Q for F. Bailey on Hunting Down Under

Fergus,
I recently saw a program on Australian wildlife and started foaming at the mouth with excitement when an very large marsupial called the "Red Kangaroo" was profiled. Knowing that you hunt "Roos", I was wondering if this particular species is among them. I couldn't belive how big and cocky the SOBs are! And if it is legal to hunt them, what is like? Are they elusive? Or do they just stand there glaring at ya while ya drill 'em - like the moose does here in North America.

Also, does the Australian government sell hunting permits to foreigners and/or allow the transfer of hunting rifles into and out of the country?

David

[ 06-04-2001: Message edited by: David P. Herne ]

[Fergus Bailey]

David

Short answer is, yes they are hunted. Now, for the long answer - most Australian wildlife management agency’s would not know game management if it bit them on the a$$. Most people that are in the respective State department tend to be fairly leftist leaning and not very sensible in their views to hunting or the issue of wild animal utilisation. Kinda like having the Democrats in control in the US. The resulting situation is that no sport hunting of any native animal is allowed in Australia and this wildlife resource is not utilised at all well.

However, there are licensed hunters, or more correctly, cullers who shoot kangaroos for pet and human consumption. A landowner can also get a permit for control purposes and this is where the legal hunting comes in. The landowner can get the permit, then allow the animals to be taken by anyone he wants to offer this to.

We have many sub species of roos over here and the Red and Grey are by far the most comon. Roos in general are fairly placid and not too hard to approach up to a point, but in some areas where they get shot a lot, they can be very skittish, as wary as any animal you might encounter. Roos are fairly nocturnal and like deer, most activity is early morning or late evening. Much culling of roo is done in the spotlight and you will see far more roos in the light at night than you would during the day. But, you will still see plenty during the day.

As for bringing in a rifle, yes this can be done. I don’t know the full details, but we do have a number of professional hunters here who cater to the mainly American market for hunting of buffalo and other animals, so many Americans will bring their own rifles for these hunts. There is some good hunting to be had in Australia and if you are interested in more info, email me off list and I’ll detail some of your options.

Fergus

Fergus,
I love it . . . the prospect of an Australian safari, that is! I've been trying to talk the wife into an African safari for months now. But she says Down Under would be more to her liking. Go figure with all that beautiful, bloody coastline ya have there! No big hurry though. We're just talking for right now.

If we did this in the next two years, however, is there any chance the Saltwater Crocodile would come back into season as well . . . those magnificent bastards!?!?!

David

[Fergus Bailey]

David

I can’t see croc hunting here any time soon. The Northern Territory Government tried to start safari hunting for control purposes a few years ago. The response from the media and the Federal Government was very negative and I doubt that will change in the foreseeable future.

We should be able to put together a good itinerary for you though. A friend of mine is a PH/outfitter and runs a very good operation up north. He guides on buffalo, “scrub bull” (feral cattle that are quite wild), bore and some culling of donkey and “brumby” (feral horse). If you like, we could also try to line this up with a long range competition or two.

Another benefit for you is that the Aussie dollar is about 2 to 1 against the US $ right now, so your purchasing power is very strong over here. When you are ready, just let me know and I can run through a few options in more detail. In the mean time, if you’ve got any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Fergus,
Crikey! This is too exciting! I'd no idea the Australian dollar was that weak against the U.S. dollar. Of course, my heart goes out to you and yours in this vein, Amigo. I'll let you know about a hunt if things work out for me and the Mrs. financially.

As for the Aussie government's stance on all this, I'm heartbroken. I'd read articles about anti-firearms legislation there in the past year or two, but I assumed it was all it was overblown as to the severity of the matter. Guess not from what you're tellin' us! Let's pray it turns around before Australia is up to it's neck in Crocs again. Reliable sources here indicate they've made a vengeful comeback since hunting was banned some twenty years ago!!!

Regards,
David