we had a discussion at my office last week about the types of game that could be hunted in Australia. One guy we know(from Oz) says there is only Kangaroo and wild bore. Is there not also a buffalo of some kind, deer, fowl etc.? Not to mention the critters that could hunt you down there.

After Africa, Australia is one place I would love to hunt.

Kangaroo may only be shot by licenced shooters who have passed a course and purchased tags. These roos must be sold to approved meat works. It is also possible for primary produces to get a cull permit when numbers are too high, these must be left to rot. Wallabies are harvested in Tasmainia, cull permits isued elsewere.

Wild pigs and other ferial animals (cats, rabbit, hare, fox, cats, goats, water buffalo, wild dogs, camel, deer (fallow and English Red that I know of)and any cat you see) can be shot on site, hunted, trapped etc on private land, with permision. In reality you will have to pay for the privilege of hunting some of these.

There is a season for ducks in some states.

All native game is protected in some way.

I think they are starting a small crocadile hunt again. Not for me I can tell you.

Some one please correct me on any thing wrong.

There is also Banteng, Scrub Bull, Javan Rusa Deer, Moluccan Rusa Deer, Axis/Chital Deer, Sambar Deer and Blackbuck Antelope. If you get a permission to shoot in the area where kangaroos or wallabies are present in large numbers there is a good chance that farmer may let you use his spare tags. As far as the critters that could hunt you down there is really only one, the salt water crocodile, and unfortunately they are fully protected. So far the government has resisted any moves to allow for limited culling of crocodiles. Some of the other above mentioned large animals can be also dangerous when cornered and/or wounded and so can be some snakes and spiders but generally you should be quite safe.
Cheers

thanks lads, that's more along the lines of how I thought it was. I spent some time down there back in '92 and loved the place-was not there hunting though, had nothing but a pack with me then! But I did get to see some wild country, I did wonder how one would keep meat from spoiling when I was in Alice Springs-I think the temp spiked at 49'C!!!

Blackbuck is not living in the wild but is available on game ranch hunts. There is also the Hog Deer.
All of the other game listed is living in the wild as natives(kangaroo, dingo, water fowl, quail) or feral animals (all the rest). When all added up I think we have quite a good selection of game to hunt.
To give you an idea of what game is located where in this wide land:
Deer (six species): Populations throughout Aus in different sizes.
Pig: Aus wide except in the arid centre. From tropics thru semi arid and into the mountains.
Goat: Same as pig.
Buffalo: Only in the Northern Territory(NT) tropics.
Scrub bull (wild cattle): generally in northern Aus.
Banteng (Indonesian cattle): In one isolated area in NT.
Cat: Aus wide. The most widely spread.
European Red Fox: Aus wide except tropics and Tasmania (possibly there now).
Rabbit and hare: Aus wide except tropics.
Camel: Arid centre.
Brumbies(horses): mostly northern aus and southern mountains.
Donkey: mostly northern Aus.
Dingo/wild dog: Aus wide.
Roo: Aus wide.
Small pockets of wild sheep too.
Birds spread far and wide.

Where I live in south east Aus we have Sambar, fallow and red deer, pigs, goats, foxes, cats, rabbits, hares, ducks, dingoes, quail, roo and wombat (agricultural pest culling) within an hours drive. :D

...Where I live in south east Aus we have Sambar, fallow and red deer, pigs, goats, foxes, cats, rabbits, hares, ducks, dingoes, quail, roo and wombat (agricultural pest culling) within an hours drive. :D
Personally, I have a soft spot for wombats and I’d sooner shoot a koala (shock! horror!)
Cheers :)

Anyone here with Tikka T3 Varmint 308?

any comments?

I got a tikka T3 223 does that count :)

If i get another tikka it will be a 308 but no need for it yet.

Have you had any problems with your tikka?

i havent experience any issues with it :) i have only gone through 200 rounds so far , but im happy with it

im also thinking of reloading soon, any advise on what equipment i should check out

a good friend of mine just bought his t3 SS Lite 223 - i love the finish and it performs very well -

What'da you mean you're shoot'n dingo's... me daddy was a D!

Ranch Dog

T3, You'd better go down to Kangaroo island and sort out some of their problems. It seems that no one else can.

Tikka308, I've got a M55 in 6mmAI it goes quite well. As for loading gear if you dont have any thing yet see what start up kits are around as you can save a bit with them. You should be able to pick up a second hand super simplex for $20 or so, they are great for priming and seating projectils also neck sizing if your not useing hard millitry brass.

Aussie Col -

thanks im looking at the lyman reloading kit for $350 the complete kit with .308 dies

is lyman o.k?

tikka -

Lyman is an old established company that was making reloading tools before most of the others were ever organized. Their products are top notch and you won't have many problems with them.

