Vince wrote:

what do I hunt...anything feral mate. ... I won't shoot native animals.

Vince, if deer are considered feral, does Austrailia have what we call game animals?

I am assuming that "game" animals in the US cover the entire range of Deer, Elk, Moose, Big Horn Sheep etc.

In that case...no...there are no NATIVE "game" animals (in the US sense or vernacular) out here. There are a number of FERAL "game" animals though as indicated earlier in the thread.

There are some hunting groups lobbying the Govt to introduce deer seasons, and they have succeeded in a couple of States...but personally, I am opposed to their ideas because I believe they are turning the sport of deer hunting into a sport for the elite only.

One of these groups...The Australian Deer Association (ADA)...are "securing" properties that only their members can hunt. They do this by offering the property owner fairly large amounts of money to (I believe) not allow other hunters on, and they also offer the services of their members to the property owner for a number of weekends each year as "farm hands". The ADA charge high membership fees and hunt fees (not sure about trophy fees) from the members and also levy extra charges on the member if he or she does not attend a set number of "working bees" at the relevant property. If that is not making the sport an elitist sport I don't know what is.

I have a mate who lives in Tasmania (they have seasons on fallow deer there) and he says it is near on impossible to get onto a property there now unless you are a member of a Hunting Club that has secured the property, and you are pretty well "cashed up". The only exception he has seen to this so far is the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia, but I think you still have to enter a ballot for deer season.

Cheers, Vince

Our Gun registry program was started as a knee jerk reaction to a university shooting in Montreal back in the 90's I believe. This is where the divide is in Canada. The city folks dont want guns and if you got em they figure the gov't should know about it. I read somewhere that based on our population we have more guns in canada per person (on average) than they do in the states.
Our Gov't just voted to do away with the registry and it got defeated. Original cost to set it up was somewhere around 2.2 Billion dollars.
I dont really have a problem with registering my handguns but the longs guns is a waste. Hell when you buy one at a gun store the RCMP keep track anyway. The simple fact that i own a handgun gives the RCMP the right to knock on my door anytime and request to look at it. I cant say no.

I didnt realize that deer are considered feral. Were they actually introduced to Australia at some point? Open season all the time. Is there a lot of them?

Shame that the motion to abolish your firearms registry was defeated...it might have created a precedence that could be drawn on in other parts of the world...like out here.

We have to register both long arms and pistols out here. Our pistol laws sound similar to yours (we are not allowed to hunt with them) and the Police can do the same...turn up to check security etc. We can refuse, but only if they haven'r rung to make an appointment...then you can refuse till a convenient time for both parties...not always a smart thing to do though as you then become marked as an obstructionist (unofficially of course).

Yes, all species of deer were introduced to Australia maybe 200 yrs ago or thereabouts. Not sure on populations...our climate isn't really well suited to deer...hot and dry...although a guy I go out with sometimes got 19 deer in one night a few weeks back...spotlighting for feral eradication.

Anyway mate...don't want to hijack this thread and take it off topic. We can always open another thread in the Spam-O-Rama to discuss our draconian firearms laws.

Cheers, Vince

I wish these damn bots would learn a little grammar and at least how to mimic the thread at the very least.

Cheers, Vince

Vince, I'm guessing that they are using a poor quality translator program.

I gotta get me a facebook account and join the masses.

Suz

Looks like they will search to the end of the earth to find a way to make a buck.