Brumby. Would you or couldnt you?

[Bowmancam]

This topic was fairly hotly debated in the letters to the editor of the current edition of bowhunting down under.
I was wondering where u guys stand on this topic. Please vote then discuss your vote (if u like).
Me, i couldnt do it, but i'd have no troubles shooting a donkey.They used to keep me up all night when i lived at Mataranka N.T. aswell as being fairly destructive. I guess brumbies can be destructive too but its hard to describe why i couldnt shoot 1. Maybe 1 of u could shed some light on this.

Cheers Cam
(trying to stimulate some deeper discussion :wink: )

[adam]

I shot a big stallion a few years back. Feral and damaging in that part of land. Just like a feral cat or wild dog these to are also domestic beautiful animals in the home or paddock. But out of a controlled environment they can be destructive. I«ÉŸve had horses all my life I love them. But wild animals need to be kept in proportions. Not something I would target unless needed or asked by owner. However I wouldn't shoot something that I didn't want to, ever if it meant losing a hot property. I can see why a lot of people are divided by the horse issue and I won't argue with it. Very beautiful animal not something I would shoot unless causing visible damage to environment. I don«ÉŸt think it belongs in a magazine and have shared this with bdu. One of those things that should just be done and not spread like roo culls by parks etc. It needs to be done just no one likes it.

[jindydiver]

I do not have a problem with shooting any feral animal. The horses look great and you can«ÉŸt help but spend time looking at them but when you boil it down and remove all the emotion from the issue, the farmer has every right to manage the land how he sees fit and while it is legal I will follow every reasonable request of the land owner.
I have never used my bow to take a horse but after the big fires here I shot plenty with my 30-06. It was rather daunting as the horses looked to be in crook condition but were still big and I had wonders about how the rifle would perform, as I hate to see animals treated less than humanely.

As for the second choice, to do that would be less than honest and I am friends with the people who allow me access to hunt their land and feel that telling them a bald faced lie is simply out of the question. If I was to have a problem either legally or morally with anything they asked me to do I would just tell them and the consequences be damned.

[Glenn]

I would have no problem at all shooting a brumby, they are feral animals and they are very destructive and do a lot of damage to the enviroment and property. One grazier told me that the brumbys do more damage to his fences that wild cattle...Glenn...

[Warlocke]

I think that any animal that has bred out of proportion to the lands ability to cope should be managed in whichever manner deemed appropriate.

If the brumby are causing environmental or structural damage on the property I see no problem in helping to manage the situation.

All animals are beautiful but for the environment to be sustainable some need to be controlled.

[humphrey]

id definately take a few brumby's if the landowner requested me to. ive never liked horses because every time ive tried to ride one its always ended in me being in a a lot of pain. :( that wouldn't be my reason for shooting them though, cause all ferals need to be kept under check.

[Mozza]

I could do it if a farmer asked me to, sure horses are a beautiful looking animal dut so are deer. The way I look at it, the farmer spends his whole life out there and generally knows whats best for his land. The only thing to consider is if you personally could do it , if you dont think you could then dont. just my opinion

[hunting_mainiac]

i have seen the damage these FERAL HORSES do , it is almost more damage then what cattle , buffalo and pigs do .
their tracks go deep and tear up the moist ground around water courses , which corses more erosion.
there are hundreds where i go hunting and have no problem nockin a few off each time i go out.

[spudgrunt]

At the property owners request I would gladly take out any feral animal :twisted: . I would not always take photos as they can be easly used for negative publisity :evil:

[Pete]

I have, and would again shoot a brumby...Sure they are a beautiful animal but as Mozza said, so are deer. in places they need to be managed as they are too detructive, and vercoe said on 1 of his videos they eat 2.5times the food intake of cattle every day.

And telling the farmer BS so you can keep hunting there..If he's letting you hunt on there, the least you can do is what he asks.

