Introducing myself

[craig]

i would love to come see some of that first hand..

[matt_aggie04]

If you can email the video I will do my best to get it up loaded goodson72@hotmail.com

Glad to have you here enjoyed reading your stories and seeing your pics, welcome to ETHD

[jdt]

gotcha ned , some of these cattle here are pretty rank too . i got a horse hooked last year buy a bull with tipped horns , cut everything but the last membrane holding the guts in .

   just wondering , what are them wild cattle worth there ? also what are they descended from ? english stock i would guess , but do ya'll have any bramer type cattle there ?

[Ned Makim]

The true scrub cattle (wild bred and unhandled for 150 years) look like red English Shorthorn gone bad. But there are heaps of bos indicus type cattle among them too. The brahman type carry the northern cattle industry. They and crosses from them form the majority of the cattle herd in the tropical or genuine savannah type country of Oz. Different cattle for different climatic conditions...

Those scrub bulls though, whatever they look like they are all the same. They are capable of charging you on sight and will definitely go on with it. There is no bluff whatsoever in these things. They are unbelievably athletic too and even once unloaded into the yards for later collection will still try to get a horn tip onto you through the rails if they see half a chance. I was hugely impressed by the mad daddy didn't marry mommys. I saw four kill themselves fighting the 4wds (wouldn't run, just hooked in until they brained themselves. And I saw a huge black one kill itself in the yards rather than be pushed. Smashed and smashed into steel yards until he checked out.

If i can get the video organised (I'll send that email tonight...my time) I'll tell you a bit about the Aboriginal boys who worked these bulls. Not big men but gamer than me...

Cheers.

[WAARHEID]

I've heard of some cowboyin', but daaayuuuum Ned! Sounds like a leaner meaner cape buffalo. Saw you mention the 308 was under-gunned on them? What types of calibers are they typically using on them?

[Ned Makim]

They act like a Cape Buffalo...Blokes that shoot them a lot say 300 Win Magnum or 338 are the safe minimum.
Cheers.

[jdt]

ALRIGHT NED , what do them things bring a pound . i nead to know because i'm thinking about floating a gooseneck load of horses  and at least pound for pound that many dogs down there, i need to know how many to plan on catchin to pay for the round trip .

  i hope i can finance it and it takes YEARS to pay the loan off .  ;

  on a serious note, i thought guns were outlawed in australia .

[dabutcher]

i'm wanting to make a trip to Australia, BAD.  i'd love to take a Cape Buffalo and a Camel or 2. 

[sfboarbuster]

JDT, i'm pretty sure you can own rifles in australia if you have a legitimate need for them, and it depends on which territory you are in.

[Ned Makim]

Yeah there's camels. I actually know of about a dozen in one isolated pocket about two hours from me. They live in mountains and gorge country, can you believe it.... Brought to the property some time ago to eat weeds. Blew my mind the first time we spotlighted one at night when we we looking for pigs. He was close to us watching what we were doing and good Lord they are bigs things.

On the buffalo, I have misled some...when I mentioned Cape Buffalo in relation to scrub bulls having an attitude like cape buffs. I was Where we go there are only a few and rarely seen but in other areas they are prolific. Incidentally, the buffalo bulls take no crap and if they get yarded with scrub bulls, well, the first bull that shakes his head at the buff gets put on his back. All the other bulls mind their manners after that.

I've tried sending that email with the vid attached too but the vid is raw and must be too big? How do I save it so it will email? Assume I'm an idiot...

On prices...I think they were getting $1 a kilo by hamburger buyers. A kg is 2.2 lbs. Hard way to make a living...

Cheers.

[Ned Makim]

And about the rifles...

You can certainly own firearms in Oz, you just have to meet the licensing requirements. For instance, in general pistols are banned as are all semi-autos (rifles and guns). The average person can own a bolt action rifle of any calibre if they join a shooting club, or if they are a recreational hunter. To prove you are a recreational hunter you have to have a letter from a landholder saying you have permission to shoot on his land and what he wants you to shoot. The animals that get listed determine the calibre limit you can own.
Then there are storage requirements involving locking up rifles seperate to bolts and ammo...

