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Hunting >> Hunting in Australia, NZ & the South Pacific

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vapodog
.300 member

Reged: 28/12/04
Posts: 237
Loc: Nebraska USA

why hunt australia?
#22739 - 28/12/04 10:10 AM

I tried to get some dialog going on AR and while a couple folks posted, it just didn't seem to start the kind of conversation I wanted. Probably my fault!!!!

I'm almost 60 and still able to walk all day but no longer able to drink all night.....Guess sleep had to happen to me sometime. I spend a couple weeks in RSA plains game hunting and want to do something else.....like buffalo maybe. Cape buffalo is what I envisioned but since I might only have cash and time for a couple more good hunts I've considered Australia and the water buffalo.

A couple bonus heads for the wall and some conversation starters here at home would be nice as well.

I'm at home in a palace or shitting over a log so accommodations don't mean squat as long as there's food and a shower once in a while and I don't care if we have to shoot the food first.

So....will someone attempt to sell me on Australia!!!

--------------------

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ALAN_MCKENZIE
.400 member

Reged: 24/03/04
Posts: 1214
Loc: Western Australia

Re: why hunt australia? [Re: vapodog]
#22742 - 28/12/04 12:24 PM

Hey mate all you have to do is spend a bit of time on this site to see what a great place Australia is to hunt.
Nitrox and Marrakai both have some interesting stories to tell so why dont you drop in on their hunts.
Al
John (Nitrox ) is organising a top end hunt around August 2005.Worth investigating !

--------------------
"Dogs always bark at their master"
Sir Seretse Khama.25th June 1949

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Bakes
.375 member

Reged: 31/01/03
Posts: 589
Loc: QLD

Re: why hunt australia? [Re: vapodog]
#22744 - 28/12/04 12:33 PM

Well we all speak english, there are no coup's or rebels in the area, none of the nasties you find in the African bush. All quotes for a hunt should be in Aussie dollars. There is no need to charge US dollars here in Australia other than greed. Down side is after you shoot your buff we don't have the selection of game to hunt that Africa has. Pigs, donkeys, scrub bulls and a bit of fishing about rounds out a top end safari. A big trophy pig and scrub bull would look great on the wall next to your buff however.

If you've never been to Australia before, its a great place to visit. If bringing the wife she could stay in Darwin and shop while you hunt as some of the hunting areas are within 2-3 hours drive from there. Darwin also has some great fishing and crabbing in the harbour, with a number of charter boats to pick from.

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NitroX
.700 member

Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39885
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...

Re: why hunt australia? [Re: Bakes]
#22746 - 28/12/04 12:45 PM

Almost all outfitters price lists are in US$. This is for the ease of the international visiting sportsman often from the US but also Europeans whom have no idea of what a A$ is.

As Bakes said, if your wife visits and does not want to come buff hunting with you, she could stay in Darwin or do a tourist trip in the Northern Top End. Some great little trips can be done to Kakadu, Jumping Crocodiles etc from Darwin. If hunting Arnhemland another really good diversion would be to fly into Gove from Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef is right at Cairns door. Fantastic beaches, reefs, snorkelling etc. I hunted South of Gove in a great hunting area.

The Top End has great fishing, good waterfowling in season, plus pigs and other feral game - donkeys, horses, camels. Banteng are a not to be missed hunt if you are interested.

Then further East and South you have a HUGE range of species to consider: Deer - sambar, chital, red, allow, hog, rusa; ferals - pigs, goats, horses, donkeys, camels; small game - rabbits, foxes, hares, geese, ducks, quail, pheasant, dingoes, roos, wallabies. I'm sure I have missed some.

Let us know what interests you most and perhaps more info can be imparted.

If you are interested in some more information on a buffalo hunt I can send to you an information sheet.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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Re: why hunt australia? [Re: vapodog]
#22754 - 28/12/04 03:31 PM

Many years ago I had the experience of shooting with Europeans that were from Sweden. They were hunters back home but were not in Australia for shooting.

