Australian Rabbit Hunting

[nitetrane98]

I surfed across some article about farmers being urged to use blasting and poisonous gas to control rabbits. I remember seeing old newsreels years ago of men clubbing rabbits to death that had been corraled with a huge net.

I got to wondering how things were going these days and Googled up this article.
http://www.ozziehunting.com/hunting-guides/hunting-rabbits-in-australia.html

Scroll down a bit for it.

What is particularly interesting are the messages and requests to somebody regarding permission to hunt these rabbits and even offering to pay. There are hundreds of them. It could have just as easily been some Texas rancher asking for help getting rid of his hogs. People were begging.

I guess it's hard to find good hunting land anywhere these days.

 

[hiho]

theres a farm near me (Im in the UK) the farmer wouldnt let me shoot on his land when i asked? but he would pay over £1000 for one of those rodenator things which fills the burrows with gas and then ignites it which i dont think is acceptable or humane

 

[H&Hhunter]

It is kind of the great divide between landowners and hunters. In Texas I see landowners screaming about hog damage then turn right around and want to charge hunters big bucks to hunt hogs on their land and in the next breath demand that the government come spend tax payer money to come kill hogs.

I can understand both sides really. Most Landowners don't trust most hunters to get the job done and most have been at one time or another screwed over by slob hunters. Not to mention the liability issues these days. There are a lot of landowners who don't like strangers on their places plain and simple and I understand that.

Many hunters are simply over enthusiastic and tend to overstate their knowledge and abilities. Then there are some solid old hands who actually know what they are doing but it's pretty tough to separate the wheat from the chaff until you get to know somebody pretty well. It is a matter of building trust which takes time. There should be some sort of bonafied hunter certificate that says, hey this guy is safe and knowledgeable. And no a hunters safety card isn't good enough.

 

[308win]

When I was in high school we used to ask the farmers we baled hay for, walked beans for, detasseled seed corn, etc. to hunt and we were seldom refused; usually if we were it was because they were running livestock on harvested land. The point is, we asked. Then, people lost respect, quit asking as though they felt entitled to hunt, and now a lot of land is closed to hunting period - lack of respect can't be fixed. Sad . . .

 

[cooch]

Gentlemen.

As a farmer, who is also a hunter and who has done pest control on a voluntary basis,,, let me put it to you like this.

If you had an infestation of - say - cockroaches in your house, how would you react if I turned up on your doorstep with a hammer, claiming that I was there to help you with your roach problem? You are well aware that - even if I get a few roaches - I won't get them all and that you will still have to call in a professional pest exterminator. Yet my "help" would require you to take extra steps in order to monitor my activities and to secure your property. It would be more sensible from your POV to simply reject my "kind" offer and call the pro right from the start.

There are times and places where hunting pressure from recreational hunters can make enough difference. But that requires the hunters to be prepared to shoot any animals that they come across - including pregnant females and young - not just the trophy males. It also requires enough hunter-days to make a really significant difference to the population... so your visit alone may not be enough to make a worthwhile difference.

It's all about levels of hunting pressure, percentage of the population killed, and the cost-effectiveness of the exercise to the landowner.

Our land is our "private space" as much as your house is. Denial of access is not just because we're anti-hunting, y'know?

Peter