Pete F

[Bowmancam]

I guess i should have thought about my question alittle more. As hunters we are an incredible asset to our country in regards to control of ferals.In hindsight i guess if requested to by the owner i would help him out, yet if he merely said 'if u want to shoot brumby's, go for it' i probably wouldnt shoot 1 . If i was to find a litter of kittens i'd as humaly as possible destroy them and im a cat person (dont hate me :oops: ) but i know how big a pest these little buggers are. I guess the same conduct should be used against horses that have obviously spread out of control in given area.

I would still like to hear others opinions.

Cheers Cam
p.s. thanks for removing your pic mainiac, i was hoping to keep this topic picture free,

[jindydiver]

Too right Pete, and the trust between a shooter and a landowner is the glue that holds the arrangement together. If I was to start bull****ing, for whatever reason, I would expect to be giving back more than one gate key.

[Glenn]

I always thought that pigs were the most hated feral by graziers but after going to the Cape I have to change that to brumbys...Glenn...

[humphrey]

hey pete, did you shoot that brumby in vic :?: :shock:

[ds]

Agreed all feral animals require controlling by one method or another.

I have had the opportunity to take horses on a number of occasions and have decided against it. Though I have never been in a situation where it was required of me. I would certainly cull horse/s with a gun if required to do so, I just feel I do not have the interest to do it with the bow.
Honesty is your best policy, helps keep the conscious clear.

ds

[outback preditor]

to tell the truth i enjoy shooting horses and cant wait to shoot some more.
their tails make great trophies.
pedro. :lol:

[Pete]

Humphrey, nah mate...I shot it when i was on my trip with Trophy Bowhunts Australia at the cape..

Pete F

[Barry]

I would definately do so at the request of the owner, not sure if I would choose to hunt them normally but cant say until I have the chance.

[Arra Slinger]

i would given the chance, i nearly shot one last year on a hunt i went on .. the land owner said if we get a chance to shoot them. At first i thought i might not be able to but i tell you what when i saw all the brumbies i was only in hunt mode as far as im concered there is no differance in them and other ferral game

BUT i would NOT tell the wife............. :lol:

[ricochet]

BUT i would NOT tell the wife.............







**You chicken :lol: :lol:

[Bowmancam]

Thanx guys for all your input on this topic, im stoked its had around 350 views, just goes to show there is a level of emotion attatched to the topic.

I think there was some very valid veiws put forth by all, and i thank you for your opinions. (now thinkin of my next post in my series of Ethical Dilema, brought to you by the author of 'are deer just good looking goats' and 'Brumby's. Would you or couldnt you' ) :wink: :wink: :wink:


Cheers, Cam

[Arra Slinger]

Ricochet the wife is just about as passionate for her horses as i as for my huntin so on that subject i definitely got feathers :oops:
besides that she said if i promise not to shoot a brumby i could go pay to shoot a chital stag :D
so like i said i would NOT tell the wife :lol: :lol: :lol:

[adam]

I'll dob you in for a chital hunt :wink:

[Barry]

i would NOT tell the wife


Agreed, think you should steer clear of that one :D :D

[Arra Slinger]

Ads what fellow and reds arnt enuff you would go spoil my fun.... :shock:

id deny it 8) 8) 8)

[adam]

Anything to annoy you.

[adam]

pic by jagumba

Awesome pic mate
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/Brumbies.jpg
snowy mountains brumbies

[hunting_mainiac]

i wudnt shoot the ones there :D

[jindydiver]

Hunting Maniac

All the reasons (economic and ecological) given why brumbies are shot in the north are just as valid, if not more so, for the brumbies of the high country. I suspect that the horses in Jagumba«ÉŸs pic are known to me and if they were to travel the short distance into a place where I had permission to hunt they would be dead already. (Am I right Matt? these are the guys near where you turn off the main road?) There is a sizable herd that hangs around a main highway near there too that are before long going to cost some motorist their life. They should have been dealt with a long time ago but many people have an emotional tie to horses and the political will just isn«ÉŸt there.

