Wild Dogs in OZ

[havgunwilltravel]

Whilst we don't have the same level of predation of game herds from canines that you guys have to deal with, we certainly have issues with our wild dogs that have gone feral and mated with the native dingo. Between these wild dogs and the more purer strain of dingo, there is always incidents of deer getting taken down. The government do employ people to trap these animals and there is baiting programs in certain areas but in many remote areas it is very hard to make inroads into the numbers. Like your wolves and coyotes they are prepared to travel big distances and often hit farmers livestock late at night.
The government has a bounty on them at the moment, $50 a dog scalp and $10 for foxes (Which my brother shot over 500 this year (foxes)).
We encounter a few in the bush each year, depending on where we are hunting, and we do try to shoot a few of them if we aren't onto a good stag at the time.
I like my trail cameras and here is a very unique situation with dingoes chasing down a female sambar across a creek where over the years i have got some real neat images. Not sure of the outcome, probably not good for the seemingly pregnant hind.

And one that i shot on the way back from a hunt. Plenty big enough to pull down deer and native marsupials.

 

[1_pointer]

Interesting trail cam photo! One thing that strikes me about the dingo is how "unwild" it looks. It looks like many a dog that i've seen on leashes and in yards. I realize this has to do with my lack of experience with them or most any other predator. Congrats on getting that one.

 

[Goldtip]

Very cool trail cam photo, keep knocking them down!

 

[Bwana]

Along those same lines, and showing my lack of knowledge regarding the critters found in your neck of the woods, but how does one tell the difference between a lost pet and a varmit that should be shot?

Educate me please.

 

[Wyodeerhunter]

Along those same lines, and showing my lack of knowledge regarding the critters found in your neck of the woods, but how does one tell the difference between a lost pet and a varmit that should be shot?

Educate me please.

No time to tell, shoot them and let god sort them out.

 

[spook12]

HGWT , cool trail cam pic.

Congrats on the K9.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Cool pics. Thanks for sharing.

 

[havgunwilltravel]

No time to tell, shoot them and let god sort them out.

Bwana WDH is pretty much on the money. Certainly caution would be taken when hunting in areas that are close to civilisation with the potential for stray dogs to be mistaken for wild/feral or dingo crosses, but with zero tolerance from a lot of farmers and the governmennt on this issue it is a very game pet dog to be mingling with livestock going for an extended walk outside of its home.

Some guys do hunt with gundogs in oz and a lot use GSP and WHP, these can be very easily identified, but most of the time i am backpacking in and extremely unlucky just to see another hunter, let alone a gundog, and a quick check for tracking collarsor a fluro collars will give you plenty of indication of its heritage.

 

[ihuntelk]

If I remember right in another of your posts, you're using a 'home-made' trail cam system. Looks like a higher quality picture than most trail cams. What is your system?
Thanks and great pic, unless you like pregnant Sambar

-Cade
www.HuntForeverWest.com

 

[havgunwilltravel]

Cade, yes we run a lot of the 'Homebrew' trail cameras, i used to have them made for me, but now we build them ourselves, simple sniper controller boards inside a pelican case, with a couple of D batteries for 100 days or so of operation, and most importantly a Sony Cybershot S600 camera that we scrounge around trying to find. These have the Carl Zeiss lens and great flash penetration at night. As a lot of the places i set my TC's are quite remote, 10-15kms from trail heads, i often need them to be i the bush for an extended period of time. I generally dont specifically hunt any of the big stags i get on the TC's, but more so just like getting them year after year to see how they have grown as they progress into maturity. Once they are dead, i can't learn more any more from them!
I have heaps of good dingo pics, but all on my external hard drive, here is a couple of pics from the homebrews.

And here is one of me walking away from a tc unit after i have changed batteries and memory cards. Gone in solo, got my sleeping gear on my back, about to work out where to lay the bag for the night then have an evening hunt. Clothes are a bit different to you guys, all slim and streamlined for ease of movement and minimal noise in the bush, leggings etc.. Boots are in the backpack, i was 10kms in here from the truck and most of it done hunting in the socks through crappy bush, an extra pair of socks on provides comfort and there is nothing quieter to sneak around in..shooter ready to go and a face mask on to keep the deer guessing.

 

[Sytes]

Wow! Amazing! Incredible pictures! Thanks for sharing!