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Author Topic: First deer for the year.  (Read 5168 times)

Offline 220

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First deer for the year.
« on: January 06, 2017, 05:30:03 pm »
First deer of the season is hanging in the cool room.
Quite a few deer species in Aus, some states list them as feral so you can hunt year round. My state lists them a game animals and has hunting seasons for species that have a fixed rut. Season length is generous (Mar-Oct) species without a fixed rut can be hunted year round.

I spend a fair bit of time chasing the local sambar and fallow populations through winter usually without a lot of luck. I seem to shoot more deer when Im not looking for them and they just appear while doing stuff around the farm.
A sambar spiker appeared yesterday and son had brought along my 240wby so managed to close the distance to about 50y and he put one high through the lungs. Estimate there is probably 200-250lb of prime venison hanging in the cool room.

Sambar are the biggest deer species in Aus similar in size to elk.

Offline divemaster1963

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Re: First deer for the year.
« Reply #1 on: January 06, 2017, 06:21:58 pm »
pics please.  :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Offline stung again

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Re: First deer for the year.
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2017, 06:50:59 pm »
I thought your gov. confiscated all the guns in your country. I guess I thought wrong. Glad to hear you can still hunt.

Offline 220

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Re: First deer for the year.
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2017, 07:35:20 pm »
Didn't take any pics, seeing it was a freezer filler not a trophy.

We didn't loose everything although we are limited on what we can own, there are still over 1 million firearms owners from a pop of about 24mil. Self defence isn't a valid reason for ownership but the in some regards we are better off than some US states. I could purchase a bolt action 50bmg if I so desired without any trouble.
With wife and kids firearms I think there are over a dozen rifles, 4 shotguns and 6 or 7 handguns currently in my safe, not to bad for a country that has been disarmed.   :wink:

Offline jalentour

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Re: First deer for the year.
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2017, 10:57:17 am »
Is this a summer season for you right now? 
Just curious what kind of deer you are hunting?
Is it native to Australia?

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: First deer for the year.
« Reply #5 on: January 12, 2017, 01:34:10 pm »
My first deer of 2017 is now dead beside the road with portions of my parking/signal lamp assembly embedded in it...  and I almost ended up in the ditch next to it...
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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Offline Psparr

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Re: First deer for the year.
« Reply #6 on: January 12, 2017, 03:05:01 pm »
My first deer of 2017 is now dead beside the road with portions of my parking/signal lamp assembly embedded in it...  and I almost ended up in the ditch next to it...
Already tenderized with some garnish for looks!

Offline 220

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Re: First deer for the year.
« Reply #7 on: January 12, 2017, 04:21:01 pm »
Is this a summer season for you right now? 
Just curious what kind of deer you are hunting?
Is it native to Australia?

Yep summer for us now, over 90 at home for the past week, forecast for today is 104, thankfully farm and bees are 18miles from home and 1500' higher in elevation. Temps for the past week have been high 80's low 90's, 95 predicted for today. Some parts of the state they are predicting temps up to 115.

There are no native deer in Aus but 6 species that were released in the 1800's and thrived. We have fallow and sambar at the farm and there are reports of red deer being seen locally. Red and fallow are the main species farmed and most of the red deer have had wapiti/elk genetics introduced to increase size and growth rates, no doubt these genetics are in the wild through farm escapes.
The freezer filler was a sambar spiker, sambar don't have a fixed rutting period and will breed all year round. They are a solitary deer so don't form herds, stags are usually alone although does will often have a yearling female calf and a new calf with them.
Interesting sambar are a tropical deer originating in Indian jungles with tigers their main predator, in Aus they have thrived in the cold alpine areas.

MB deer strikes are becoming quite common in Aus, there was a news report of one being hit only 5km from the CBD of Sydney in Oct.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/police-investigate-after-deer-killed-by-car-on-busy-road-in-woollahra-20160930-grssmp.html
In rural area you are far more likely to hit a kangaroo, not unusual to see a dozen or more dead from road strikes per mile in some areas. There is a reason the majority of cars weather sedan, SUV or pickup in rural Aus wear what we call bull bars. We average a couple of road strikes on roos each year.

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: First deer for the year.
« Reply #8 on: January 12, 2017, 05:01:05 pm »
I bought this minivan to replace the last one that was destroyed by a deer.  It actually took 4 deer to finally destroy that one...
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: First deer for the year.
« Reply #9 on: January 13, 2017, 06:12:11 am »
In PA, there were a lot of deer strikes, here in FL there are very few even though supposedly there are a lot more deer. It might bee the difference in the hunting season. In PA, it was only 2 weeks long, here it goes almost all winter long.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
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