Do Deers Here Have Knobs?

It's 4 pm when they reach the gates of the Yellingbo Conservation Reserve.

There's a sign on the gate:

Deer Control in progress, 4pm until the early hours of next morning. Contractors use authorised suppressors, but deer legal rifles will still emit noise.

I hope this won't ruin our chances of spotting the Leadbeater's possum, says Gaius.

Pierre-Louis looks at the dates.

Tonight's the last night, says Pierre-Louis. 

How long have they been doing it? asks Gaius.

Since Tuesday, says Pierre-Louis.

Are we there yet? asks Terence, from the carriage.

We are, says Gaius. 

Bang!

Woop! says Terence. What was that sound?

A rifle, says Squattu. There must be hunters!

Yay! says Terence. Wait. Hunting what?

Whatever it is, it's a long way off, says Gaius. Let's go in and set up our campsite.

Not that we have much to set up, says Pierre-Louis.

A good thing, in the circumstances, says Gaius. We may need to leave in a hurry.

Are they hunting us? asks Terence.

Of course not, says Gaius. I suppose we may as well tell you. It's a deer control night.

Bang! 

Deer control night? says Terence. Do deers here have knobs?

Hee hee! laughs Squattu.

At least our bat finds it amusing, says Pierre-Louis.

Well? says Terence.

No knobs, says Gaius. But deer can run fast.

Can we save them? asks Terence.

No, says Gaius. We'll just try to keep out of their way.

He and Pierre-Louis wheel their bicycles though the gate, and head down the narrow track, brushing through carex and cyperus, below tall eucalyptus.

Look for areas of low lying swamp, says Gaius.

Scraa-scraa-scraa-twee!

A yellow and brown bird sings unmelodically, and then vanishes.

A helmeted honeyeater! says Gaius.

Several people appear, in a hurry.

Hello! says the leader. Aren't you going in the wrong direction?

Are we? says Gaius. Who's asking?

Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater, says the leader. Tonight's deer control program's just started.

Hurrah! (muted cheers from behind).

We heard it, says Gaius. We plan to be careful.

Suit yourselves, says the leader of the Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater.

We just saw one, says Gaius.

What? asks the leader. 

A helmeted honeyeater, says Gaius. It went that way.

He points. Not towards the gate.

The Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater continue to head for the gate.

No need to hang around while Deer Control does the needful.

Pierre-Louis pulls out Marx's blanket.

Don't put it down yet! says Gaius.

I wasn't going to, says Pierre-Louis. I'm looking for something to eat.

Bang! 

Yikes! says Terence.

There should be a bag of green apples, says Gaius. 

There is.

Gaius and Pierre-Louis eat a green apple each, as the evening draws in.