hey guys,does anybody know when the Fallow start stripping there velvet? It can't be far off now i'm sure.

I heard a rumour that someone had seen hard antlered bucks in NE Vic in the last week. Not sure how correct it is. Went for a drive myself to see but only saw does.
As you said it cant be far off.

As of two weeks ago a mate came across 3 fallow stags, all were in hard antler.
Cheers...
Con

Yep, the places I normally hunt, the bucks are all in hard antler.

Cheers, Dave.

On my deer farm all of the stags are now in hard antler except for the oldest and largest stag.

It can vary a bit from location to location too.

Time to start looking in the bush I think.

quote:

Posted 14 February 2006 03:21
On my deer farm all of the stags are now in hard antler except for the oldest and largest stag.

Yes i think that might apply to the big old blokes with more up top mate...

I'm not sure what happens in Aussie, but here in NZ they're strippin' flat out, quite a spread in timing of antler development, that bears no relevence to age, location or genetic background, some are early, some are late.
Seen some real crackers.

Bit off topic but-----

there are mobs of wild fallow around here that escaped from deer farms many years ago and different people in the know have been hunting them and getting good meat for years.

On public land.

I mentioned this before.

I wonder what the chances would be of actually being grabbed and prosected by the police or the DSE (considering WHO is actually hunting these mobs).

Funny.....

greybeard, I think ,though your chances of getting caught may be small, in my opinion its not worth the risk. loose you licence, firearm ect. not an option when there is plenty of legal ways to go deer hunting all year long. especially in victoria.

Thats right DB but the legal stuff is miles from him and how would you be out for a hare or a fox and a fat juicy velvet spikey sits up in front of you on private property with no one around...you are right mate i wouldnt take the shot either hmmnn

I don't bother to hunt them as they are 25 mile from home and there are way too many other animals to hunt around here.
There are plenty of foxes this year, although the quail and duck numbers are way down.
What gets me is that I was actually told about these fallow by a cop in Horsham. That they had been in the scrub on public land for years. The original owner didn't want them and has since moved on.
Went with him one day and shot a decent stag.
Curious world we live in.

There are a few keen deer hunters around here who hunt the Reds in the Grampians as well as going over past Mansfield after sambar. That bug just aint bit yet.

GBB,
Your story reminds me of some blokes taking abalone without license quite a few years back. Who'd bust them when they were all DNRE staff filling time after a professional development course .
Cheers...
Con

Good point.

I'll let others shoot them.

Slightly off topic GreybeardBushman
quote 'as well as going past Mansfield for Sambar'

Theres a place called Mansfield near the Wimmera!

Whats it like? I was brought up in Mansfield (GB) and its a hole.

Fallow are still in hard antler over here. Saw 80 plus in c 4hrs one night last week.
Hope to hunt Aus/Nz one day.

Regards

Z

There is, Z, where??

I've lived here for 27 years and cannot recall being there (so i guess i haven't really lived yet?)

Is it a town or an area, like, say, "Lallet Plains". Silos but nothing else??

Am curious.

Ross

Hi Ross, I think perhaps I have the wrong end of the stick as you mentioned Mansfield in connection with Sambar in your previous post. I'm a Pom so have no knowledge wahtsoever of places/locations in Oz. Just curious about it really. The best thing in the town over here is the road out, guess you could say that for a lot of places!
Our fallow does go out of season in eight days so we're at the tail end of the cull one or two more to get.

Cheers

Z

duggaboybuff ,
Did you get my P.M. ?

Z, I didn't notice the (GB) after Mansfield and I misread your meaning. Not the first time for me.

I quite like Mansfield over in the NE of Vic. spent a fair bit of time there when I was at uni in the 70's but only been a few times since.

A LOT GREENER and wetter than here

Reds are in hard antler here on the farm too.