Hmm that is interesting except this bit-

quote:

Recreational shooters can't control the number of animals that we can as professional contract shooters

I love how rec shooters get an ABN and suddenly becomes a "Professional" Truth be told, no shooting by rec or pro's will control numbers of pest animals.

Especially while you have such huge amounts of land locked away that hunters cant access.

quote:

, no shooting by rec or pro's will control numbers of pest animals.

I read that article back in July also and would like to ask the "pro shooters" 'how many effn wild dogs do you blokes shoot"
Year before covid in Vic our Gov stats showed that the recreational hunters shot 100,000 deer,the so called pro brigade think that they are the only ones that can do it....not!

Its unfortunate that the sentiment in the article seems to be to divide us as a hunting community, again.

It is actually a good positive story, hunters (pros and weekend warriors) working together to conserve native Australian wildlife through healthy recreational activities that support the rural economy.

And it is a team effort. The weekend hunter is helping the farmer or helping keep numbers down along the front country. The pro is doing a specific job in a concentrated area for a purpose.
You want 500 deer shot off of 2000 hectares this month? call a pro. You want general and wide ranging help with numbers. Include the weekend hunters. Their priorities are different, But 100,000 deer turns into 200,000 deer in 3 years, and 400,000 in 6 if left unchecked.

More on culls

https://www.abc.net.au/news/20...osciuszko-/100507398

81 year old June says "shoot em"

https://www.abc.net.au/news/20...ional-park/100372254

What do you reckon Gryph?

Well i`m sure that you have seen ONE horse in a one acre paddock with a few trees in it. What they dont eat they chop up with their hooves and they will eat the bark off the trees,even frigging gum trees. The one acre is a desert in summer and a pig wallow in winter.
That`s about the answer mate which is that they need to be culled extensively.
Those against the culling are working under the green umbrella,heritage or not. Chopper shooting for sambar is on but not for horse because of the horsey green crowd.

I agree with you.
Everything needs to be managed, but because people feel ,ore empathy with certain animals, then you are not allowed to use the best tools on some?

Im reminded of sitting in that neighbours of yours living room as you tried to explain to her that to deal with their problem deer, you would have to shot some hinds, and being told to only shoot Stags and shooting females was cruel...

George and I knocked over a fat hind behind that neighbours house and dutifully gave them a hind quarter to be advised by her " oh I wish you wouldn't shoot the females"
Yes they were (the deer) were knocking her trees and garden around but of course 'only stags' ate trees ha ha.
To the horses...the selective approach to them and pandering to the lobby groups in this country is abysmal. Open slather on sambar with choppers but not horses. It all stems from NSW Parks having 600 horses shot in Guy Fawkes Nat Park where some were spine shot,left to die and discovered by the wrong people. I think that there is a mandatory three tap approach these days. This will interest you shanks.

https://www.environment.nsw.go...ds/englishReport.pdf

Hoo haa video.

https://youtu.be/AL9KlLqL1bI

and a 2020 report on a further 5000 to be shot. The one acre scenario above illustrates what one horse can do.....

https://www.medianet.com.au/releases/187210/

I dont think an anti could lie straight in bed.

Like most introduced animals- I dont call them pests- they have a place in our countries, but do need management.
The conflict is the user groups who value them dont want management and the authorities to should be managing them, often just want to be rid of them entirely.