Trouble
Very Well-Known Member
Hey guys
I get why you go pig hunting, but why deer? what do they do to the environment? They are cute
I get why you go pig hunting, but why deer? what do they do to the environment? They are cute
Pig Hunting???
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Radar
Very Well-Known Member
LOL, just a saying I used, its the call sign for one of the bull-catcher vehicles we sometimes use (that particlar car I always seem to end up in).
they arent native and are in good numbers so really it doesnt matter. rusa deer do damage fences and get in feed sheds on farms and make a mess though so really they are a bit of a pest
Trouble
Very Well-Known Member
Ah ok
I've never seen that many around to be honest
There must be more down south lol
I've never seen that many around to be honest
There must be more down south lol
like the sambar were released in the 1900s then with world war 2 there was practically no people hunting them so they bred even more and spread further throughout gippsland. then with the fires recently that should push their numbers up too due to plenty of food
Radar
Very Well-Known Member
Hey trouble, Im not having a go at you here, everyone is entitled to an opinion, but this is just an explanation for a few other people who may be thinking the same thing.
I've never been after deer myself, I don't believe the numbers we get up here are really significant to warrant it (ie, I havn't seen them doing anything the wallabies wouldnt normally do).
Down south where the populations are bigger however, they are a seroius problem after fires. Many of the forests in the southern states consist of trees that are obligate seeders....meaning they can't survive a fire and the only reason the forests persist is the seed bank remains active after the adults are killed in the more severe fires. Basically, deer populations are held at high numbers most of the time by abundent fodder, etc, and when a fire sweeps through and kills everything green, they start to starve.....until the seeds, triggered by a number of factors related to the fire, begin to germinate. These are the only fodder for the deer, and large portions of the seed bank germinate at the same time......basically the deer eat an entire generation of trees when they are young, and there are no mature trees around to contribute to the seed bank. Having said this, there is always 1 or 2 species that the deer wont touch, and these start to dominate the environment, eventually meaning the entire vegetation structure changes......is easily possible that this may change species compostition in the area (of the animals that relied on certain plant species that are no longer around), etc, etc.
However, having said all that, they don't cause damage on the same level as pigs/water buffalo, and are primarily hunted for meat (as someone stated before). If you're taking an animal for meat, its not really any different than going to the shops and buying it.....except that you know where its come from and (IMO) are being more socially responsible by doing the 'dirty work' yourself.
To tell you the truth, if I had the choice between being a cow stuck in rubbish conditions/a chook stuck in a tiny cage, before being brutally slaughted, and a deer living free my enitre life then dying suddenly from a shot to the brain without knowing what was coming, Id choose to be the deer.
I've never been after deer myself, I don't believe the numbers we get up here are really significant to warrant it (ie, I havn't seen them doing anything the wallabies wouldnt normally do).
Down south where the populations are bigger however, they are a seroius problem after fires. Many of the forests in the southern states consist of trees that are obligate seeders....meaning they can't survive a fire and the only reason the forests persist is the seed bank remains active after the adults are killed in the more severe fires. Basically, deer populations are held at high numbers most of the time by abundent fodder, etc, and when a fire sweeps through and kills everything green, they start to starve.....until the seeds, triggered by a number of factors related to the fire, begin to germinate. These are the only fodder for the deer, and large portions of the seed bank germinate at the same time......basically the deer eat an entire generation of trees when they are young, and there are no mature trees around to contribute to the seed bank. Having said this, there is always 1 or 2 species that the deer wont touch, and these start to dominate the environment, eventually meaning the entire vegetation structure changes......is easily possible that this may change species compostition in the area (of the animals that relied on certain plant species that are no longer around), etc, etc.
However, having said all that, they don't cause damage on the same level as pigs/water buffalo, and are primarily hunted for meat (as someone stated before). If you're taking an animal for meat, its not really any different than going to the shops and buying it.....except that you know where its come from and (IMO) are being more socially responsible by doing the 'dirty work' yourself.
To tell you the truth, if I had the choice between being a cow stuck in rubbish conditions/a chook stuck in a tiny cage, before being brutally slaughted, and a deer living free my enitre life then dying suddenly from a shot to the brain without knowing what was coming, Id choose to be the deer.
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Trouble
Very Well-Known Member
Hey rednut
That explanation makes alot of sence
especially the last bit
Thanks
That explanation makes alot of sence
especially the last bit
Thanks
I like animals, especially the cute and fluffy ones, but the idea of hunting stuff down and shooting it is kind of exciting :lol: Particularly when they are a pest and need to be culled anyway - like the deer that are destroying parts of NZ. Perhaps I'm just bitter from a recent experience with a male Red Deer - I offered it some food and the damn thing tried to gouge me with his antlers :shock:
Yeah rednut summed that up pretty well, the bucks can also ringbark trees and the also have hard feet so they are quite differant to wallabies in that way too. I actually typed a message almost exactly the same but my computer crashed again :x
There are quite a few deer around areas in SE qld even in the suburbs around brookfield in brisbane. The ones outside the city are very shy and do a very good job of avoiding ppl. I havnt shot any myself but that only because i have only ever seen one when i had a rifle and i couldnt gurantee a humane kill, otherwise its goodbye bambi...
