The effect of recreational hunters on deer populations in Pureora Conservation Park Research Completed

Title

The effect of recreational hunters on deer populations in Pureora Conservation Park

Lead Author

Fraser, K.W.

Organisation(s)

Department of Conservation

Publication Year

1996

Publisher

Department of Conservation

Contacts

Abstract

Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research investigated recreational hunting and red deer population dynamics in Pureora Conservation Park (Pureora CP) for the Department of Conservation. The principal objectives were to demonstrate the use of recreational hunting data for the routine monitoring of hunting effort, deer density, and deer condition, to compare the cost-effectiveness of deer density indices based on standard recreational hunting data with those based on traditional faecal pellet surveys, and to determine the impact of recreational hunting on the deer population. Hunting return data was gathered between summer 1988/89 and winter 1993 to assess hunting patterns, hunting effort, and indices of hunting success (e.g., sighting and kill rates). Deer jawbones provided by recreational and commercial hunters were used to assess the sex ratio, age structure, and condition of deer populations in Pureora CP and to compare the harvests from recreational and commercial hunting. Faecal pellet surveys of ungulates (deer and goats) and pigs were conducted in 1992 and 1993. A postal survey of recreational hunters was conducted in 1993 to assess hunter demography, experience, hunting patterns, and their views on present and future management of hunting in Pureora CP. The PC-based database system developed for this study provided managers with quick and easy access to a large amount of information. Results suggest that deer numbers in Pureora CP have remained stable over the period of this study. In the north, animal control is effected by recreational hunters alone, while in the south recreational and commercial hunting combine. Greater recreational hunting effort in the northern blocks has resulted in lower numbers of deer there, despite the lack of commercial hunting effort that is present in the southern blocks. The recreational harvest is male-biased (56% stags), with most deer in the younger age classes (>75% were <5 years old). The predominance of stags in the recreational harvest suggests its “control value” is less than it could be. In comparison with the biased sex ratio of the recreational harvest, commercial hunters kill equal numbers of stags and hinds. Therefore, although recreational and commercial hunters kill similar numbers of deer in the south, the commercial kills have a greater impact on the productivity of the deer population. The average age of deer shot by commercial hunters (2.3 years for stags, 2.9 years for hinds) is considerably younger than for deer shot by recreational hunters (almost 4 years for both sexes). Faecal pellet densities were generally higher in the southern hunting blocks and were correlated with the deer density indices based on sighting and kill rates. However, the cost of the faecal pellet surveys (c. $43,000) was approximately four times the annual cost of gathering hunter diary information. Therefore, monitoring deer populations using information from hunter diaries is more cost-effective than faecal pellet surveys. This study indicates that DoC should use recreational hunter data to monitor hunting effort and deer densities in Pureora CP (and other similar areas).

Keywords:

recreational hunting, permits, red deer, sika, fallow, sambar, whitetail, wapiti, pigs, goats, thar, conservation, New Zealand

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July 13, 2012