NZDA H&W 198 WEB

Game animal management
Wakatipu whitetail
deer herd endangered
Overseas hunters decimate unique deer herd
by Kaylyn Pinney
The unique Wakatipu whitetail
deer herd is in crisis. Recent research
shows the number of animals
remaining on public conservation
land has plummeted to only around
200 individuals. We were aware that
in recent years the herd size had
rapidly declined (starting in 2014 with
a major 1080 drop), but since then
the population has further suffered
from intensive hunting, compounded
by an exponential increase in
numbers of overseas hunters. This
uncontrolled overharvest if allowed
to continue could prove to be the last
straw for this unique trophy herd. Just
200 animals left in the only wild herd
of whitetail deer on mainland New
Zealand – if this was a bird species, it
would be classified as endangered and
would be fully protected.
Something must be done
As well as the much-reduced herd
of about 200 on public conservation
land, there is likely a similar
population on the adjacent private
land, but these are largely protected
by the landowners, with little or no
hunting opportunity for the public.
Protection by landowners followed
a verbal agreement by DOC in 1987
to cease issuing permits to hunt
on conservation land in the area
(excluding Mt Aspiring National
Park). However, this agreement
has been left out of the new Otago
Conservation Management Strategy
(circulated in draft in 2014; still not
finally approved). There are still no
permits being issued on this area of
conservation land.
The Wakatipu whitetail herd is
almost certainly our smallest historic
deer herd, introduced in 1905 by the
New Zealand Tourism Department.
Historically, it has significant value,
having produced a number of the
largest whitetail trophies in the south
Pacific. Nearly all of the New Zealand
whitetail trophies that appear in the
“… if this was a bird
species, it would
be classified as
endangered.”
A 2-year-old whitetail buck
in summer coat and in velvet
Kaylyn Pinney (neé
McBrearty) has been
researching the Wakatipu
Whitetail deer herd in the
Dart Valley for the past 4
years, towards a PhD at
Lincoln University. This
research is yielding an early
dividend by showing that the
herd is in crisis and urgent
measures need to be taken
to arrest its decline. In the
longer term, Kaylyn’s work
will enable a scientifically
sound management strategy
to support an application
for a Herd of Special
Interest designation. But
in the meantime, as a first
step, she recommends
implementing some
immediate short-term
management measures
to ensure a future for this
valuable and historic herd.
Kaylyn’s research has
been supported in part by
the NZDA, and she has
presented a number of
reports, public talks and
articles. Most recently, in
H&W 191 (summmer 2016)
she outlined concerns about
whitetail by-kill from 1080
operations during 2014.
This article is based on a
presentation to Conference
2017.
NZ Hunting & Wildlife 198 - Spring 2017
37