Pest animals

Fire changes the balance between native animals and pest species, and it changes it quickly. It also opens a short window where control is unusually effective.

Foxes and cats

They arrive within hours and hunt in the open. There is no realistic way for one landholder to hold a fox population down alone — foxes range widely and the gap fills. This is the clearest case for coordinated work: baiting and trapping programs run across whole landscapes, and joining one does more than anything on your own boundary.

Deer

Fallow and red deer are the main problem in this region. They damage regrowth at the stage it can least afford it, compete with native herbivores, spread weed seed and trample sensitive ground. Control is through ground and aerial shooting and trapping, and again works best coordinated — there is a regional deer program you can join rather than starting from scratch.

Rabbits

Rabbits are the one pest where fire genuinely helps you. Burnt ground makes warrens visible for the first time in years, and with little feed about, remaining rabbits take bait far more readily. If you are going to do rabbit work, the eighteen months after a fire is the moment.

Two cautions. Surviving native animals are also short of food and shelter, so plan control with that in mind. And machinery work around warrens can damage waterways and Aboriginal cultural heritage — check before you start.

Know your obligations

Baiting, shooting and earthworks all carry legal requirements, and some need permits. Agriculture Victoria, DEECA, your CMA, Aboriginal Victoria and your local council can tell you what applies. Ask before you start rather than after.

Use your monitoring

Trail cameras (3.9) tell you which pest species are actually present, where they move and when — which is the difference between control aimed at a problem and control aimed at a guess.