Well you will have to stick with me on this one as it will be a rather long post to answer michiganhunter's questions. I will try my best to answer them...
There are quite a few people breeding longhorns down here. My mate bought some just for the heck of it. However they are very rarely seen for hunting. This property bought and released some quite a few years ago with the sole intention of them to be hunted. They aren't roaming around in great number like our buffalo in the N.T. In fact I haven't seen them advertised anywhere else.
The terrain here in Australia is as diverse as it is in the US. We have great areas of desert and rough harsh country that takes up most of inland Australia. But we also have areas of great snowy peaks with harsh winter conditions. Then you could head to the hot and humid tropics of Northern Australia and down to the subalpine regions of Victoria. Where I live is a mixer of cold winter and hot summers and the countryside is that of low rolling hills that lead into steep mountainous ranges. Where I hunted this longhorn in the lower area of Queensland it is made up of similar hills but has much thicker denser scrub. They had just had a great amount of rainfall in that area so it was very green and plenty of feed about.
And yes you are right there are millions of Kangaroos spread across this country. Although impossible to count one survey put it at a conservative 44,000,000.
The main species that gets hunted by everyday people are rabbits, foxes, ducks, hares, wild dogs (dingoes), goats, pigs, 6 main deer species, hog, fallow, rusa, chital (axis) and sambar. Then we have the big water buffalo, banteng, scrub bulls, camels, wild donkeys and wild horses. We then also have a variety of Exotic game that some people game farm. A couple of examples are what I have shot the blackbuck and Scimitar Horned Oryx.
Hunting these critters could be as simple as just driving around on private property and taking what shows up or one could get the services of a guided hunt. Then it could be anywhere from a swag thrown on the ground by a fire to a luxury 5 star hunting lodge.
One could encounter any number of different animals while hunting. For example on this Longhorn hunt I was also on the lookout for a Red Deer Stag and wild dog. But the Roar hadn't started yet and so we didn't see any stags. The wildlife here is rather interspersed and one can quite easily take a mixed bag of critters. On the properties I hunt there could be rabbits, foxes, goats pigs and the occasional deer. All the animals I listed are classed as feral so can be hunted year round by any means you can. With the exception of deer and each state has its own rules and regulations on them.
My last hunt I had up in the Northern Territory I took buffalo, scrub bulls, Scimitar horned oryx and pigs. This hunt was out of a lodge with ones own private room and ensuite shower. We drove around in a hunting truck, but I chose to ride my quad runner. Then when an animal was spotted it would be stalked and hopefully taken cleanly.
The guns we use down here are majorly bolt actions but may also be lever, pump, single shot etc. The average hunter can only have these types of rifles but then there are many who can get licensed to own a semi auto rimfire and semi auto shotgun. Plus some who can get semi auto centerfires but they are quite strictly governed.
Not sure what else to say... Australia is quite the hunters paradise. We don't have many restrictions on what to hunt and contrary to popular belief are gun laws are not as strict as people think. Although I'd love it if they were less so too.
Anyway I will have to leave it there as I must go and clean some rifles.
feel free to ask anymore questions and I will try to answer them as best my ability.
Cheers guys,
Brett
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