They had toured around Australia and a good friend of their's from Brisbane was also a friend of a property owner where I shoot in North West New South Wales.

To cut a long story short they thought shooting and chasing roos across stripped wheat paddocks and also spotlight shooting was the very best thing they had ever seen.

If I was an American then I would do Africa once even if just to say you have done it. But then I would forget the rest and stick with Australia. Africa would still be similar to shooting in America in the sense that you are shooting a limited number of animals under a guiding system.

You can of course do the above in Australia but I think the addition of getting together with an Australian shooter for roos, pigs and goats offers something that you will not find elsewhere.

You would also discover another form of dangerous game shooting, namely the presence of a stump in the ground when chasing stuff.

In a nutshell Australia offers a wide size range of animals equal to anything except elephant, hippo and rhino but offers a totally different environment and a huge volume of shooting on what are basically white tail deer size animals.

Mike

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vapodog
.300 member

Reged: 28/12/04
Posts: 237
Loc: Nebraska USA

Re: why hunt australia? [Re: Mike375]
#22758 - 28/12/04 05:09 PM

At last.....I've come to the right place.....thanks for the replys folks that's great for starters.

Please understand that I'm totally green.....never been there before and have no clue as to what to expect. However if I was in Australia and didn't see (and if possible shoot) a kangaroo I'd be horribly remiss in the trip.

The idea of feral pigs and the like does get my blood pumping and variety would be fun. I'm an avid wing shooter as well and such an event is also very welcome.

Timing is iffy right now and I don't see the trip for 2005 but the next year is a real possibility.....I need to plan that far in advance. In the next few months I'll be listening and watching and posting here and there until I get a better flavor for the potentials.....

Australia (like Africa) is certainly one of the fabled lands.....thanks for the excitement
Vapo

--------------------

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Bakes
.375 member

Reged: 31/01/03
Posts: 589
Loc: QLD

Re: why hunt australia? [Re: NitroX]
#22761 - 28/12/04 11:05 PM

In reply to:

Almost all outfitters price lists are in US$. This is for the ease of the international visiting sportsman often from the US but also Europeans whom have no idea of what a A$ is.

I think its about time they learned!

Why quote in US dollars at all. That would be like me going to the US and paying for a hunt in Aussie dollars, we are not a third world country who's local currency is next to worthless. Here's a question, do the outfitters adjust the trophy fees to suit the exchange rate? ie, if a buff cost say A$1500 do they quote the US hunter US$1163.30 or do they just quote $1500 US?

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NitroX
.700 member

Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39885
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...

Re: why hunt australia? [Re: Bakes]
#22765 - 29/12/04 02:25 AM

The US$ is the principal foreign exchange of trade. Try doing ANY sort of international business and see how far you get in A$ or virtually any other sort of currency.

Of course the outfitter whom has for example a buffalo costing A$1500 does not charge A$1500 trophy fee (or US$1,163)

. They are not in it to go bankrupt and need a profit margin. Also the cost of the buffalo at that rate might be in the expectation that the owner receives A$15x40 buffalo. If the outfitter can not pay the owners $60,000 in trophy fee cost ALONE (plus possibly a cut of daily rates as well) then they probably would get the boot and another outfitter moves in. That fee probably only buys you access and absolutely nothing else.

A pretty standard buffalo trophy fee is around US$2000. If the outfitter is charging less he is trying to make his profit on volume meaning more buffalo are being shot out of the herd each year and probably lesser qualities. It ain't rocket science and is the same setup as Africa.

On top of this they have wages (no 'blackamatics' here), vehicles, repairs and maintenance, food and booze, taxes, equipment to finance, FUEL (the fuel bills in a remote location are huge, sometimes just to run a generator), plus admin costs of running an office with paperwork, postage, telephones, selling costs in attending OS conventions etc. All this comes at a price and outfitters selling budget hunts do not survive.

I know one outfitter got the boot off prime Arnhemland country last year by the traditional owners. I believe they are thinking they can run their own safaris.

Its a competitive business.