[maxy]

Couldnt agree with you more jindy.....

I'd love to shoot a brumby, as i've herd theyre wiley buggers and would be a trophy toi be proud of.

As for the missus - if she caught me shooting brumbies i'd be goooooooone..........

[Southy]

Yep, I would walk a fair way to stalk a brumby.

Though, as Adam said right back at the start of this thread, putting horses into the magazine is a bad idea I reckon. Hunters in general have found a good alai in horse people, especially with regards to national park and state forest access for recreational activities, it would be a shame to have another group of the community against us for the sake of a few pics or a story in a magazine.

[adam]

Hunters in general have found a good alai in horse people, especially with regards to national park and state forest access for recreational activities, it would be a shame to have another group of the community against us for the sake of a few pics or a story in a magazine.
Good point there mate, For this reason alone feral horse's shouldn't be Publicized.

[adam]

There is restrictions from state to state on shooting horses, true?

[Howling Dog]

If requested by the land owner yes, but otherwise if out hunting and found brumbies whilst pursuing other game no

[interceptor]

No problems for me, just do it properly.

Cheers Noel

[Jagumba]

That's the ones Mick - saw about 50 there on the weekend some only a few hundred metres from my place.


Cheers
Matt

[HOYT1]

lm with pedro. l enjoy shooting them and have shot dozens with the bow and a lot more with the rifle. the tails make great trophys and break the trophy room wall up.

[steviebby]

Me personally would have no problem culling horses for a land owner, But if i did have a problem with it the last thing i would do is waste his time as well as mine pretending to do a job so as to reap the benifits of a few animals that i do have the heart to shoot.I think most landowners arent going to stop you coming on to there property because you dont wont to shoot a horse. They will probly just let someone else on as well who can do both! and you dont wont that.

[Dale Furze]

I have no problem with the task of feral removal, no matter what type of pest involved. Shoot it with my Bow - NO, that is for my enjoyment of the hunt, if pest eradication is required, I will do it with my rifle 8) and tell the land owner of my intentions.

[Puk]

My honest answer to the land owner would be "I don't know what i would do until i had him in my sights." I might take the shot, i might let down. I don't think it's something i can answer from my study at home. Then again, I'm a bit soft at times.
I would probably explain to him that if he wants culling, he probably doesn't want a bowhunter anyway. We would have to be the least effective method of taking out a lot of animals. It just isn't the nature of bowhunting.

Puk

[Paul R]

I would, but I'd have the same problem my wife, she's already forbidden me to shoot one and no amount of logical debate from me has persuaded her otherwise. :?

I like horses but what is it with girls and there obsession with the animals?
My daughter declared her undying love for horses at the age of 5, before she had even ridden one, it absolutely confounds me. :lol:

[XTfreak]

I wouldnt. No special reason, I just wouldnt.
Bill

[bobzila]

i would love to add a horse skull to my colection :D

[rory]

I would definately have a go :twisted:

[Tj]

I have culled horses in conjunction with other feral animal at the request of land owners. I used a rifle at the time, and while I don’t believe that there are any problems with using a bow from the perspective of a humane kill, I don’t believe that it would be an effective method of controlling numbers. For whatever personal reasons (I’m still not sure what they are myself) I didn’t like shooting the horses but at the end of the day the farmer wanted them gone.

As to the question yes if the opportunity arose I’d cull them, but I’d leave him under no false impressions as to how effective I think I’d be from a feral management point of view. I would also suggest that if he wanted I have a few rifle shooting mates that I could introduce him to.

TJ

[steviebby]

I agree with Dale Furze 100% and if I didnt have acess to a rifle I would find a friend who did.

[jindydiver]

I was wondering how this has turned from a discussion on “would you shoot a horse” to one of the efficacy of a bow to kill more than one animal in a trip.

