CONTEXT AND FOCUS
With the increasing evidence of poor herd and habitat health in the Kaimanawa Remote Experience Zone (REZ), the key focus for year one of the Adaptive Deer Management and Research Plan was to raise further awareness with Iwi, DOC, stakeholders and the hunting community around the poor state of the REZ and get some deer management underway.
This management unit is approx. 16,000 ha and starts from the Thunderbolt Range heading east inclusive of the Otamateanui and Makomiko streams encompassing the upper Rangitikei catchment and Whakamarumaru Tops, to the eastern border the true right of the Mangamaire Stream. With the Remote Experience Zone designation severely limiting recreational hunter landing throughout the REZ in the 1990’s this has also limited recreational hunting to “walk in”, which has minimised recreational harvest, in particular of hinds, down in the harder to access valley floors and terraces.
From 2017 to 2020 OSPRI contracted Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research to carry out a deer survey in the southern Kaimanawa Range to confirm the area to be TB free. The survey was actively supported by the Sika Foundation and involved helicopter harvesting and recreation hunter contributions of deer samples over the three years.
While no TB was found, a total 473 deer were shot and autopsied, with the 388 (82%) females providing a valuable insight into the poor condition of the herd, especially in the REZ. Almost half (48%) of the breeding age hinds in the REZ were barren and 76% were in average to poor condition. This highlighted the need for more active herd management.
REZ_MU
Following this the Sika Foundation worked with Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research on a project designed to compare the effectiveness of faecal pellet counting with camera monitoring to assess deer density using a trail camera survey. 52,287 images were collected, and the images reflected the poor herd health observed in the southern Kaimanawa Deer Survey.
See more here: Southern Kaimanawa Deer Survey & Rangitikei REZ Trail Camera Survey
The canopy in the REZ is predominantly mountain beech Fuscopora cliffortoides with sub alpine shrubland belts between the beech forest and alpine tussock tops. Isolated fire-induced Manuka/kanuka faces exist in the southeast and true right faces of the Mangamaire Stream (eastern boarder). With limited palatable species due to over browsing in this environment, the habitat in the REZ is in a poor state and impacting mountain beech forest regeneration following natural canopy collapse.
Mountain beech die back is evident throughout southern REZ in the Rangitikei and Mangamaire mountain beech habitat.
Ecology Exclosure plot in the heart of the Kaimanawa REZ, June 2022
DEER MANAGEMENT
In early 2022, the Sika Foundation successfully negotiated four helicopter access and landing sites for recreational hunters to access the REZ for the 2022 Roar (28 March – 15 May). This opportunity was granted in response to increasing reports of deer impact on beech forests in the catchment.
Facilitating recreational hunter access not only removed animals contributing to the adaptive deer management and research programme but gave recreational hunters an opportunity to be a part of the journey. This has been instrumental in the social licence gained for this project, and the support from the hunting community.
Hunters removed a total of 48 deer (14 Hinds, 34 Stags) and estimated 1300 hours were recorded (26 hours per hunter). There were 200 estimated encounters (4 per hunter on average). Hunters provided hunter datasheets and jaws from animals shot, to contribute to the 2022 management dataset and our understanding of the herd and habitat.
The locations were strategically picked to focus hunter effort on the more seldom hunted areas. The Rangitikei River and ecology stream valley floors are difficult for hunters to access without facilitated helicopter access.
Due to some hunter datasheets being not handed in, and/or data not being provided, missing data has been averaged out against provided data (numbers in red).
Number in party = average of 3.
Total hours hunted = averaged @ 25 hours per hunter.
Deer seen but not shot = average of 5 per hunter
An Ecology Exclosure crew heard kiwi and saw fresh kiwi probings in April, and live powelliphanta were found in Trick Creek. Tomtit, fantail and bush robin scored highest in bird observations across the board, with sightings of a pair of kārearea and kākā in Upper Eco. Low numbers of possums across the board and a stoat seen in Eco Exclosure. Poor rutting activity with little singe calling were noted with several teams noting poor quality of the deer, and poor condition of understory.
All hunters that participated in the opportunity covered their own costs. There was no cost on the Sika Foundation or DOC for the animals to be removed. It is worth nothing against the 2022 ground hunter operation that the cost to remove one deer is approx. $750. Removing 16 hinds would have cost the Sika Foundation and/or DOC $10,500 and with all deer removed, this would have been $36,000.
The recreational hunter contribution towards the Sika Foundation’s adaptive deer management plan has been instrumental to grow and maintain the social licence from stakeholders and the hunting community for this project. Animal data, associated jaws and hunter observations all contribute to the REZ dataset and have been a key part to help further understand the changes in response to management in both animal and environment.
Hunting Data summary
Following the recreational hunter opportunity, 30 more deer were shot in late June 2022 as a part of a brief helicopter-based deer shooting trail in the REZ. The focus was on further thinning out of the deer population (targeting hinds at place) predominately through the mountain beech canopy on the valley floor and terraces.
Hind-focused deer management continued in the form of professional ground hunters from mid-September through till early December with extensive autopsy and data collection removing a total of 260 deer (156 hinds and 140 stags of poor quality).
Ground contractor data collection example
For 2022, a combined total of 338 deer (198 hinds and 140 stags of poor quality) were removed from the REZ.
Animals removed worked towards improving forest health, contributed to the 2022 REZ Herd health dataset and provided a valuable snapshot of how herd health indicators were tracking as a result of the 2017 – 2020 TB sampling deer removal operation.
2022 Management kills
MONITORING
With substantial management efforts in the REZ underway, establishing relative deer abundance and habitat condition monitoring is crucial to track changes over time.
DOC and the Sika Foundation agreed on an SRI/FPI (seedling ratio index, faecal pellet index) methodology with both parameters being measured on the same transect (from the same start point and following the same bearing). FPI provides insight into relative deer abundance and SRI is a cost-effective rapid method that provides a snapshot into species specific seedling/sapling presence and browse.
DOC provided the advice, monitoring design for management units, training and quality control while the Sika Foundation lead the operational delivery of the work.
Monitoring Operations for the REZ were started in late 2022 for completion in early 2023 using a combination of DOC, Sika Foundation summer staff and contractors.
Sika Foundation summer monitoring staff in the REZ 2022