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From: ssjoe (Original Message) Sent: 10/17/2002 7:23 PM
hi all,
im not only new to nitro but new to hunting .
im from sydney & looking for places to hunt & without knowledge of people whom own properties.I would be willing to drive about 4 hours from the CBD & would be trustworthy & responsible if anyone can help I would appreciate it.
Thank you for reading my message.
Regards
Joe (ssjoseff@aol.com)

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From: Nitro Sent: 10/20/2002 6:49 PM
SSjoe

First, welcome to NitroExpress.com. I hope you find this online club enjoyable and informative.. Join in and if you have any questions just ask. If someone can help I am sure they will.

Finding a property to hunt on is one of the key problems of new hunters and shooters as well as hunters you have hunted for years. Properties change hands, get new managers, game becomes more valuable and the owners no longer want it hunted. Their are numerous reasons why even hunters who have hunted for years need to find new properties. Prospective hunters who live in a city have a harder task as they are not even locals and are complete strangers.

But this is no reason to give up hope, it may be just a little harder but I have no doubt you will be able to find hunting opportunities if you work at it. But don't expect anyone just to hand you a property without specifically asking. Don't be upset by this, but placing an "advertisement" in a "Hunting Properties Sought" or an an online forum will not get you any opportunities at all. It is a waste of time. The only persons who may reply are those who have hunting opportunities for sale ie outfitters and this is one of your opportunities to consider anyway. It is not a waste of time posting the message on NitroExpress.com as you can get some advice on how to go about looking for hunting properties.

Where you look will depend on what you want to hunt and shoot. If it is small game - rabbits, foxes etc that will be the easiest properties to find. If feral game such as pigs and goats and even more deer, a hard slog will be required. There is some public land available as well

Options:
1. The traditional method is to select an area where the game you want to hunt may be, find out who owns or manages the land and door knock them and politely ask if they will let you hunt on their land. Be prepared for a lot of knock-backs as many people will have been asked numerous times before, or will be very wary about letting a stranger on their land with a firearm. Thank them for their time even if they say no. It is good to find out if they have the game on their land even if they say no to your hunting. Perhaps a neighbour may say yes. Ask them if they know of anyone who may let you on for hunting.

If you have any friends or relatives that may have a contact - a cousin, uncle, friend, work acquaintance etc that has land - that will make it a lot easier. A common contact or friend can open closed doors quicker than any other way. They may not even have game on their land, but a neighbour may.

Do you have any particular skills or trade - eg a builder, an electrician, a plumber, a mechanic etc? Sometimes offering something in return will pay big hunting dividends. You are basically asking the farmer for something for nothing. Offer something in return. Eg if you are a mechanic - most farms have something that needs a service, is broken and needs repairs, a pump that just doesn't work quite right. Fixing it and you may have a property for ever, though there may be something to fix each time you visit. I know of an electrician that ended up re-wiring a shearers quarters, got paid wages for it and now has a deer hunting property for life.

If you get access on an outback property or one close to home, bring a gift - some beer, wine, something nice. It will be appreciated.

Above all obey instructions 100%. Leave gates as you find them. Not closing them may cause big trouble. Closing open ones may kill stock (ie cut them off from water). If anything looks wrong take note and let the farmer know. It may be OK or you may be helping letting him know a tree has fallen on a fence along a railway line.

Do not shoot something you have not asked about. eg you have permission to hunt pigs, and you shoot some feral goats. You may have just killed some animals that a potential saleable stock. No more hunting for you! The best option is to ask - is their anything you should not shoot? at the beginning. It is up to the land owner to tell you they really like the wild ducks on their river frontage. This approach may get you more game opportunities.

2. Consider joining a club. There are a number of clubs that offer good vaue to new hunters and sometimes organise hunts where members can join in. Some have hunting schemes where they have access to land and hunts can be organised. Sometimes a new member has to put in some effort before they get the opportunity. The SSAA Hunting and Conservation branches are one club that sometimes has hunting on government land. The Australian Deer Association is a keen hunting club and also has schemes operating in some branches. The Field & Game Association is a good duck and bird hunting club as well as ckay target shooting.

3. Attend a hunting training course - see also 5. below. There are a number of Hunter Training Courses given out by such as the ADA in Victoria and Queensland. I have attended the Sambar deer hunting course in Victoria quite a few years ago and thought it was good value. Good place to meet other hunters and learn some things.

4. Western Hunting Information Guide and similar guides and advertisements. This publication, the Western Hunting Information Guide has good listings of hunting opportunities. It costs $27. Contact Western Hunting on tel/fax 02 6559 4770 or PO Box 3 Kendall NSW 2439 for info. If you do let them know you were told about it by NitroExpress.com
There are also some property agencies that "rent" out properties for unguided hunting.

5. Outfitters. Professional hunters and guides make a living by taking hunters out to hunt on properties that they have access to. Yes you will have to pay some money for the priviledge but the success rate is usually much higher than doing it on your own especially if you are new. You can learn a lot this way. I just learned an excellent way to approach cape buffalo to within 30 metres in an open field where the buff can easily see you. Unbelievably simple! You will have to wait to read the story to find out how.
This is a good way to start off hunting. Pick a good and professional hunter / guide and you are off to a good start. Some are premium and expensive (can still be good value), others have good short simple hunts that can still be good value.

Australia used to ge a paradise for free hunting. Unfortunately this is becoming a thing of the past. On the other hand there are probably more hunting opportunities for more people today than in the past. Just you need to spend some $ to get them.

6. Public land. In some states there is limited hunting on public land. Eg in South Australia and Victoria duck hunters can hunt ducks in the Game Reserves during certain open days during the duck hunting season. There is a lot of land available in Victoria for hunting Sambar deer - State Forests and some National Parks. An excellent place to hunt Australia's premium game animal. You need to buy a licence and perhaps consult the local Rangers office, otherwise its open. Victoria is not that far from Sydney. A good idea if you have no mates that have done it before would be to attend a Hunting Training Seminar of the Australian Deer Association. Perhaps do a little bit of Sambar hunting afterwards. The seminars are good value and you may meet other hunters as well.

7. Buy tickets in some of the raffles such as the Hog Deer hunting on Boole Poole and Blond Bay. One ticket is $10 and about 40 to 60 hunters are drawn to hunt on these National Parks. I have been drawn twice (which is lucky) and managed to take a nice trophy Hog deer on Boole Poole several years ago. These hunts are in the Gippsland area. A lot of clubs also raffle off guided hunts for deer (etc) as fund raising projects. Good value if you win.

8. Also stay tuned to NitroExpress.com. We are planning to introduce an excellent free online resource that allows hunters to plan hunting trips and safaris and also helps put them into touch with outfitters, operators, properties etc. We believe once this is live it will be a great hit.

NitroExpress.com will also be organising the inaugural NitroExpress.com Big Bore Boar Hunt for mid next year. The plan is to hunt some hogs in NSW with big bore rifles. People having bore size inadequacies may also join in but you have to bring all the beer and wine and do all the cooking (only joking). Stayed tuned to this site for info.

There are many other ways. It may take some time and perhaps some $ but you can get the access if you work at it.

Hope this has been useful to you and yields results. Good luck and tell us what you like doing or want to hunt. What you shoot at the moment etc. The more you put into this site the more you will get out of it.

Nitro

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