AussieHunter
Member
Gidday Fellas I am a 46 year old from Lake Macquarie in the state of New South Wales on the east coast of Australia. I have been hunting since I was 22, a relatively late starter by US standards I reckon.
I found out about this forum after I started watching MeatEater on NetFlix. This inturn lead to Steve Rinella's and Randy Newberg's Podcasts, all of which are great listening. It's great to see you guys having such brilliant ambassadors for hunting and Public Land access.
Mainly I hunt with my brother and best mate on private property around the north end of the Hunter Valley. There is small game to be had such as rabbits and foxes, a number of wild or feral dogs and medium game comprising Fallow and Red Deer and feral pigs and sometimes large mountain boars.
In Australia most hunting is done on private property with the permission of grazier or rancher, the farms are often mixed with some cropping and some cattle and sheep. In the Hunter properties are mainly smaller at around 2000 to 5000 acres with some much bigger ones in the upper most reaches of the valley. The country is hilly but can be pretty steep in areas and ranges upto about 3600 foot above seal level with a mix of open to heavily timbered country. The highest parts might see a light dusting of snow once or twice a year but frosts are common throughout winter.
I do, at least once a year, head south to the Victorian High Country to hunt Sambar Deer.
There is some public lands hunting in Australia. This occurs in some areas of National Park in Victoria and most State Forests after Sambar deer only, in designated State Forests in New South Wales after deer and other feral animals and recently in a few small ares in the Northern Territory. The Victorian access is simple, just apply and hold a Victorian Game License and hunt in the areas that are designated hunting accessible. In NSW you need a NSW Game License and can book into the State forest online. Bookings are determined on availability which is, first in first served, apart from three QDMA forests in southern NSW where there is a ballot for the rut April through to early May. Numbers are based on a land area basis of each State Forest on a ratio of about one hunter to every 500 hectares, but you aren't allotted a unit as such, just use common courtesy.
Whilst there are a lot of shooter in Australia, and growing, most are Spotlighters (out of the back of utes or Pick Ups) with hard core spot and stalk hunters being in the minority.
It is interesting and worrying at the same time that you guys are also facing issues on possible changes in Public Land Access, but it is great to see groups like BHA and others out there fighting to keep that access along with many hunters. You guys are to be applauded on that effort and many wont realize how good you had if it it is lost, god forbid.
Here in Australia the vast majority of citizens don't realize the importance of, and the fact they own the Public Land. That is, that they should be able to acces it and appreciate it, and that it is the source of much of their fresh water supplies. To that end, great swathes of it are locked up by our National Parks Service with the only access to hard core backpackers allowed. Hunters are constantly battling to keep their current access at the same time as looking to expand it.
The rut has just started over here as the weather has began to cool off after a horrendous summer, the hottest I have ever experienced. Here on the coast we had something like 30 days ranging between 96 and 106 deg F. I have yet to get out on my first hunt for the season due to work but I have a big block of leave coming up part of which I will spend in Victoria again and a seven day trip to the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand on a one-on-one guided Tahr hunt, my first international hunt. I am looking forward to it and somewhat apprehensive at the same time. It is going to be a experience to say the least with big weather common 'over the ditch' in the middle of our winter.
Hope to have some great conversations here and learn form the US experiences. Hopefully in the next few years I get to come over to the Western US or Alaska or BC. I would just love to hunt Elk. So thanks guys for the opportunity to introduce myself and be apart of the forum.
View attachment 69834View attachment 69834View attachment 69835
My first Red Stag I shot on the property I started hunting on twenty two years ago. Not big but representative of the area.
I found out about this forum after I started watching MeatEater on NetFlix. This inturn lead to Steve Rinella's and Randy Newberg's Podcasts, all of which are great listening. It's great to see you guys having such brilliant ambassadors for hunting and Public Land access.
Mainly I hunt with my brother and best mate on private property around the north end of the Hunter Valley. There is small game to be had such as rabbits and foxes, a number of wild or feral dogs and medium game comprising Fallow and Red Deer and feral pigs and sometimes large mountain boars.
In Australia most hunting is done on private property with the permission of grazier or rancher, the farms are often mixed with some cropping and some cattle and sheep. In the Hunter properties are mainly smaller at around 2000 to 5000 acres with some much bigger ones in the upper most reaches of the valley. The country is hilly but can be pretty steep in areas and ranges upto about 3600 foot above seal level with a mix of open to heavily timbered country. The highest parts might see a light dusting of snow once or twice a year but frosts are common throughout winter.
I do, at least once a year, head south to the Victorian High Country to hunt Sambar Deer.
There is some public lands hunting in Australia. This occurs in some areas of National Park in Victoria and most State Forests after Sambar deer only, in designated State Forests in New South Wales after deer and other feral animals and recently in a few small ares in the Northern Territory. The Victorian access is simple, just apply and hold a Victorian Game License and hunt in the areas that are designated hunting accessible. In NSW you need a NSW Game License and can book into the State forest online. Bookings are determined on availability which is, first in first served, apart from three QDMA forests in southern NSW where there is a ballot for the rut April through to early May. Numbers are based on a land area basis of each State Forest on a ratio of about one hunter to every 500 hectares, but you aren't allotted a unit as such, just use common courtesy.
Whilst there are a lot of shooter in Australia, and growing, most are Spotlighters (out of the back of utes or Pick Ups) with hard core spot and stalk hunters being in the minority.
It is interesting and worrying at the same time that you guys are also facing issues on possible changes in Public Land Access, but it is great to see groups like BHA and others out there fighting to keep that access along with many hunters. You guys are to be applauded on that effort and many wont realize how good you had if it it is lost, god forbid.
Here in Australia the vast majority of citizens don't realize the importance of, and the fact they own the Public Land. That is, that they should be able to acces it and appreciate it, and that it is the source of much of their fresh water supplies. To that end, great swathes of it are locked up by our National Parks Service with the only access to hard core backpackers allowed. Hunters are constantly battling to keep their current access at the same time as looking to expand it.
The rut has just started over here as the weather has began to cool off after a horrendous summer, the hottest I have ever experienced. Here on the coast we had something like 30 days ranging between 96 and 106 deg F. I have yet to get out on my first hunt for the season due to work but I have a big block of leave coming up part of which I will spend in Victoria again and a seven day trip to the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand on a one-on-one guided Tahr hunt, my first international hunt. I am looking forward to it and somewhat apprehensive at the same time. It is going to be a experience to say the least with big weather common 'over the ditch' in the middle of our winter.
Hope to have some great conversations here and learn form the US experiences. Hopefully in the next few years I get to come over to the Western US or Alaska or BC. I would just love to hunt Elk. So thanks guys for the opportunity to introduce myself and be apart of the forum.
View attachment 69834View attachment 69834View attachment 69835
My first Red Stag I shot on the property I started hunting on twenty two years ago. Not big but representative of the area.
