Re the poaching thing. I’m new to this hunting thing and would say I come from a conservation background. I have hiked, climbed and camped all my life and worked as a guide taking people climbing and hiking. It has been interesting learning about the hunting ethics both here in oz and in the states and the evolution of the US conservation system. In Australia it is a bloody mess.
The Australian continent is far less productive than the US ecosystems and has been separated from Europe etc for a long time and has far fewer native herbivores.
Deer are an introduced species which were released by the “Acclimatisation society” around the mid 1800s. This was because the British settlers wanted to make Australia more like home.
It is illegal to hunt any of our native animals with a bow and with a gun you can only do it if you have a cull permit to protect crops. So all hunting in oz is of feral species such as pigs, deer, goats, camels, buffalo, cats, etc.
However we also have a problem with the legislation in that some feral animals are classified as game species and some are classified as pests.
The problem is that there are different rules regarding hunting depending on what classification a species is given.
Feral cats (like your cute house cat) are a huge problem in Australia an as such we’re recently classified as a pest species. The problem is that pest species have to be controlled as part of an eradication program which actually meant that you were no longer allowed to hunt them when you happen to see one in state forest etc.
It is similar with Deer. They are becoming a real problem as the population is increasing massively and there are estimates getting up around 1 million in Victoria. The government are dragging their heels trying to work out what to do and the problem is increasingly out of control.
In Victoria there are some large areas of National park where you are allowed to hunt deer but most others you are not. Most other states in the country you are not allowed to hunt on any public land so the control of these species is limited.
Recently in Victoria and New South Wales the government have been spending large amounts of money trying helicopter shooting of deer to try and control the exploding population yet the general population are not allowed to hunt them.
I guess re the Greentree thing I can see both sides. It sounds like maybe the info coming from his social media may be a little questionable, I don’t really follow that stuff and National parks are there to protect the place from human impact. I also know that as someone who loves the natural environment and values our national parks but also has the urge to hunt for my own meat seeing the inconsistencies and ineffectiveness of the protections with regard to deer etc is extremely frustrating. As such I understand the feeling of wanting to go get them deer in the National park.
Sorry for the rant but I thought some may be interested in some background on the deer hunting situation in Australia. I have found it fascinating learning about the way the conservation system in the US came about and the differences here in oz.
