Sambar deer in Australia have had an immense journey of success and there have been many developments with their spread and expansion across all suitable habitat. "If you see a sambar, we need to be notified. The deer are still there, but definitely not in the numbers that they were when all the food was at its peak post fires and certainly the antler growth is not as good in general as those boom years immediately following the fires. Deer- Fallow, Red, Sambar, Axis, Rusa, Hog. I have observed them or their fresh sign at these locations with the exception of French Island that I have not visited. I could imagine the highest percentage of stags from any age class courting hinds each year would be in that 3.5-5.5 year old range and this is just the class of stag many hunters are letting walk. In the mid 1990s, sambar have colonised most of the forested country in eastern Victoria, and the main part of the expanding wave of sambar is now in far East Gipps- land. The wind up our arse. I was left wondering what we may have missed! However, perceptions are changing, and deer are now recognised as among Australia's greatest pest threats. The bottom line is if your favourite hunting area is not known for fantastic antler formation, then it is possible you might never shoot that big attractive style of stag. The weather is against us. The following days are spent looking for an older stag. Its amazing when feed settles down and gets back to normal how antler growth is affected. To them it will still be a trophy and we shouldnt think any less of their efforts and achievements. A large antlered stag certainly does not mean it was a great hunt and often the really big stags are taken purely by luck or an accumulation of factors. These animals are usually brown or reddish-brown in color, and they have white spots on their backs and sides. We don't really have much in the way of hunters or sportsmen being able to target them. All of our New Zealand Safaris rifles are equipped with suppressors. dedicated deer hunting magazine. I'd have a grin a mile wide if I bagged that beauty. Any Australian hunter that can say that they have seen and/or shot a Sambar deer should be extremely proud, given the reputation this species has of being one of the worlds hardest game animals. The axis deer is a herbivore and feeds mainly on grasses, leaves, and fruits. Copyright Australian Deer Assocation | All Rights Reserved. Length certainly isnt everything when discussion turns to sambar stags and hunters need to remember this. JavaScript is disabled. "I know there'vebeen a couple of [them] shot around the Tamworth area and south of Tamworth, so there have been a couple in the area," he said. The minimum legal cartridge size for hunting Sambar is .270. As we have seen, there are six different types of deer in Australia. This kind of trophy is easily comparable if not much better to harvest than a younger stag with longer lighter weight beams and all the gear but yet to reach the peak of its life. The red deer is the largest of the six deer species found in Australia. Following. Stags predominantly prefer to live solitary except for periods in and around the rut (stags sometimes pair up during the velvet stage). Male Sambar deer, unlike other species, are mainly solitary animals and are never found in herds. Bentley also states that the most important liberation took place in 1868 on Harewood situated on the Koo-Wee-Rup Swamp and the Tobin Yallock Swamp in the vicinity of Tooradin. Allow Necessary Cookies & Continue Create a new account, Scientific name - Rusa unicolor (previously Cervus unicolor), Origin - Indian subcontinent and South-east Asia. Hoof size amongst Australia's deer varies greatly with hog deer having the smallest and red deer the largest, with sambar having relatively smaller feet than reds considering their quite large body size. The sambar deer is the deer species most harvested by recreational ground-based shooters in Victoria (~131 000 in 2019; Moloney and Hampton 2020). During the early 80s one of Australias leading hound hunters told me there was only one true 30 Sambar being taken annually within Australia. Their ear shape resembles that of a bat. Share. Females have the same behaviours as males, preferring to me active at night, but the females tend to me more active than males. 710. Female Sambar deer have been known to reach more than 1.15m at the shoulder and more than 230kg. Despite their large build, Sambar deer have been given a nickname among Australian hunters, THE GHOST. . At some times of the year the males may show spots along their back which will fade after a few months. Farmers and environmentalists want them declared a pest and professionally culled. They are herbivores that graze a wide range of grasses, shrubs and trees, depending on the season and food availability. From their original release points, the sambar dispersed into almost all of the forested country in eastern Victoria, in a slowly moving wave pattern. . This means the Australian population has mixed genetics from different sambar subspecies. They also damage native vegetation and sensitive habitats. Sambar deer were introduced to Australia from Asia as a game animal in the 19th century and are the largest of Australia's feral deer breeds. Required fields are marked *. Slow motion nature landscape shot of a small gaggle of geese on the shore of the tranquil Heron Pond on a hike in the Grand Tetons National Park on a warm summer day near Jackson Hole Wyoming USA . The test only needs to be successfully completed once and