There are quite a few deer around areas in SE qld even in the suburbs around brookfield in brisbane. The ones outside the city are very shy and do a very good job of avoiding ppl. I havnt shot any myself but that only because i have only ever seen one when i had a rifle and i couldnt gurantee a humane kill, otherwise its goodbye bambi...
elapid68
Very Well-Known Member
Cause they're tasty.
Where we go in Western Victoria we'll see a stag and he'll have 10-15 hinds with him. It's not uncommon to see 3 or 4 of these mobs in a day. There are big numbers of them throughout the Bluegum forests and Pine plantations.
Radar
Very Well-Known Member
Thats a very valid point, but up here we don't get heaps of them and they are mostly on overstocked cattle properties anyway, so we'd have to get rid of all the cattle before you even noticed the deer were having an effect on the environment.
And computers are the bane of my existance. :lol:
An art ay? i must be a natural artist, you just blow the whistle and stuff comes to eat a rabbit that doesnt exist. It can also attract natives like goannas and raptors that are used to a squealing rabbit meal.
I've never been pig hunting, but have recently been considering getting a bow just as a way to get out bush. I wasn't able to renew my gun licence when we moved to Qld, no property owner to sign and gun clubs are not my thing. We do get feral pigs right at our back door at times, we back onto a large nature reserve. So far they've been infrequent and not caused any problems but I am thinking about getting a pig trap.
Radar
Very Well-Known Member
If you can get a mob in your trap, keep some weaners and fatten them up. Worm 'em, etc, and have them professionally butchered at your local meatworks. It'll fill your freezer for much cheaper than buying at the shops, just don't leave it to late to kill them, older animals taste like rubbish (IMO anyway :lol
.i came across plans for them the other day http://metals.about.com/gi/dynamic/...edia.com/how-to-plans/wild-hog-trap-plans.htm
Its great you just go out and shoot virtually everthing, bullets or arrows for the ferals and a camera for the natives. To me unless im going through heavy cover knowing a massive boar could be half a meter away, it doesnt really make any differance whether you are shooting with a gun or camera. Although killing feral animals achieves alot more than taking nice photos.
IMO its probably worth the effort of getting a gun, you only need to join SSAA(no attendance require after safety courses) and not have a criminal record(violence/drugs) or dangerous mental problems. It would take the best part of six months to get through all the crap though. Its a really bad seeing a cat, fox or whatever and not being able to get rid of it, knowing full well its going to kill hundreds more of our wildlife.
Radar
Very Well-Known Member
hahahaah......45/70......we use them on buffallo, hahahahaha (along with .44 magnum lever-actions as backup).
If your just going after pigs, a .30/30 is all you need, plenty of knockdown power, marlin .30/30 in the lever-action really are the ultimate pig-rifle that is commonly available. Considering you can get within 30 meters of them dead easy there is really no need to go for a .270 or something, unless you want it for deer as well. We started with Brno .22 firing .22 long-rifle ammo, just put a single shot behind the ear from a quartering away position and its over. Not to mention you can get 100 shots for 10 bucks.....$10 isnt bad for a weeks shooting, LOL.
.22/250 are a VERY good round if you want something with similar attributes to a .270 but in a smaller/cheaper gun, they have no trouble putting a hole through a 10mm cast iron bbq plate at 50m, and fire very 'flat'. JMO, anyway, lol, I've got nothing against the heavy stuff, as long as power isnt used as a substutite for accuracy. :lol:
You are actually much better off with higher velocity calibres as they are much safer and kill things quicker. With high velocity soft bullets they break up when they hit the ground instead of bouncing off into the distance.
There are a heaps of new .17 calibers around that are quiet and are great for cats, foxes etc.
If you want to shoot pigs get atleast a .243 with a .270 being perfect IMO. They are also great on foxes and cats and with the right bullet it makes them look like they ate a stick of dynamite.
Lever actions are great for close range, but really lack in accuracy and killing power(compared with .270's etc), although you can fire quicker if you miss.
There are a heaps of new .17 calibers around that are quiet and are great for cats, foxes etc.
If you want to shoot pigs get atleast a .243 with a .270 being perfect IMO. They are also great on foxes and cats and with the right bullet it makes them look like they ate a stick of dynamite.
Lever actions are great for close range, but really lack in accuracy and killing power(compared with .270's etc), although you can fire quicker if you miss.
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