Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Australia battered - 'stralia huntin' Primer

battered:

How about a primer on how foreigners can hunt in Australia?

Australian rules regarding possession of firearms? Transporting hunting firearms into & out of Australia?

Hunting licenses and tags? Big game hunting regulations?

Public land vs private land? Camping in the bush?

Maps?

Game animals eligible for hunting? Red stag?

Etc., etc., please.

KC

No problems, I'll get something written up

Glad to see you got the web master to add Australia. Enjoyed your post and pictures on other site. Looking forward to seeing your next post and answering KC's questions.

sorry guys ive been away with the kids hunting��bad trip though ill do a post for this topic and one for the trip over the weekend hopefully

Good post KC , a hunt like they go on would be a lot of fun.

I'd like to go on an extended hunt like Battered and the his mates go on -maybe a month or more.
Kill a critter build a fire , have dinner -maybe a cold one --repeat next day.
Mike

what do you mean "a" critter and "maybe" a cold one���.

I have culled 100 animals in 3 hours and a couple of dozen a day is routine. No-one kills "a" critter, why bother getting the bore dirty?

Sheer courtesy!!! He would hate for our hosts to think we are drunken greedy game hogs!

lol

In Victoria , The main game animal is Sambar deer. Minimum calibre is .270 , Game licence around $45 - $50. for a years hunting
Season all year round except in the Alpine National park which closes for 2 months from Dec 16 to Feb 16 .
No bag limit , no season for sexes, Hound hunting april 1 til nov 30th but a week closure thurs before easter until thurs after easter
Tourist licence for a short period without sitting the hound test
http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/fishing-and-hunting/game-hunting/deer
Hog deer , season April only , tags are free 1 stag and 1 doe tag per person.
Must be checked in and weighed
http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/fishing-and-hunting/game
hunting/deer/hog-deer-hunting-in-Victoria
Fox drives are held through some of regional vic
This is a start

Righto,

If you want to hunt private property you can basically shoot as many cats foxes dogs bunnies pigs goats camels donkeys horses scrub bull buffalo as you want all year round. New South Wales you need a permit basically to hunt deer...... Qld deer are considered a pest so on private land shoot what you want. In nsw i could be wrong there as some changes are happening. (Please someone in the know post what's happening)

Vic..... as the post above you just by a deer permit for the year

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I just wasn't thinking straight when I wrote that.

Please tell us foreigners about Aussie gun laws.

Can we bring our hunting rifles into the country?

Do we have to register them?

Are there firearms import fees?

KC

I'm not battered, but I'll tell you what I know.

Aussie gun laws are considerably more restrictive than here in the US of A. All guns have to be registered, no semi-autos are allowed, handguns can be owned but it's a PITA and you certainly can't bring one in to hunt. If you're going to Oz for a hunt, you can only bring a gun with you if you've hired a registered outfitter/guide. Your gun, with the proper paperwork, will be registered via a piggy back on the outfitters/guides license. It then becomes their responsibility to make sure that all laws concerning use, storage and transportation are followed. If you're going to hunt with a mate, such as if battered or if one of the other members here invited you, you can't bring your rifle. Several of the commercial airlines that fly domestically will not allow you to fly with a firearm, so be sure to check their policy before booking a ticket. By far, it is much easier and less headache to just use the outfitters or hosts.

Here is a link to the Customs info for importing firearms:

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page4372.asp

Archery gear is much easier to bring in. At the moment, archery tackle, including broadheads, is considered sporting equipment, therefore not a weapon and therefore doesn't have the restrictions of a firearm. After my first trip through Customs with my longbow and arrows and the Customs agent telling me it was sporting equipment, I quit declaring my gear at all. Granted, a longbow in a case in my backpack is much easier to keep from prying eyes than a compound in a case. If you're in doubt, just declare it.

Knifes are restricted as well. It's in your best interest to leave any knife with a blade longer than 4" at home. It's also best to keep it buried in your checked bag until you're actually out in the field. Don't carry a knife on your person while sightseeing out in town.

Hunting opportunities are pretty good there. By law, with a few exceptions for some waterfowl, only introduced species can be hunted. The species available to hunt are pigs, 6 species of deer, water buffalo, camels, horses (brumbies), donkeys, dogs, cats (a HUGE problem), spanish goats, fox, scrub bulls (feral cattle), banteng (BIG $$) and feral sheep (with permission). There may some I missed.

Contrary to popular belief, you can not go there and legally shoot kangaroos. Only licensed roo shooters are allowed to legally shoot them. That said, many a roo falls to guests and visitors as the stations are vast, roos plentiful and enforcement lax, plus the station managers don't like them competing for food with the sheep and cattle.

Access depends on which state you're in. Some states allow hunting in the state forests, with a license. All allow hunting on private land without a license, but with permission from the owner/manager.

Hopefully this helps. I'm sure there are points that I've missed, but that is hunting in Oz in a nutshell. If you're wanting to go, DO IT! It's an experience you can't get anywhere else in the world.

WTF you lookin' at, mate?

ryoushi,

Thank you for the information!

A quick question if you will; Can blackpowder firearms, cartridge(Sharps)or muzzleloader, be brought into the country?

Thanks again,

yes im pretty sure they can.

battered,
Thank you for your help!

I guess there's no such thing as a foreigner who does a DIY hunt in Australia. You would have to bring in your own rifle to do that and since I can't afford an outfitter/guide, I guess that means that I'll never be able to hunt in Australia. I might be able to scrape up the airfare but not that plus outfitter/guide fee.

Too bad.

KC

[bleep] the outfitters, most not all, but most are [bleep] anyhow. there are more than enough of us will to take you blokes for a hunt

When you speak of cats, what are they? I suppose the dogs are dingos?