***

Back to currencies. If you do not offer your prices in US$ you will not be in business for long as the average US client DEMANDS US$ prices, simple as that.

***

I've finished my diatribe !

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

Edited by NitroX (29/12/04 04:44 PM)

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CptCurl
.450 member

Reged: 01/05/04
Posts: 5284
Loc: Fincastle, Botetourt County, V...

Re: why hunt australia? [Re: Bakes]
#22771 - 29/12/04 04:10 AM

Bakes has a good point that has bothered me for some time.

I have never hunted out of the U.S., so have no personal experience.

I have a friend who hunts far and wide. One of his favorite hunts, which he does annually, is a hunt for trophy mule deer in the Sonoran Desert of Mexico. The hunt and all accommodations is priced in USD.

You may recall Mexico's currency crisis 10 or 12 years ago. The peso devalued to about 20% of what it had been against the USD. But, believe you me, friends and neighbors, the price of my friend's hunting trip stayed exactly the same. Those Mexicans were getting filthy rich at the expense of us Gringos!

That wouldn't have set well with me, but my friend has lots of $$$ and he didn't pay any attention to it.

Best to all,
Curl

--------------------
RoscoeStephenson.com

YOUR DOUBLE RIFLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND.

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AdamTayler
.375 member

Reged: 22/03/04
Posts: 688
Loc: B.C.

Re: why hunt australia? [Re: CptCurl]
#22813 - 29/12/04 01:32 PM

Once a price has been set and people are used to it, it rarely goes down. A good example is the price of beef here in Canada. After the one and only case of BSE broke out, the price of beef dropped in half for the farmer, but the retail price in the stores stayed the same.

--------------------
It's the journey, not the destination.

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luv2safari
.400 member

Reged: 09/11/03
Posts: 1408
Loc: United States

Re: why hunt australia? [Re: Bakes]
#22814 - 29/12/04 02:59 PM

Bakes,

What would you guess I'd have to pay for a good buffalo hunt and a bunch of other hunting for deer, pigs and game birds? About ten days is all that I could be in country.

luv2

--------------------
Hunt with Class and Classics

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NitroX
.700 member

Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39885
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...

Re: why hunt australia? [Re: CptCurl]
#22818 - 29/12/04 04:22 PM

It works the other way around too. When I hunt in South Africa where the rand is a hard currency I have to convert A$ to US$ to Rand (in effect). All the prices are in US$, and only occaisionally will outfitters there allow me to pay A$. Especially for once when the A$ was strong but the rand to US$ weaker, they put up all their prices.

At the moment the A$ is strong to the US$ at around 0.76 to 0.80 so the outfiiters are actually getting LESS money. So if you ask for an Australian Dollar price you might get slugged for the A$ they used to get from the deal.

Expect prices to increase.

***

A typical buffalo hunt 1x1 for 5 days hunting sells for around US$6500 to US$8500 including one buffalo.

Better areas and better operations sell on the upper size of the scale. The best areas are controlled by Traditional Aboriginal owners as the buffalo cull was not allowed there. The Aboriginals are not silly and want a decent cut from any hunters that are on their land so the oufitter has to make enoughin total to keep them happy.

Some jokers can only deliver occaisional buffalo sitings, trophies in the low-90's, and do not have permanent concessions, hunting wherever they can get access. So buyer beware.

A deer hunt would be a separate hunt elsewhere. You might have pigs where the buff are or you may not.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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Bakes
.375 member

Reged: 31/01/03
Posts: 589
Loc: QLD

Re: why hunt australia? [Re: luv2safari]
#22821 - 29/12/04 05:16 PM

Luv2
Mate I couldn't say. Nitro has some good info (above)
As he said deer are seperate although there are sambar in the NT, you may get bird shooting (magpie geese) with a buff hunt, depends on the time of year.

