Deer Repellent

ORNZ supports EPRO Ltd of Taupo in taking the initiative, in conjunction with Landcare Research and the Animal Health Board, with their reasearch and development of a Deer Repellent formula to be used in conjunction with Mono Sodium Fluroacetate ( 1080 ).

This is an encouraging breakthrough in terms of reducing the bi-kill of non target species ( deer ), which should result in greatly reducing losses of valuable game animals where 1080 is applied by air, for possum control . This news should be viewed by all recreational hunters as a positive step forward in the protection of our game animals.

The following is EPRO's media release on the "repellent" trials:

02 October 2003

MEDIA RELEASE

New deer repellent for 1080 bait shows huge promise

Taupo based environmental protection and development company, Epro Limited, has today released findings of a recent field trial of a deer repellent for use with 1080 poisoned possum bait.

Epro Managing Director Roger Lorigan is enthusiastic about the results. “It is still early days but we believe this research indicates that we are well on the way to solving the issue of deer by-kill resulting from aerial 1080 poisoning.”

1080 is used for possum control in many areas of New Zealand where the spread of bovine tuberculosis (Tb) could have devastating effects on New Zealand’s agricultural exports. Resistance to this form of possum control has often come from hunters and private land owners concerned with the impact that 1080 has historically had on wild deer numbers.

The repellent was originally identified by Epro from trials with captive deer. This was followed by a programme of fully monitored field trials carried out in conjunction with Landcare Research and funded by the Animal Health Board (AHB).

The results of a trial carried out at Clements Road in the Kaimanawa Range earlier this year played a large role in the success of the latest trial.

“At Clements Road we identified that although the repellent treated baits significantly outperformed traditional 1080 baits in reducing the deer by-kill, there were instances of deer being poisoned due to insufficient levels of the repellent adhering to the baits” said Cam Speedy, Operations Manager at Epro. “Once we solved that issue we were confident we would significantly improve the performance of the repellent, and the latest trial shows we have done just that”

In the latest trial expert hunters counted red deer before and after an operation over two 2000 hectare blocks in Hawke’s Bay. In one block, managed for deer hunting, aerially sown 1080 carrot bait containing the new deer repellent was used to reduce the possum population, while on Department of Conservation land nearby, standard 1080 carrot baits were used with no deer repellent added.

Following this, six hunters each spent three days in each of the blocks. They found no dead deer but saw 17 live deer in the repellent block, while they found four dead deer and saw no live animals in the non-repellent block.

One of the hunters who assisted in the trial, Billy Curnow of Arohena, said "there is no doubt that this stuff works, and anyone with an interest in hunting should support its use".

This view was endorsed by another of the hunters, Dave Wilson of Hunt South in Te Anau. "I have been directly involved with the field trialing of the Epro Deer Repellent 1080 bait and am completely satisfied that it reduces the deer by-kill to insignificant levels, while at the same time remaining very effective at targeting possums".

Epro’s development programme, which began in 2000, will continue with the next stage being a fully monitored field trial to test the deer repellent on cereal pellet bait. It is hoped that the results of the cereal pellet field trials will be just as effective. In the meantime Epro will continue to use the deer repellent on carrot baits in some of its up-coming operations.

Ends.