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?

KC,
As I posted above, you can still hunt, just hook up with someone there and have them take you out, using their rifles. Most Aussies would be willing to take you out and show you their country, just get yourself there and help cover the cost of fuel, food and beer.

jt,
There are very few true dingos left, they have been interbred with feral domestic dogs. All are on the hit list for hunters. The cats are feral domestic cats and they ALL need to die. The native wildlife there takes a beating from them as there are few native predators.

As the Aussies like to say, "If it's feral, it's in peril!"

there is a lot of dingos well west of the coastline but a dog is a dog so shoot it

We also consider feral cats as enemies of small game birds and song birds as well. Feral dogs are the enemy of sheep and goat producers. Same everywhere.

Jack

im gonna be heading down and not hunting with an outfitter......means i dont get to use my own rifle but no big deal i can adapt.....hooking up with some guys ive talked to here and elsewhere, throwing in money in the pot for fuel and food and gonna have some fun....

I like reading about this for sure.

But it sure makes one happy to live here, where they are only slowly eroding our gun rights..

I can't imagine not being somewhere without a knife, I had one visiting the smithsonians in DC and had to leave it outside...

I can't imagine being tough to own a handgun.

Or not owning a dozen or so ARs. Or being able to shoot them right out my back door, suppressed, full auto etc.. whenever I choose.

wasnt that long ago and Oz didnt have all these rules either.....

Rattler , Chuck in a sleeping bag, most of us would have spare swags etc, and a stubby holder

just remember ive got no house, no job and no payments i have to make waiting for me back here in the states.....may decided i like hunting deer with hounds and your not gonna be able to get rid of me

Just get here Thursday afternoon ,we can go away Thursday night and hunt fri/sat. . Stay on if you want

appreciate it, would love to be able to stick around a bit and prowl around with my camera in hand......from the videos your place is completely different from Aussielad's and battered's as far as vegetation and such

Watch you don't end up going Feral! :-)

He was gettin that way in Texas but we reined him in

hey now.....havent even started chasing double-breasted-mattress thrashers yet......

You won't be chasing them over where i live . camel toes and moose knuckles abound in the valley.
However Melbourne has some good girls in the higher class Establishments that exist around town

prolly save most my chasing for when im done catching up with you, Troy and battered, afterall no hurry for me to get back to the states....can do some looking when i aint taking up your time since your nice enough to show me around and take me out for some hunting got the rest of my life to chase split tail.....

Hone.....watching those DVD's you sent...again....i really cant wait to be down there with camera in hand let alone the chance with a rifle.....had forgotten you have lyrebirds around your place.....one of the neatest critters, gonna have to stalk around the bush and try and get a pic even if it aint the time of year the males are displaying....

It's gunna be an good time mate, really looking forward to it

Up the top of the Street is all national Park , Lyrebirds, Deer all over the place, You can wander around up there all day with a camera .Bush can be a bit thick in some places .

i cant wait either.....

good to know Hone, i can put some water and a lunch in a pack and wonder around while your at work or whatever.....hate to make the journy to your place and only be there for a few days of hunting when your area looks so much different than the pics ive seen of the stuff where battered hunts and the pics ive seen around Troys....being able to take a few days to just wander around with the camera at my own pace would be great....

i can let you wander around the desert as well if you like

i plan on it im pretty well a kid that never grew up....still catching snakes and bugs and whatever cause i want to take a closer look at them pissed off Darla more than once cause ild catch a snake movint out of the corner of my eye and dive after it....she couldnt figure out how in a half second glance i could tell it wasnt a rattler.....*shrug*.....25 plus years of catching snakes and lizards it aint hard for me to recognize a rattler.....

however ive got to be damn careful down your way.....the snakes that can hurt or kill me out number those that cant

promise me you won't grab a fierce snake.... i dont want the paperwork involved to get you come in a box

ive got life insurance

actually even i aint to interested in grabbing hold of a taipan either costal or inland(fierce) but with the help of a snake stick ill check out some of the smaller species and pose them for the camera....guarantee you i aint likely to actually grab hold of much other than pythons.....

even as much as i like messing with our rattlers i aint big on grabbing them by the head like some do cause a trip to the ER if they put a fang through the jaw or my finger slips is gonna run me the cost of a new house if my insurance says they aint paying for stupidity......use a snake stick and occasionally "tail" them but not big on taking risks above and beyond that mostly cause the medical bills due to a slip of concentration are daunting....