Maybe this comes about from the differing thoughts on the meaning of “cull”. A cull is often thought of as the killing of a lot of a particular species, and the last couple of pages this seems to be the thinking of some posters. But “cull” can also mean the killing of just one animal for no better reason than to end it’s life, where there is no trophy value seen in the animal and it is not utilised for food.
This second meaning is what Cam was talking about and he was only asking “would you shoot one because the farmer sees them as a pest”.



All the guys who have said that they doubt they would have any impact on the population because you are just bow hunting (and you figure a rifle might be more appropriate), do you not take shots at cats or foxes that cross your path when you are out looking for other game?
If the farmer said “sure, you can go deer hunting, but if you see a dog you need to shoot it first because they are a pest” would you go home and get a rifle?

[Hefty]

I would do it, or at least make every attempt to do it, but like a lot have already said here, I'd only do it on request from the farmer. I wouldn't target brumbies before other species by personal choice.

[barebow]

I haven't a problem with culling brumbies with either a rifle or bow if requested by a landowner.If they are a problem they have to be culled.To specifically target them,no I wouldn't be interested.

I shot an awful lot of brumbies out west in the late 1970's on a couple of properties at the request of the landowners and there was no way it was enjoyable.It was just a job I was requested to do,at the same time I shot over 60 head of scrub bulls that were creating havoc with the breeding program on one property.At least the station dogs ate well for awhile.

[Dale Furze]

Sorry Mick. I didn't mean to start anything, I noticed the 'Brumbies' and naturally thought 'many' as in most cases. To me Brumbies are just a stripeless Zebra, and who wouldn't want to go to Afrrica to shoot one of those with their bow? Personally I am one of the percentage who said yes they would shoot a Brumby with their bow, it's no worse than shooting a scrub bull. The intention of my reply was to state that I enjoy the hunt, to me being 'Asked' to shoot a Brumby or other pest animals is to cull, and I can't do that with my bow, it's a personal thing when I shoot with that, my other 'tool' has become impersonal and I use it to do what is 'Asked'.

[jindydiver]

I understand the distinction you make Dale, I use my 30.06 to feed the family and it is like a job. My bows are for the fun of the hunt but when I have a job to do I leave them in the car.
Like I said earlier on, I had to shoot plenty of horses after the fires and I used the rifle, but I did see a really nice horse once that I was keen to stalk and take with a bow. I didn’t know whether it was fair game though because it looked to be in too good a nick and I didn’t want to shoot a horse that was let out of it’s paddock to escape the fire. I asked around and found out it was mine if I wanted it and sure enough I haven’t seen the bloody thing since.



It is interesting to note that the game council has said that horses (although feral) aren’t to be shot under the R permit. I know of a forest that is crawling with them and they are hit by cars often enough to put the thought in your head of how dangerous it would be. The GC could let them be shot and thin them out a bit, but politics gets in the road like with many things associated with hunting.

[steviebby]

If Im stalking in on a pig or deer or what ever I was there for and a mob of horses where in between me and my intended game.Do I shoot a horse and potentially stuff up the hunt for my trophy?.Thats a hard Question but If i had to answer it which u would in that situation I reckon I would leave the horses hopefully take my trophy then concentrate on knocking off a few problem horses for the farmer at a later stage.Be that a horse or anything a farmer described as a pest and asked to be culled.

[Sorehand]

i was in the NT on the ropper river when i was just 13 years old and was out hunting for some pigs when a heard of brumbies came running past about 100m away. I froze in my tracks but the big stallion spotted me and charged straight at me, i nearlly s#@t **** my pants as all the trees were very tall and no way i could climb them. The stallion ran in to about ten metres of me then out to about 20 and ran about 20 circles around me. By this stage i had nearlly peed mysellf aswell. I thought i would have to shoot him but was scared this would only make him mader as i was only shooting about 40 pound at the time and he was not going to sit still for me. Any way he must have lost interest and parked up at about 50m and watched me walk(read run) away. now days i would have shot him no worriess but it was something i will never forget
cheers
mic