Hello all,

Forgive me if this is wrong, but I seem to notice that you folks from Australia and New Zealand seem to have very liberal seasons and bag limits as most animals seem to be classified as feral. I don't believe you guys have to the high prices to shoot game an American would if he (or she)went on a guided hunt. If I'm wrong about my assumption, forgive me and please correct me. Anyway, as a college student I have the opportunity to travel abroad and OZ is one of the locations I can travel to. If I was in your country for awhile, would I as an American be able to take advantage of some of the same hunting opportunities you guys have? Would I have to know a local to go hunting? I appreciate your input on this. I'd greatly enjoy combining my studies with some hunting if possible.

Thanks,

Al
The big problem is finding a place to hunt on. In Victoria and some spots in the NT you can hunt on crown land. NSW also has opened up some forrestry land but you have to pass their testing (don't know whats involved sorry) Most hunting is done on private stations or farms. If you coming down this way anyway ask around at Uni and see if there are any hunters about.

If you are visiting Australia say on a working holiday visa and you were able to comply with firearms laws, yes you could hunt "like a local". You could on a tourist visa as well actually, except time is usually limited.

Firearm laws differ in each state. Some allow a temporary licence for a foreign visitor. Some do not - eg possibly NSW. I believe a licence up to six months is possible in South Aust but would need to double check. The NT has reasonably liberal laws as well.

Access can be very easy or difficult. To hunt sambar deer in the mountains of Victoria on public land, one only needs to buy a deer hunting permit, find the open areas and walk or drive in. It may take months to get a good sambar though. Most hunting is on private land and you need the owners permission. Sociable guys might get some access from an owner or from another hunter by going to the local pub and being socialable. If you have a useful skill or trade that might be good in swapping services.

But if you do it, remember the outback of Australia is the "outback" and sparsely populated. People die in the deserts each year. You would need your own camping gear, suitable vehicle (can be hired) and also vehicle support gear.

Working holiday visas are available to a lot of countries, we get a lot of Europeans and Canadians working through on them, but don't see many (any?) Americans??? The visa rights may have to be reciprocal ie Australian youths have a similar right in the other country. Check witht the Aussie High Commission or local Consulates in the USA. Probably on the web too. There would be a maximum age limit as well. Basically a working holiday visa allows one to travel around doing casual work, usually seasonal jobs (we don't have Mexicans so we use Swedes and Germans! ), for X number of weeks before they have to move on. A lot of Outback tourist business use people on working holidays eg pubs, hotels, resorts, shops etc.

A student visa would also be possible but no idea on how they work.

Good luck.

We have seasons and bag limits here in New Zealand for game birds only,but anyone can hunt them with a game bird licence $70 NZD

There is a lot of public land in New Zealand where all of big game animals can be hunted for free.

If you did come to New Zealand i'm sure some of the members here would be happy to take a fellow AR member out hunting.

quote:

But if you do it, remember the outback of Australia is the "outback" and sparsely populated. People die in the deserts each year. You would need your own camping gear, suitable vehicle (can be hired) and also vehicle support gear.

We get a couple people a year who provide entertainment by corking off in an awfull manner. It was a lot better when I lived in Alaska. Even being comfortable in the back country I have had a few close shaves; most were weather related (all were stupidity related). Anyway, every other week in the summer we would read in the paper about do-it-yourself tourists, fishermen, and hunters (in September and October) drowning, dying of exposure, getting stomped by a moose, having their neck broken by a four wheeler accident, or, best of all, getting eaten by a big brown or white bear .

Did I read the first post correctly?? Do you guys have a generous season on liberals, or are they considered feral (i.e. no bag limit)???

LD

quote:

Originally posted by Bakes:
If you coming down this way anyway ask around at Uni and see if there are any hunters about.

Ha ha, Bakes, when I went to Uni, I was probably about the only hunter in the place.

Better to join a hunting club or three.

