Tensions rise between landscape board and SA hunters over animal cruelty claims amid South-East feral deer cull

Hunters are demanding an end to aerial culls of feral deer, saying wounded animals are left to die painful deaths in the field after being shot. Graphic warning

South Australian hunters are condemning the state government’s feral deer helicopter culling program, saying chased animals are left to die long and painful deaths riddled with bullets.

However the Landscape Board has defended the program as “quick and humane”, calling the hunters’ claims “misleading”.

Mount Gambier deer hunter and ethical hunting advocate Jake Nicholson, who is sharing videos of dying feral deer on social media, said hunters were finding wounded animals left to die from their injuries in the field.

“The most important part of hunting is to do the animals justice,” Mr Nicholson said.

“These animals have been chased around by helicopter, fearing for their lives and are then riddled with bullets. It makes me feel sick in the guts.

“Nothing in the world deserves to die like that.”

A dead deer left in the field hunters claimed was killed in the cull. Picture: Jake Nicholson (instagram @jake_nicholson9)

Mr Nicholson said the aerial cull – which uses shotguns – prioritised eradication over “welfare and common sense”, placed huge stress on the animals and was only effective if the shooter inside the helicopter was close enough.

“A lot of the time the animals have been chased down and herded with the helicopter before getting shot at, which obviously is very stressful for them, and then there’s the matter of whether the animal is passing quickly and painlessly following the shot,” Mr Nicholson said.

He said arguments for using shotguns in aerial culling didn’t take into account how fast the animal died after the first shot.

He’s shared video of a wounded fawn found on a property near Kingston SE hunters claimed had been shot during an aerial cull two days earlier.

Mr Nicholson said another deer was also found wounded. Both were humanely euthanised by the hunter who found them.

Limestone Coast Landscape Board general manager Steve Bourne said an autopsy on the fawn in the video showed it hadn’t been shot “at all” and called the video an ongoing attempt by hunters to “discredit” the program.

“It had a stomach full of hay … we will undergo toxicology assessments to determine what caused the animal to be such a state,” he said.

Mr Bourne denounced hunters claims’ the helicopter and shotgun method was inhumane.

“We haven’t yet been provided with any credible evidence … it’s absolutely misleading,” Mr Bourne said.

A dead deer left in the field hunters claimed was killed in the cull. Picture: Jake Nicholson (instagram @jake_nicholson9)

The body of a deceased deer “riddled” with bullets following a claimed aerial cull. Picture: Jake Nicholson (instagram @jake_nicholson9)

He said the aerial cull was nationally approved, quick, efficient and removed “a lot of feral deer in a short space of time”.

“A hunter prides themselves on a single clean shot, that’s hunting – we are looking pest control, so we’re using a shotgun which provides multiple lethal pellets in a short space of time, so the carcasses have lots and lots of holes in them.

“It does look unpleasant but it delivers catastrophic injuries in a very short space of time, which is the priority of our program, to provide the most humane outcome.”

Mr Nicholson said he remained committed to his stance the program in its current form was inhumane and alternative methods could be used. He called for further investigations.

“I am not against the culling of feral deer, nor am I against the use of aerial culling to control numbers, but I do think the use of shotguns through the helicopters needs to be revised,” he said.

Mr Bourne said no further investigations were set to take place concerning the program at this time.