[1] The emus consumed and spoiled the crops and left large gaps in fences where rabbits could enter and cause further problems.

[4] Farmers relayed their concerns about the birds ravaging their crops, and a deputation of ex-soldiers were sent to meet with the Minister of Defence, Sir George Pearce.

The minister readily agreed, although with conditions attached: the guns were to be used by military personnel, troop transport was to be financed by the Western Australian government, and the farmers would provide food, accommodation, and payment for the ammunition.

[1][5] Pearce also supported the deployment on the grounds that the birds would make good target practice,[6] while it has also been argued that some in the government may have viewed the operation as a way of being seen to be helping the Western Australian farmers, as well as to stave off the brewing secession movement.

[5] The rain ceased by 2 November 1932,[1][5] whereupon the troops were deployed with orders to assist the farmers and, according to a newspaper account, to collect 100 emu skins so that their feathers could be used to make hats for light horsemen.

[1] In the days that followed, Meredith chose to move further south, where the birds were "reported to be fairly tame",[11] but there was only limited success in spite of his efforts.

[1] By the fourth day of the campaign, army observers noted that "each pack seems to have its own leader now—a big black-plumed bird which stands fully 1.8 m (6 ft) high and keeps watch while his mates carry out their work of destruction and warns them of our approach".

[1] Summarising the culls, ornithologist Dominic Serventy commented: The machine-gunners' dreams of point blank fire into serried masses of Emus were soon dissipated.

The Emu command had evidently ordered guerrilla tactics, and its unwieldy army soon split up into innumerable small units that made use of the military equipment uneconomic.

[6] Following the negative coverage of the events in the local media,[14] that included claims that "only a few" emus had died,[4] Pearce withdrew the military personnel and the guns on 8 November.

[4] Although the military had agreed to lend the guns to the Western Australian government on the expectation that they would provide the necessary people, Meredith was once again placed in the field due to an apparent lack of experienced machine gunners in the state.

[1] In assessing the success of the cull, an article in the Coolgardie Miner on 23 August 1935 reported that although the use of machine guns had been "criticised in many quarters, the method proved effective and saved what remained of the wheat".

[21][22][23] Throughout 1930 and onward, exclusion barrier fencing became a popular means of keeping emus out of agricultural areas (in addition to other vermin, such as dingoes and rabbits).