farm, hoof marks, pierced plastic mulch and half eaten fruit show signs of unwelcome night-time activity.

Feral deer have long been a problem on the island, but Mr Duncan and his neighbours say the problem is getting worse.

“They’ve been here since I’ve been here, and I’ve always worked with it,” Mr Duncan said.

“This year has just blindsided me; it hasn’t been good at all.”

Mr Duncan has been growing watermelons and pumpkins on the 160-acre property for the last eight years.

He estimates that this year alone, feral deer have caused a minimum of $100,000 worth of damage to his product and infrastructure.

“Because we’re watering the ground, it’s soft on the plastic mulch so when they run, their hooves pierce the plastic and nick the tubing underneath,” Mr Duncan said.

“When we go to water, it’s like a sprinkler, so you lose water efficiency, you lose the ability to distribute the fertiliser to the watermelons.

“Then there’s the eating of the fruit and the squashing of the vine, of course.”

Prime breeding conditions have seen a spike in deer numbers on the island, although the dry weather is driving them to feed on fruit and cane crops.

“Now it’s dry, there’s not enough food to keep them going,” Mr Duncan said.

“They’re getting thinner and thinner, so I feel sorry for the deer.”

While the deer pose one problem to the farmer, they also attract even more unwelcome night-time activity: amateur hunters.

Mr Duncan avoids shooting on his farm due to the proximity of neighbouring houses which have had bullets strike pool fences and kitchen cupboards.

“People come on uninvited and the paddock is surrounded by houses, and they’re all scared, because there’s shooting all night long,” he said.

“I’ve got workers who spray at night-time and sometimes we change irrigation at night-time, so how long until they get hit?”

Mr Duncan and his workers have started conducting nightly patrols of the farm to ward off unwelcome pests and hunters.

He has also installed a gas gun and laser which repel the deer unharmed, and he plans to install fencing around the entire property.

“The last thing I feel like doing is a 1:00am patrol but I do, because this is our farm and we have to protect our crops,” he said.

The Burdekin Shire Council has unveiled a comprehensive Feral Deer Management Plan in response to the recent launch of the Queensland Feral Deer Management Strategy (2022-2027) and the National Feral Deer Action Plan (2023-2028) by the Australian Government.

“The Feral Deer Management Plan reflects Council’s commitment to protect the region's assets and mitigate the damage caused by these invasive animals,” Burdekin Shire Council Mayor Lyn McLaughin said.

“The plan, aligned with both strategies, addresses the expanding deer populations in the Burdekin Shire and neighbouring areas and will aid in reducing the impact of feral deer on the environment, agriculture and communities.”

To report a deer sighting or for further information on the Feral Deer Management Plan, contact Burdekin Shire Council at (07) 4783 9800 or visit the website: feralscan.org.au/deerscan.

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Rita Island farmer Ken Duncan. Photo credit: Sam Gillespie