John re: Watervalley here are a couple of quotes straight off the web mate

"4WD vehicles are used to access the hunting areas where spot and stalk hunting methods are our favored hunting technique. While reasonable amounts of easy walking are required, physically challenged hunters can enjoy hunting on this property."
Ok fine if you are physically challenged but the next paragraph says it all!

"We have however taken outstanding Sambar and Rusa stags with hard and polished antlers in February. The deer are often seen and heard right from the cottage accommodation on the property."

Did i read that right?I suppose you can stick the rifle out the kitchen window as your coffee is heating eh!

I realise that yep some will and do go to places such as this but to read in my last SCI (Nov/Dec) of an international "hunter/pro client" taking a sambar stag,a couple of fallow and rusa and reading as to how they were taken on W/V is akin to catching a 40 inch Barra in my swimming pool,the story is on page 38 titled "The Deer Downunder" with a sub title " a fair dinkum deer hunt in Australia`s high country" South Aussie high country? it is a piss off to me and plenty of others.
What lies in the future for the declining bear numbers around the world? Does someone start breeding them on "bear ranches" so as pro clients can hunt them as in the way all those species are hunted on W/valley? Aint kosher to me mate or at least not to the people that truly have hunted them.

You know there is a video out by Ken Wilson a pro client if there ever was one and its titled from memory "The Eight Great deer Of Australia" 8? I havent seen it but it was done on WV except for i think the fallow and hoggy whoopee! Have a look at the pics of species taken on this site folks and while there is some bush patches in the background it looks much the same as a sheep paddock to me.

http://www.huntaust.com.au/watervalley.html

Re " I have been spotlighting with deer around and the stupid buggers just stand there."
After reading the story on it so do some leopards too!

"were they filmed from inside a vehicle or was the cameraman on foot?"
a bit of both i believe

"Five scenarios for you hunting sambar:

you hunt sambar at Watervalley in a 100,000 + acre fenced paddock on foot;

you hunt a big beautiful sambar stag from elephant back in India (assume it still can be done);

you hunt sambar stag on the North Island, NZ;

you hunt sambar using hounds in the Vic Alps;

&

you stalk sambar without dogs in the Vic Alps."

Well the WV option is out for me for sure,i can hunt them for 8 months of the year for $40 and they are wild and free in their own established country...if WV was a hundred thou acres of Vics high country would any of these pro clients ever get a shot? Extremely unlikely for most of them.

Now elephant back hunting?well wouldnt that be something eh!In fact i would be just as happy doing that with a camera in hand....last year Keth M from Mcdonalds gun shop in Vic posted two pics of two thumper Indian wild stags he filmed for the ADA mag......bloody rippers they were too.

"Aren't you confusing difficulty with sporting ethics?"
No mate not in my book!

Do we shoot our Argali ram from a high altitude Russian chopper or do we take him by doing the old foot hunting thing?
Do we run our polar bear down on snowmobiles/choppers (i have this on film) or do we go out with our Inuit guide and hunt him from a dog sled, spot and stalk?

You know i watched an elephant cull which was done by herding a mob of cows and calves by chopper and then about 15 adults were shot from the chopper hovering just overhead of the trumpeting panic stricken animals that refused to leave the dead `uns, dont know who the shooter was or his chosen calibre but boy did he put them down..bam bam bam one after another it was sheer and absolute murder but i realise that such culls at time have to be made for whatever reasons that the Authorities decide.....ok yep rifle culling for any animal is more humane than what our greeny brethren want i do agree, but in regards to this matter the question is....the fella that knocked them all suddenly has a heap of elephant kills to his credit does this make him a hunter?

There is room for all of us gun toting sportsmen/women but please dont tell me that taking animals in a pen is hunting.