I don't pretend to understand all this money stuff, but I feel if you live and work in Aust/Zim etc then you should charge in your country's currency. Other wise whats the point of having your own money? We all may as well just use greenbacks

I just had a few drinks with a mate that used to guide for buff. He knows of outfitters that wouldn't even talk to you if you had an Aussie accent. They were chasing the $US. It may not be like that now, but he only got out of the game 2 years ago. Makes you think hey.

I hope I havn't turned anybody off comming to Australia, that wasn't my intention. Its a great place to visit and if you make it down my way you'll always be welcome for a drink or 4

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NitroX
.700 member

Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39885
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...

Re: why hunt australia? [Re: Bakes]
#22825 - 29/12/04 08:51 PM

Bakes

Hey mate, nothing wrong with a vigorous discussion!

PM sent.

I was the first Aussie to hunt with Bob Penfold for over twenty years.

Matt Graham the new guy at Hunt Australia also markets to Australians which is a good thing.

Would have buckleys chance of buying a hunt in Zim $ in Zimbabwe, mate! I think the black market rate is something like 8000:1 now. When I fisrst there it was 5:1.

I agree with you on hunts sold to Aussies should be in A$ in Australia. And they are too. Not too hard to use a calculator.

***

luv2safari

There are pheasant shoots in Vic and maybe Tasmania. If you look around you might find someone to take you duck shooting (in season).

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

Edited by NitroX (30/12/04 01:26 AM)

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4seventy
Sponsor

Reged: 07/05/03
Posts: 2210
Loc: Queensland Australia

Re: why hunt australia? [Re: NitroX]
#22850 - 30/12/04 08:57 AM

In reply to:

Some jokers can only deliver occaisional buffalo sitings, trophies in the low-90's, and do not have permanent concessions, hunting wherever they can get access. So buyer beware.

Did you know that some of these "jokers" often provide better than "low 90's" trophies and often charge less than half the fee that permanent concession operators charge?

Also some "jokers" provide boar hunting and fishing after the trophy bull is taken.
With some permanent concession operators, your "hunt" is over as soon as the trophy bull is killed and this could happen on day one.

With some operators the client is buying a trophy.
With some operators the client is buying a hunt.
With some operators the client is buying both.

Edited by 4seventy (30/12/04 09:41 AM)

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ALAN_MCKENZIE
.400 member

Reged: 24/03/04
Posts: 1214
Loc: Western Australia

Re: why hunt australia? [Re: 4seventy]
#22860 - 30/12/04 12:54 PM

It might be worth bringing a golf club as well because you will definately get plenty of practice CANE TOAD PUTTING and probably wont get charged for it either.......

--------------------
"Dogs always bark at their master"
Sir Seretse Khama.25th June 1949

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NitroX
.700 member

Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39885
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...

Re: why hunt australia? [Re: 4seventy]
#22861 - 30/12/04 12:54 PM

Great Alan,

when are we going hunting!

(PS I was actually referring to a particular company in my mind anyway)

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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Matt_Graham
Sponsor

Reged: 26/02/04
Posts: 602
Loc: Australia

Re: why hunt australia? [Re: NitroX]
#23446 - 04/01/05 01:26 PM

It is as Nitro says - many of the operators are exporters (mainly exporting services to the US) so the prices are set in US$. It is not a commodity like beef or corn so the price does not go up and down, so to a large extent we have to cop the exchange fluctuations as they come. You may see some slight changes over time but mainly the prices have to stay in check with what is offered elsewhere (eg. a water buffalo hunt has to be competitive with Cape buff hunts,)otherwise people would take their business elsewhere.

Alan is right - it should be about the hunt and if it was me spending the money I would be mighty pissed-off if i was told to go home after you shoot a trophy. When that happens you are being duped!

Someone mentioned sending ladies to Darwin - I dont know but if they enjoy the outdoors at all I suspect that they would enjoy coming on a NT hunt as a non-hunting companion. It's a very inexpensive way to see an amazing part of Australia and who would want their missus loose, alone with their credit card anyhow? That's just my opinion though

--------------------
www.huntaust.com.au

Edited by Matt_Graham (04/01/05 01:30 PM)

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