Seems strange how folks identify with brand names. There are those that swear by Lee products and then there are those that swear at them. Same with most of the brands.

I've got a bastardized mix of just about all manufacturers here in the US. Some of Lee, RCBS, Hornady, Redding, Forster - you name it and I'll find something with their name on it. What I'm saying in a round about fashion is that all of it is good. Any particular item can be defective from any maker, but all will make good on it if you let them know.

My Lyman stuff has all been good. Like Kdub, I've got quite a mix of brands..... hard to really place one of them ahead of the others. All do at least some things well.... all can stand improvement in areas!

Kits are a good way to get started, IHO. Best of luck....

out of interest whats the score with emu, we MAY have shot a couple on some private land one time i was over there in WA, we definately did shoot a **** of a lot of goats and a dozen or so roos, i hate dispatching joeys...especially when u have to pull em off their mums nipple u know....? nasty that

Emu's are protected like all other native animals. I'm not sure if you can get a cull permit.

I know of places in Texas where they're running wild on the ranches and considered big vermin - no season, no limit!

Yup, we got plenty of them roaming free in Texas. Bottom fell out of the emu-speculation market about 10 years ago, and people just let them loose. Seems like they do reproduce, slowly.

Been threatening to get a giant turkey cooker and see how one tastes.....

TPV tells me the one his son shot this spring tasted pretty much like beef.

They say that you have to have a permit to shoot roo's, but every1 shoots them anyway and there numbers still rapidly increase. The bloody things can have one joey out next to then, one in the pouch sucking and 1 foetus ready to go. But if there is a drought they can put the foetus on hold (stop growing). Since i have grown up in a little country town, i have been shooting roo;s eber since i was 7. We shoot 50 a night and come back aweek later and there semm to be more. Its carzy. Any way we do not have a permit , and neither does the rest of our town.

when we go over to oz we have to get a temporary firearm certificate and the conditions of that are that we have written permission from the landowner to shoot over his land at vermin. thats all it states. we have been told on one farm, by the owner, not to shoot at emu at all or there will be trouble, but at another farm - more remote, we have been told to shoot anything cept his sheep!! we asked if that included emu and he said - **** yea - **** things run all my fences down!!

as for eating them - man what a drumstick, and yea beef is the closest comparison i guess, just a bit gamier thats all. and jeesh have they got massive dinosaur feet or what?? crazy creatures, and a tricky target when they are on the run - try a head shot!!!!!

They are not that easy to bring down with out ruinning a lot of meat. Allmost imposible to head shoot, and if you have a side on shot as I mostly have the meat is all in the drumstick which covers most of the side. Shotgun in the head is supposed to work.

"shotgun in the head is supposed to work" - supposed? lol I reckon you might be right!! getting close enough to guarantee a kill may be somewhat tricky tho, I would hate to get on the wrong side of an annoyed emu!

Please excuse my ignorance but what is "lol"? I can't find it in my dictionary.

You can get close enough if the padock is smooth enough to drive at 60-80 km/h.

LOL = laughing out loud.

Blackbuck is not living in the wild but is available on game ranch hunts. There is also the Hog Deer.
All of the other game listed is living in the wild as natives(kangaroo, dingo, water fowl, quail) or feral animals (all the rest). When all added up I think we have quite a good selection of game to hunt.
To give you an idea of what game is located where in this wide land:
Deer (six species): Populations throughout Aus in different sizes.
Pig: Aus wide except in the arid centre. From tropics thru semi arid and into the mountains.
Goat: Same as pig.
Buffalo: Only in the Northern Territory(NT) tropics.
Scrub bull (wild cattle): generally in northern Aus.
Banteng (Indonesian cattle): In one isolated area in NT.
Cat: Aus wide. The most widely spread.
European Red Fox: Aus wide except tropics and Tasmania (possibly there now).
Rabbit and hare: Aus wide except tropics.
Camel: Arid centre.
Brumbies(horses): mostly northern aus and southern mountains.
Donkey: mostly northern Aus.
Dingo/wild dog: Aus wide.
Roo: Aus wide.
Small pockets of wild sheep too.
Birds spread far and wide.

Where I live in south east Aus we have Sambar, fallow and red deer, pigs, goats, foxes, cats, rabbits, hares, ducks, dingoes, quail, roo and wombat (agricultural pest culling) within an hours drive. :D
Where is the nearest major town at which you shoot

Where is the nearest major town at which you shoot

I live in Wodonga. All the game I mentioned is spread about the hills in small and large numbers. I havent got onto any pigs close by yet but they are there. Goats are in scattered bands about the hills. Sambar are all over the place, fallow are fairly common and spreading, Red deer are in a few smallish pockets. Sorry I cant be more specific but too often small game populations get shot out when the info goes too "public".