Hunter life
Carl here AKA Leeroy, I’m from Roma Queensland and I love to hunt. I have been hunting since I was a child.
My Uncle Mick was a keen accredited shooter and hunter. He got me hooked on the sport from a very young age. I’ve hunted all across varying parts of Australia, from Northern NSW, Central Qld and as far north as Cape York.
Living in Roma hunting is very common, so I never have to explain myself to anyone for hunting or shooting. My partner is on board as well because she to loves the outdoors.
My favourite species to hunt would have to be pigs. I probably spend about 80% of my hunting at night and 20% during the day. When I’m specifically chasing pigs, I take dogs (occasionally I would shoot them, but that would only be while I’m harvesting). When hunting with the dogs we are either hunting off a ute or out of my Polaris Ranger 570 UTV/side by side/all terrain buggy.
I don’t really participate in any non-hunting shooting related activities. Once I went to a charity shotgun shoot once. I think I was better at drinking the beers than hitting the targets.
Shooting equipment
For profession kangaroo harvesting I use a bolt action Tikka T3 .223 fitted out with a Hawke Sidewinder 6–24×56. It’s a relatively inexpensive scope that has never let me down and allows me to shadow shoot. My spare harvesting rifle is a bolt action Howa 1500 .223 with a Leopold scope, because you cant be a professional without a backup.
It’s always good to have a .22 for on farm kills such as sheep and pigs when the need arises. I’d recommend something like a bolt action Browning T-Bolt with a Hawke 6–12×50, that should handle most of those tasks.
My current spotlight setup is a roof centre mounted Powa Beam 9″ HID. I find the HID is great for picking out the pigs in most terrain due the whiteness of the HID light. If your harvesting it can make the roos skittish though.
I recommend getting a bi-pod. They are great for sighting in your rifles.
Dogging
My favourite type of dogs are Wolfhound x Arabs. Trackers I run a Garmin Alpha 100 GPS tracker with TT15 collars.
You should always run full chest plates on your dogs. I have a couple of FNQ plates from when I lived up there, but my current choice are the Duncan’s plates.
My dogs can usually run all night because I keep them nice and fit. However, if there is poor weather they will obviously pull up a bit sooner.
As I mentioned before I run them off the back of my ute or off my Polaris buggy. I normally let them free jump unless I’m training some new pups. I never have them locked up because I feel they work better that way.
When it comes to dogging my tip would be; don’t give up on your dog. The more they do the better they get. You can’t expect them to be a superstar overnight.
Culture
I shoot to make a living and I hunt for pest control. My harvesting is mostly commercial for the box. But occasionally I make jerky out of the young sows.
If I had to explain hunting to someone that has never hunted before, so they could understand, I would tell them benefits to the country, conservation of grazing land and as well as the crops. It’s also important that they understand the need to cull numbers to a reasonable level with humane methods. But because I live in Roma I rarely have to have this conversation.
In the modern day I feel the benefits of hunting are harvesting wild meat before it is culled by inappropriate methods. But for me personally I make an income, get a lot of enjoyment out of it, the conservation side of it, physical fitness and the social side.
What I don’t appreciate is the discrimination, particularly by people that don’t know anything about the industry. Of course there is the wear and tear on the vehicles and sometimes injuries to dogs. So I do everything I can to protect my dogs by providing the best food, fitness and treatment. But at the end of the day they absolutely love it, if they didn’t I wouldn’t do it.
I will never quit hunting and shooting because its in my blood, its all I know! I love being in the bush, I live here and I love it. No need to go to the “Outback” I’m already there.
Politics
What are your thoughts on firearms ownership in Australia currently?
I think there is a problem in Australia with firearm laws, because people are making rules on things they don’t know about or understand.
I’d really like to see changes to the laws regarding categories of firearms. Those licenced to hold a firearm should be able to hold any firearm. For example an A/B licence holder should be able to hold a category H firearm.
What can hunters and shooters do to further protect firearm ownership in Australia?
if hunters and shooters want to further protect firearm ownership in Australia they need to be an ethical and responsible firearm owner. Number one thing: invest in proper storage.
Vehicle and setup
My current hunting rig is a Toyota 75 Series Landcruiser.
For the bar work I’ve fitted it out with an ARB bull-bar, side steps and a tow-bar. Also it wasn’t complete without custom dints in driver side doors from multiple kamikaze kangaroos.
In-cab I’ve added an after market sound system, UHF and switches for everything. Off-road equipment I’ve fitted is; 9000lbs winch, snorkel, 2 inch lift kit, dual batteries and a light bar.
The tyres have been upgraded to Federal Couragia M/Ts they are unreal I have not been staked yet!
Fitted to the cab are shooting rests on drivers and passengers sides, with a rifle holder on the outside of the drivers door. A center roof mounted Powa Beam 9″ HID spotlight.
On the tray is an accredited macropod harvesting rack, a small dog box and tray/work lights for getting the job done.
I also have a 2012 Polaris Ranger 570 UTV side by side. It’s fitted out with a UHF, gun rack and a roof mounted spotlight.
Camp setup
I don’t have a camp setup because all my hunting is within 200km of home and we always return after a trip. It’s one of the biggest advantages of living here. But if I’m on a hunt I’ll take a 25L esky strapped to the back and a flask.
Conclusion
My one piece of advice for Aussie hunters and shooters is to get permission, and have fun. If your given the chance get to Cape York – the hunting lives up to its reputation!
For those interested there is quite a bit involved in becoming an accredited kangaroo shooter. There is a TAFE course made up of 2 modules, a marksmanship test, an application for EHP licence, an accreditation for Food Safe QLD. During which, your rack and vehicle must pass rigorous standards, purchase; tags, return books, equipment and cleaning chemicals. All of these things come with a great deal of paperwork and of course fees apply as well.
Once all of this is done, shooters will then need to find ample property to shoot on. Land is becoming harder to come across so it is important that hunters treat properties with respect and always do the right thing, to ensure we keep a good name and that property owners continue to allow us to shoot.