Innovative thermal optics training delivered in a collaboration between Parks Victoria, SSAA Victoria and Victorian Pest Animal Control seeks to increase the skillset of volunteer animal controllers and boost cooperation among stakeholders in wildlife control.
The first training course was conducted at SSAA Victoria’s Eagle Park complex on Saturday, 14 May (at the Big Game Rifle Club facilities) and was funded by Parks Victoria. Over 40 volunteer hunters from the SSAA Victoria CPM program and the Australian Deer Association’s equivalent DMP program participated in the training.
The training was led by Jake Haddad, the Principal of Victorian Pest Animal Control (VPAC), a specialist professional wildlife control business. Jake has many years of experience in wildlife control and a unique perspective gained through previous involvement as a volunteer in SSAA Victoria’s CPM program. VPAC specialise in wild deer control and take between 1,000 – 1,500 deer annually across a range of land tenures.
“Coming from a volunteer background ourselves, we are supportive of the CPM program. We have seen it work successfully in the past and would like to see more projects become available in the future. Having since moved to a contract hunting background, we are fortunate in that we are afforded the opportunity to target large numbers of animals on a regular basis and see what works and what doesn’t work very quickly. The hope is to pass on what we have learned to the members and provide some training that will help improve safety, productivity and efficacy, and increase the overall viability of the CPM program for all stakeholders”.
CPM (Conservation and Pest Management) is an important program for SSAA Victoria. It is a mechanism to apply the deep experience and expertise of the Association’s members to achieve meaningful conservation outcomes, particularly in Victoria’s conservation estate. A soon to be published review of a deer control program in Victoria’s North East will highlight that, whilst volunteer hunters can deliver cost savings and a range of other benefits to land managers, their effectiveness (catch per unit effort) is variable and generally below that of specialist contractors like VPAC. Ongoing education and knowledge sharing help ensure that the ‘skills gap’ between volunteers and contractors is as small as possible and that the volunteers are getting ongoing benefits and growth from their involvement in CPM.
SSAA Victoria’s CPM Coordinator Daryl Snowdon was buoyed by the participation in the training.
“SSAA Victoria were overwhelmed by the response from both SSAA Victoria CPM program and ADA DMP members, with over 40 participating on the night. This shows our members are committed to improving both their own performance, as well as improving animal welfare outcomes. We are committed to providing Parks Victoria with volunteers that are equipped with the necessary skills and equipment to perform at the highest levels of performance and safety.”
Parks Victoria’s Conservation Programs Officer Chris Davies was also impressed with the turnout.
“It was great to see the interest and enthusiasm of volunteer hunters at the recent thermal optics training. I look forward to working together with volunteers to deliver control programs that benefit our native plants and animals.”
The training course ran the volunteer hunters through the varying applications and nuances of using thermal optics in field conditions, with a strong focus on safety, animal welfare and effectiveness. Range estimation, confirming backstop and identification of target and kill zones are critical considerations for all hunting applications; these are amplified when using thermal technology at night.
As darkness fell, the participants enjoyed a barbecue dinner supplied by Parks Victoria before applying their knowledge on targets at the Big Game Rifle Club range, using rimfire and centrefire rifles fitted with thermal scopes.
