JONATHAN Carson could be running about double the number of Merino sheep in the paddocks at his Burrabaranga property, south of Toowoomba.
But the wool producer says he is a reluctant to expand following annual stock losses of up to 25 percent in recent years, due to the increasing number of wild dogs causing havoc throughout the Southern Darling Downs.
According to AgForce, deciding whether to expand in the face of increased numbers of dog attacks is a problem many in the sheep and wool industry currently face.
There are many encouraging factors nudging producers to expand their wool operations seasonal conditions are some of the best in recent memory and depressed flock numbers combined with strong market demand, particularly from China, is resulting in solid wool prices and long-term supply tightness.
The price for sheep has doubled since the long dry period broke, to about $100 per head and a quick calculation shows Mr Carson has lost about $200,000 in stock, or about 2000 head, to wild dogs since early 2009.
Mr Carson said he has also spent about $80,000 of his own money on additional and improved infrastructure and pest management measures, as well as receiving a $20,000 grant from Australian Wool Innovation.
He repairs the exclusion fencing destroyed by pigs and kangaroos, has laid thousands of 1080 poison baits, allows shooters on his land (where the region's bounties are an encouraging $200 and $100 per animal) and has paid for a trapper to traverse his country as part of his ongoing control program to keep wild dog numbers down.
While some producers in the region have experimented with guardian animals, including maremma dogs, alpacas and donkeys, Mr Carson said he prefers not to explore this pest management technique.
"I don't like to use guardians because it doesn't get rid of the problem, all it does is push the wild dogs onto someone else's land and I wouldn't want to do that to my neighbours," he admits.
Mr Carson, who currently runs about 3500 Merinos across 5000ha at Karara, which borders on state forest, said there are never more than three wild dogs on his property.
But he is optimistic his thorough management plan is causing his fortunes to change, having decreased the number of wild dog-caused sheep deaths from 800 in 2009 to about 300 this year.
However, the damage caused by wild dogs remains continuous, with the discovery of a number of injured or dead sheep at his property almost a daily experience.
According to a 2009 AgForce report, about 91pc of landholders lose livestock to wild dogs each year, with an estimated cost of more than $67million to the agriculture sector, with an estimated $17m in losses for the Queensland sheep and wool industry alone.
However, that figure is believed to be much higher in 2011 due to the increased price for sheep.
Across the State, the number of newly established wild dog groups is seeing a vastly improved network to tackle wild dog numbers.
In Mr Carson's region, the newly- formed Southern Downs Wild Dog Committee began its first baiting campaign last month in the hope of addressing the increasing prevalence of wild dogs throughout the area.
AgForce sheep and wool policy director Rachael Pratt said the number of wild dogs was an increasing issue for producers.
She said seasonal conditions had seen an increase in wild dog litter sizes across Queensland, including escalating numbers inside the Wild Dog Barrier Fence region.
She said there were other landholders across the State who were also reluctant to expand their sheep flock numbers with the current wild dog problems, where an estimated 85pc of feral dogs are hybrids in Queensland.
However, she said it was encouraging to see greater producer coordination across the State increasing landholder involvement in addressing the problem.
On the day Queensland Country Life travelled to his property, Mr Carson had discovered another injured lamb in the paddocks.
With the wild dog seeking to feed on the Merino's kidneys, the sheep was discovered with an open and bloody wound, having survived the midnight attack.
Mr Carson said he was keeping the animal at the house in the hope it might make a recovery.
But if past experience is anything to go by, there is a high likelihood he will lose the sheep and, with it, more money.
"It's very frustrating but there is not much point in spending a lot of money on expanding the numbers when we keep losing so many to wild dogs," Mr Carson said. "I just hope that, with more coordination and planning,we can reduce this problem."
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