people who pass the test will receive a Certificate of Proficiency. Labor set a superannuation trap and Dutton immediatelytook the bait. During the evening, wild Elephant and S.L. It has been greatly influenced by the previous British rule and the population loves cricket, volleyball, growing tea and cooking with its many varied spices and curries. The flow on effect is that with such a high population of hinds in any area often the lesser age class stags are left to carry a lot of the breeding. The red deer is the largest of the six deer species found in Australia. Rusa deer can be found in woodlands and forests across Australia, and they typically eat grasses, leaves, and twigs. It measures about 2.4 m (or more than 7 ft) long and weighs about 300 Kg. BOB COLEMAN - USA 2015 106SCI. Yala National Park on the southeast coast of Sri Lanka is the most popular of the national parks and its instantly apparent why! Growing up on a farm in eastern PA, Ive grown fond of wildlife and the woods and learning about the critters and firewood and everything else in-between. They will also eat some fruit and insects if they are available. Within 10 years of their release it was agreed they had increased in sufficient numbers to allow the commencement of hunting. Some stags, although wild, had progressed to being semi-domesticated and they disregarded caution for the prospect of treats from tourists. Hog deer are a type of deer that is found in Australia. The Big Game was never intended for a collector (I for one didnt bear that in mind). at the shoulder. on average. The males have antlers that are simple and forked. Hunting. "If there's a water source and a gully for them to follow, they seem to be migrating there.". If ever there was a deer that had the adaptability to do well in Australian conditions it is the sambar. Antlers may grow up to 75cm in length. We advertise your guns and shooting accessories at affordable, competitive prices. A cast antler found in the Khandesh district of India measured 52 inches. Their common name derives from their low, heavy build and their pig-like running style. In fact the climb to Horton Plains passed through mountain sides of introduced blue gum eucalyptus forest and man-ferns with damp gullies and one could easily be hoodwinked into thinking it was Sambar country in Australia. It needs to be written that genetics alone dont produce big trophy stags, but it is an important factor that is added to the mix of age, habitat, soil and feed availability to produce animals with antler growth that little better then average. Sambar were introduced in Victoria around 1850. Give a little more thought to what you are actually pulling the trigger on and what you are letting live and hopefully more hunters will broaden their mindset to the definition of what actually is a trophy sambar stag. And low-&-behold this rifle was intended for that market! Its probably the closest thing to Africa Ive witnessed, outside of Africa. Weight: 180-270kgs (400-600lbs). Most deer hunting occurs in the east of the state which reflects . It is a native of Europe, Asia and North Africa, but was introduced to Australia in the 19th century. If Aussie hunters continually focus on taking the biggest and best antlered sambar stags every time they head out, then sooner or later that is going to impact on the quality of our sambar herds with a reduction in the percentage of male deer in any region over 7.5 years of age. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Despite their timid nature, rusa deer are actually quite strong and they can reach speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour! Horton is a cloud forest area with a considerable circular walking track. Yala was always captivating and exciting. If the left basal girth of the horn is 6-1/4 ins and the right is 5-1/2, the total score for Girth is double the lesser, or 11 ins; 11 points. 2022). Males (stags) have antlers which they shed each year and grow back again. It was introduced to Australia in the 19th century from Europe, Asia and North Africa. Many European hunters consider stags past their prime with antlers deteriorating in quality and size the preferred trophy to harvest. BLLs would be higher during than before a prescribed hunting season in hunting hound dogs regularly fed venison from sambar deer shot with lead-based bullets. I look forward to the day when Aussie hunters realize that age is just as, if not more important then antler size when they harvest a sambar stag. Sambar deer Description Medium-sized deer, with Javan rusa stags standing up to 110cm at shoulder and weighing about 120kg, hinds standing up to 95cm at shoulder and weighing up to 80kg, Moluccan rusa slightly smaller. If youre interested in seeing these magnificent creatures up close, there are a few places in Australia where you can find them. They have simply grown as large as they can and thats their peak. A walk in the wilderness by Paul Richardson, North American Caribou (Rangifer Tarandus) By Josh Rafin, Zebras Sambar Hunting Adventures Guided Hunt Glenda and her Stag. For sport, often hunters try to kill deer with the largest and . Height: 127cm (50inches) Antlers: 3 points per side with the second tine inside the main beam. Police are investigating after a man, 37, was killed during a hunting trip in Victoria's alpine region. But have you noticed that a lot less of those monster type stags are now getting shot as the feed and conditions have settled down these past couple of years. 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