There are exceptions to all the rules though. If you join a pistol range shooting club you can own all the pistol you want provided you are clean and have the security. The cops will know all about you too and inspect things... Same for certain level security people and even some people working with or near wild saltwater crocs.
And you can have semi auto rifles and/or shotguns if it's work related. If you are a farmer controlling pest animals, no worries, likewise government contractors involved in pest control (chopper shooting of pigs etc).

It's controlled but they are really just hoops to slow down the impulsive purchase and use of a gun and keep tabs on which houses are armed in the event of domestic disturbances... Some people are very vocal about it but the reality is if your nose is clean you have no problems getting hunting firearms.

And one more unrelated thing about the water buffalos. A good shot can kill one with a smaller calibre but if you want to stop one the guides say a 375 H and H magnum or better.

Cheers.

[dabutcher]

yeah, .375 is the minimum in Zimbabwe and South Africa as well.  a lot of PH's there use .460 double guns.   i know 2 bowhunters that have gone to Australia, with traditional gear (long bows).  they both shot asiatic buffalo, a couple donkeys, pigs, and one guy shot a camel. lmao

Australia is a lot like Texas, you can shoot just about anything here as well if you have the money to pay for it.

[tobyb2007]

welcome and great pics

[Ned Makim]

Here's another action shot for the board. The dog is Bob a son of Charlie and Cathy. Long legged, skinny, rawboned sort of dog. Great nose, no fear but doesn't 'fight' the pig, and he's quick in the open. I love him because he is the most relaxed dog I've ever had. He is famous here for his attitude. Once when I was patting him I felt something hard in the top of his neck. Upon further examination it turned out to be an industrial staple. I put him on his side and went all over him. I found two more staples in his ribs and pulled them out with pliers. My mate's four year old son had been in the yard the day before and we'd caught him with the big stapler in pieces. We later estasblished that he had done the stapling on the dog and we would never have know but for the physical evidence. Bob lay on his side and allowed this little boy to punch staples into him three times. I know the kid shouldn't have been able to access a dog unattended but he did and the dog was bombproof. And then the same dog can front up on rough boars like it's the most natural thing in the world.
Again, not wishing to say these dogs are better than anyone's. I always say there could be thousands as good or better in Oz...but I do like to underline that hard dogs can be relaxed and manageable around the home. The two things are not mutually exclusive.
Cheers.

[dabutcher]

that's a great picture.  you have any of just the dog so we can see his build?

[Ned Makim]

This is more or less what he looks like.
At the taller end of what we produce.
Cheers.

[dabutcher]

nice and leggy, i bet he's got some pretty good jets (fast).

[Ned Makim]

Bob is better over longer distances or steep rough country. He's not springy fast, he's got a huge stride...

And this is the best from Saturday night. Mate Simon in the pix. Son Paul's dogs Molly and Hannah found the boar but they needed Tess to stop him.
Photo was taken on a phone...
Cheers.

[Ned Makim]

G'day everyone,
Here's a little nature shot, taken a few minutes ago in our garden. We live on an acre that backs onto a 5000 acre national park so you get a fair few natives in the garden. This is a goanna, a monitor lizard and he's about six feet long. They eat carrion, birds eggs etc. They aren't dangerous unless you poke around with them. Under pressure, they want to climb so if your mate is the nearest upright looking thing, the goanna will run to him and climb him. Being climbed by a goanna is a very unnerving experience.
If you grab one they will definitely bite you and the wound is one of those animal bites that won't heal. Suggestions are that the bacteria from carrion in their mouth is the problem. Folklore says the wound reopens every 12 months but that's not correct. It just seems like that because the wound won't go away.
Quite good eating though.

So, here he is up one of the garden trees looking for a bird nest...

[sfboarbuster]

Good eating huh?
What parts of em' do ya eat?