More than a year ago I knew I was coming to Aus.. and wanted to hunt here. I started trying to find out what hoops I'd have to jump through to get permits etc. I was told on this board that it would be a tough road and I told them I was going to work through it. (little did I know that you have to jump through those hoops while juggleing and hopping on one foot)

The F&%$# New South Wales police people were no help.

When I got here the F%$#@ new south wales police were no F%$#&&ing help. I finally got a Drivers licence (that was a bigger chore than I had expected) and got a bunch of forms and instructions to proceed towards getting permits. (I have a permit to own and buy guns from Canada but it holds no weight here in Aus. But my Alberta drivers licence was very helpful to get a NSW drivers licence)

I read a little pamphlet and wrote a simle test and payed $70.00. Then I got permission from a land owner to shoot on his land. Then I found that I would have to pay a good sum and wait a while to get a gun club menbership and then I'd have to pay more and wait a couple or three months more to get the gov't permit. All this Bull shit to carry and shoot a friggin pellet gun even.

You might say I was like the fly walking around the edge of the toilet bowl. I got pissed off.

Someone in this situation might do something illegal and sneak out at night with a friendly landowner and spotlight some roos. Not saying I would do that but I bet it happens.

Robin down under and leaving soon for Alberta.

I got here and started

Go to New Zealand. I went hunting last year and showed up at the Aukland Airport with my rifle. A half and hour later I had my gun permit and I caught the next flight to Christchurch and rented a car and tried to go hunting. Yes I was able eventually to go hunting but I found that it was very difficult to separate private and public land as there were not land ownership that you have in the western USA.

It is best to find and air taxi service such as James Scott at Fox Glacier and have him fly you out. Coming back to the states the plane was full of hunters both guided and unguided. I wonder how much longer unguided aliens will be able to hunt?

Bringing firearms into New Zealand may change,but i didn't think non-resident aliens will ever need a guide by law to hunt game animals in New Zealand as they are seen as pests by the New Zealand governemnt.

It seems like NZ is the way to go, less hurtles to jump through. I can't be spending all my time trying get hunting licenses when I'm primarily there for school. Thank you all for your help on the subject.

quote:

Originally posted by duffy4:
More than a year ago I knew I was coming to Aus.. and wanted to hunt here. I started trying to find out what hoops I'd have to jump through to get permits etc. I was told on this board that it would be a tough road and I told them I was going to work through it. (little did I know that you have to jump through those hoops while juggleing and hopping on one foot)

The F&%$# New South Wales police people were no help.

When I got here the F%$#@ new south wales police were no F%$#&&ing help. I finally got a Drivers licence (that was a bigger chore than I had expected) and got a bunch of forms and instructions to proceed towards getting permits. (I have a permit to own and buy guns from Canada but it holds no weight here in Aus. But my Alberta drivers licence was very helpful to get a NSW drivers licence)

I read a little pamphlet and wrote a simle test and payed $70.00. Then I got permission from a land owner to shoot on his land. Then I found that I would have to pay a good sum and wait a while to get a gun club menbership and then I'd have to pay more and wait a couple or three months more to get the gov't permit. All this Bull shit to carry and shoot a friggin pellet gun even.

NSW is one of the worst states.

In SA I can take a foreign hunter out and use my firearms without their having a licence as long as I supervise.

They can also arrange a temporary permit as well and bring their own firearms.

There is no requirement in SA to belong to a "gun club" like in NSW, but I do belong to several anyway, I just do not attend meetings enough to be an "active" member and get an endorsement from the club for my firearms licence ie reasons to have a firearms licence include: club use and target shooting (ie need active membership from a firearms club); "plinking" ie informal target shooting; hunting; primary production; etc.

The reason many of us "non-NSW" residents want a strong Federal system where NSW does not rule us all with their crap laws.

Australia is NOT NSW!

quote:

Someone in this situation might do something illegal and sneak out at night with a friendly landowner and spotlight some roos. Not saying I would do that but I bet it happens.

Perfectly legal in SA for a landowner to take you out shooting.