Deer season Aussie style

[sambar02]

Over here in the state of Victoria we have deer hunting all year round on Sambar and Fallow deer and limited seasons on red and Hog deer. For a $40.00 permit . No bag limit no size limit. Most hunters go after the Sambar it is the third biggest deer after Moose and wapiti. They are big and tough dont form big herds and generally breed all year,tho there seems to be 2 peak seasons early autum and late spring.If you look hard enough there will always be a stag in hard antler around. In the cooler months i hunt them over  scent trailing hounds the legal season for this is from the second weekend after Easter to the last weekend in November. As of this season you have to sit a once only $20.00 test to become a accredited hound hunter. For the rest of the year we stalk them (still hunt) or sit over wallows early in the mornings and evenings,you have to be careful of snakes tho. These are big strong deer and the min. cartridge allowed is a 270 cal firing a min.130 grn bullet. I mainly use a 300 win but also use 308, 7x57,303Epps when hunting over the hounds,the most used cal.seems to be 30-06 but a lot of hunters use 338 thru 458win and bigger. I recently bought a 45/70 to try out in the real thick bush they love to hide in.In my group several guys have 416Rem and they swear by them,i can vouch for the fact they hit hard.I am waiting for Winchester to bring out a 338 or 35 short mag. i think either of these would be ideal.

[Robert]

I didn't know you had deer down there.  Thought all you had were hopping and tree-climbing stuff.  I always love to hear stories from afar.  I struck out with my Elk this year.  Just ended yesterday, and I got a deer about the size of a beagle pup.

[sambar02]

yeah we have 6 species running around  Sambar,Rusa,Chital,Hog,Red and Fallow.           ,Sambar,Fallow,Red and hog deer in Victoria, Sambar,Rusa,Fallow ,Red and a few isolated Hog and Chital in N.S.W 2 types of Rusa ,Red,Fallow,Chital and sambar in Queensland,god only knows what or if in the Northern Territory land Western Aust. Fallow and reds in South Aust. tho a few odd things have been turning up there recently, and Fallow in Tasmania but also some whispers about sambar. We also have year round hunting on wild pigs ,goats, foxes rabbits dingoes etc. And our fire arm laws etc. are no where as restrictive as the NRA has made them out to be either.

[Graybeard]

Then where did all those photos of the mountains of guns taken from Aussies come from? Can you own semiauto anything? Pump? I was under the impression you guys were pretty well limited to bolt action, single shot or maybe lever rifles and double or single barrel shotguns. Hanguns? Maybe revolvers only or single shots also? Dunno but that's the impression I have.

Snakes? Now I thought you didn't have them either. Maybe I just don't know much about the down under after all.  

Sure would love year round hunting on those deer you have.

GB

[Myk]

AU has some of the most poisonous snakes there are. Some nasty spiders too.

Even in England some people can have some guns. I was amazed they were allowing this one guy who was posting at a forum I go to, to have a varmint rifle (sniper rifle). He explained that since he lived on a farm he could have a rifle as long as there was a purpose, but only one rifle per purpose. (And I don't think they buy all the purposes you may give your wife )

[grouper sandwich]

I think that in the UK the restrictions are mostly on assault type weapons and hand guns.  You have to apply for permits to own a gun, but it's not as bad as it's been made out to be.  Still restrictive compared to the States, however.

[longwinters]

I also thought the gun thing in Australia was . . . no guns except something like single shots.  But I watched the "Crock Hunter" guy on t.v and they have like 9 of the 10 most poisenous snakes in the world there.  Even in the big cities they have some.  

long

[sambar02]

The general public lost their semi auto's also pump action shot guns,we got paid top dollar for them,eg my old .22 semi auto i bought new 30 years prior with a scope (which my sons still use) sling spare 15 shot mag. 500 rounds for $46.00 ,this gun was worn out to the stage of being dangerous i got $170.00 + $25 for each Magazine,my semi auto shot gun cost me $400 2 years prior i got $780.With all this money for nothing I like 10's of thousands other Aussies went out and bought brand new centre fire rifles, i got a 300win. There are now more registered  high powered firearms and liscensed owners in Aust. now than ever before,I now own 10 rifles and 1 shotgun with 1 rifle and 1 shotgun on order  it was 5 before,also,i am allowed 14 fire arms before i must fit window screens and a burgular alarm. Farmers etc.may have semi auto rifles and shotguns or pump shotguns and also people who need them proffesionally (except crooks) as far as hand guns go they have always been heavily regulated and didn't change much,til now at all. Sorry to hear you blokes have to suffer thru Steve.Irwin to don,t blame us .As far as snakes go we got some real bastards 2 Sats ago i ran over 5 ,4 browns and a tiger all within a half mile on a main road i think they both rate in the top 5 deadliest the browns come in at 1 if you think i didn't bother going hunting that weekend you would be 100% correct,cant stand the things.

[HogFan]

I don't care how much the government was going to pay me for a gun, they aren't getting it! To me, this is just a beginning, next will be the over unders, single shots, and then nothing. I like my pump actions, and semi-autos too much to give them up for a few hundred bucks.

Hudge :twisted: