A Wonboyn landowner has a bloodied hunting knife - accidentally left behind by poachers on his property - in his possession, and hopes it will help in the push to bring illegal hunters to justice.
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“When I reported it to police, they told me it had been left outside too long to have useful fingerprints,” Wayne Doyle said.
“But it’s an unusual kind of knife, and I’m hoping that if other people see it they might be able to identify the owner.”
The mystery began 18 months ago, when spotlighters broke into Mr Doyle’s property in the pursuit of deer.
At the time, Mr Doyle had a surveillance camera set up on the river flat.
“They must have seen the red recording light, so they cut down the camera, and left the knife at the base of the tree,” Mr Doyle said.
Mr Doyle said he was inspired to come forward with his story after reading the special investigation run in the Eden Magnet over the past two weeks.
“I could sympathise with the Kiah brothers (Clyde and Rod Thomas) and their problems with illegal hunting ,” Mr Doyle said.
"But I could also sympathise with the farmers, struggling because of deer.”
Mr Doyle runs a 240-acre Angus beef farm on the Wonboyn River, with the impact of deer forcing him to halve his herd, and hand feed daily, costing him $6000 per year.
“The deer also bring in the illegal shooters,” Mr Doyle said.
“And if they can’t find deer, they shoot whatever they can.”
Two cows, still feeding their young calves, fell victim to illegal shooters on Mr Doyle’s farm.
“I found them shot dead, down there,” he said, pointing to the floodplain.
“They were hand reared, almost tame. I don’t see the fun in that.”
Mr Doyle joins a growing number of farmers who feel they’re providing a playground for recreational hunters, while personally suffering.
“Whoever’s making money and benefiting from the deer should be compensating landowners for the damage caused,” he said.
The Department of Primary Industries’ (DPI) Game Licensing Unit regulates and legislates recreational hunting of ‘game’ animals including deer, which generates millions of dollars of revenue per annum.
The Eden Magnet has asked the department if it would consider compensation for farmers affected and was still awaiting a response as the paper went to press yesterday.
Like the Thomas brothers on the Kiah, Mr Doyle feels driven to install new surveillance cameras.
This time, there’s no tell-tale red recording light.
And the vision will be beamed live to phone or email.
The only hiccup is the cost.
“Last time I was charged 50 cents a picture, and the camera went off every time a bird flew by!” Mr Doyle said.
“So I’m working out a more viable phone plan, so it won’t be so expensive.”