A Montana tradition is about to be broken... For the past three years two of us in Montana have shot prairie dogs with a freind who lives in Japan and another who lives in Brazil. We call it the "International Society Seeking Peace and Brotherhood Through the Killing of Varmints" (ISSPBTKV).

My Montana varminting pal has moved to Melbourne to get his MBA. Now that the four of us are spread across the globe Montana is no longer the most convenient place to shoot. Varmint shooting is at best difficult in Brazil and Japan, leaving Australia as our next best choice.

What can four varmint shooters do in the vicinity of Melbourne? Is it best to travel elsewhere on the continent to get into varmints? Should I just beg them all to come back to the USA for sod rats? Any advice is appreciated.

We don't really have the type of shooting that your proberly after here. Our "varmints" are rabbits and the warren systems arn't as big as a dog town. We do whistle foxes/cats and have some hares but not in the numbers your thinking of. All of the shooting will be on private land (farms) and I don't think there is any outfitters that cater for varminting here in Australia. Could be wrong however. Hope that helps.
Anybody else into this kind of shooting?

You guys might be better off looking at goat hunting as an option. you should be able to find an outfitter that will arrange a goat safari , with maybe some pigs and rabbits or foxes as well. New country - new challenges.

If you want to jump the ditch we can organise you some rabbits and maybe other species like goats or possums.

Lots of pests at Parliment house...

Pity there's no open season though.

mt. Al,

plenty of rabbits near Melbourne, the problem is getting permission, a world-wide phenomenon. Have been seeing good rabbit numbers around. Some would say like the time before the Calici virus got out. Two of us went for a spot of armed-bushwalking and resulted in 79 rabbits. Equipment used consisted of a Sako .22 and a CZ 17 hmr.

Tasso

Thanks,

I'll check into a parliment-pest-protection outing. I really doubt an MBA student from the USA is going to get permission to hunt rabbits in the area.

I'll have him look into a goat hunt.

Thanks again.