Battered, if Sheridan (Rattler) actually goes to visit you in OZ, try to keep him out of MAJOR mischief if ya would! He is one helluva good guy and we would like him to show up at another pig hunt in(hopefully) one piece!!

Dunno if I can do that, It's hard trying to keep myself out of trouble

Just the major stuff will do nicely Laddy

If Sheriden asks you for a glass jar, question him closely.

you blokes should get 3 or 4 of you together and come out, sort of like a 24hr campfire members road trip

any aussies here can come to so we can have a big group of us that can do say a couple weeks hunting on one of our bigger blocks.......by block i mean 2-3 million acres.

we could hunt on that block pigs, dogs, cats, horses, donkeys and camels

that would be cool as hell though im guessing my timeline is a bit more accelerated than most can handle....hoping to be over there the first part of July and hopefully between bouncing around to different places/peoples couches( ) and taking it easy on my funds i can waste two months before having to come back to the states.....

BTW if you can swing me getting to shoot a camel you will be my new hero

I am very interested in doing something like that, battered, and I've been thinking about it quite a lot in recent weeks. In fact, for very personal reasons, it appeals to me more than a plains game hunt in Africa, although I'm not knocking that by any means.

It can't work for me this year, though. Family issues. But ... maybe 2015. Yeah, maybe 2015.

I'd love to smack a camel. (Wake in fright, Omar!)

Where do you land in Oz? Rattler
Be Sydney or Melbourne ,i suppose,Then where are you heading for. See if we can put a bit of structure to this visit. It's a big country.For the others that he will be visiting , i live in Warburton , Vic in the Yarra Valley.
How are you getting around while you are here?

gotta talk to Troy and see what he thinks might work best for him as he has changed jobs recently so i needto find out if im throwing him at the beginning or end of the trip....figured ild hit him or battered first and you second since your more or less between the guys....IIRC not a hell of alot of difference in price at flying into any of the three from SEATAC...think Brisbane beats the other two by $200....

as to travel in country, no freaking clue yet.....not real big on renting a car as im gonna be lacking in the credit card department and running on cash.....the couple i had were joint ones that i pulled my name off as part of the divorce as ive got no place to send the bill to anyway at the moment.....i know here in the states, no credit card, no renting a car especially to travel like im going to.....

and yes i do realize how big Oz is and going from battered to Troy is like me going from DC to Houston.....

Plane and Bus fares will cost a bit but then so will petrol if you drive. Used to be in SA that if you bought a car there ,you didn't need a roadworthy to change the vehicle over to your name.Not sure how it is there now
That might be an option, buy a $1000 car in Adelaide
Looked up the bus fare from Brissy to Melbourne $288 , nearly 2 days travel though

ive got more time than money so two days travel isnt anything ild worry bout, throw my head phones in, listen to tunes off my cell phone and read a couple books and im there....if i could just time them to be the chitty days with my knees ild be set with the cost of petrol higher for you guys than me driving from Brisbane to Adelaide with a stop to see you in the middle would eat a fair bit of my budget anyway....hell im spending 25 hours on a train to go out to ScottF's so no big deal to me....

i can possibly pick you up in my plane depending on how busy i am anyhow, then from sa go up to my hunting ground, then fly back to brisbane. ill get my workers to head out with all the supplies as it will take a few days drive out there

ill get ahold of Troy and see when he wants me showing up and start getting stuff set up....be sweet as hell if it worked out and that was possible, if not like i said ive got plenty of time to get from point A to B.....

Rttler , when you get to Melbourne , You'll be right.
I can either have you picked up , Pick you up myself, We can sort that out as you go , Come early in the week , We sort out the gear to go away , Head off after work thursday , come home sun, Stay on ,if you want and i'll try and get one of the guys to take you away for a couple days down the coast if it fits in with his work committments

Hey now I hauled him down to Texas and back...good company he is too...yep battered please take care of him..rattler is a great friend

very generous offer mate! You blokes are top notch!

































Did I get that right?