When I lived in Australia I hunted wild sambar in North Victoria near the NSW border with some Aussie friends of mine.

Nice area, saw some sambar but never took one.

Never saw a mature stag on any trip I went on.

Had a wonderful time, drank a few beers, missed a fox and had a hell of a good trip.

Has anyone hunted with Peter Hudson at Water Valley?

How would you rate it?

I know he is charges Septics the same rate as Blokes.

Everyone else charges Septics 3 to 4 times as much to hunt deer in Australia.

Plan is a week with hopes of getting a couple each of sambar, rusa, red, fallow, chital and if their is an old buffalo for the right price he might die too.

Looking at 2016 or 2017 depending on what happens next year.

Your experience with sambar is not unusual, though there are a lot more around than 20 years ago. To get all the critters you desire in a week, the guide would need to have them tied to trees, close to airports.

I have heard that Water Valley is crawling with deer. Or it was.

A Canberra gunsmith friend of mine told me that the reason sambar have spread all over Vic, NSW and the ACT is the hog doggers.

It is his opinion that the dogs are causing them to move more.

I think anything with any kind of antler at all gets shot.

Hi BWW, your information is partly correct.

Watervalley does have a fair number of deer but it is a very large property and if you want something special you will have to work for it. If your happy with a representative trophy then they can be pretty much guaranteed.

Sambar hunting is a different thing altogether. If hunting them wild in the mountains of Victoria. They have have increased in both number and range but they still are a hard hunt. Again to get something special you either need the hunting gods to bless you or put in the hard yards, like all hunting. The challenge is probably the most difficult in Australia which is why many consider the Sambar to be Australia's premier trophy.

As for the dogs there are no "hog dogs" in the hills chasing deer but certainly plenty of hound crews that pursue the deer with certified and approved hounds. Three species currently may be used in a pack, Bloodhound, Beagle and Harrier. Hound hunting deer is a long tradition in Victoria and the hunting is hard and ethical when played by the rules established by the Victorian Game Council.

This may set off a few stalkers that have a contrary view on this issue as it remains a hot topic in the deer hunting fraternity in Victoria. If they attended a few hound hunts I am sure their perceptions would change.

Either way enjoy your hunt and good luck!!

There is a guy that offers a camping and hunting experience in Victoria. I don't remember his name, he has a disdain for pigdoggers.

If this guy has a special "disdain" for pigdoggers he either is not a Victorian (as there simply isn't the number of pig in the state that can be dogged) or he has a limited understanding of the subject.

My advice in both instances is, unless he comes with impeccable references - to find another guide.

Any "hunter" that cannot get his head around other forms of hunting and chooses to actively disparage one, especially one as traditional as hunting with hounds is a "hunter" to avoid.

Hound hunting the Sambar has been a contentious topic for many years but even the stalkers cannot deny the herd management quality that is maintained by killing all animals coursed by the hounds as opposed to only selecting game on antler size.

The herd has never been in a better condition that it is now and this is in small part to the efforts of the state's houndsmen that pursue the deer through the winter.

I don't have a problem with hounds in Victoria, never did.

I agree with my friend that the sambar herd has spread because of pressure on deer by houndsmen, pushing deer allover Southeastern Australia. This is a good thing!

BWW
water valley is a large property, but large portions of it are fenced....if that does not put you off go for it.....in reality its like going to a supermarket.....you can drive through the gate and there are a few Rusa lying around...

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:
I don't have a problem with hounds in Victoria, never did.

I agree with my friend that the sambar herd has spread because of pressure on deer by houndsmen, pushing deer allover Southeastern Australia. This is a good thing!

Sorry but the houndsmen thing is just nonsense. The sambar have spread because they breed and there is lots of suitable high-quality habitat for them. They have not been push all over the south-east either. They are only in very small numbers once you venture far into NSW - and even then they will only follow the GDR and parts of the coast.