Sambar/red deer in Vic high country

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Sambar/red deer in Vic high country

Post by Deccaz » 15 May 2022, 6:25 pm

Hey all, hunter from Tasmania here. Me and a few mates are planning a hunt to vic high country april 2023. We all want to try our luck shooting pigs/ foxes/ big roos and red/sambar deer. We’re looking around the Mansfield/ jamieson state forest areas. Is this a place that will give us half a chance to see all the game listed above? Doing a 2 week trip so any advice/ camp spots would be muchly appreciated! (Don’t expect anyone’s hidey hole just chasing some help on where to start)

Cheers Deccaz
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Re: Sambar/red deer in Vic high country

Post by bladeracer » 17 May 2022, 6:48 pm

Deccaz wrote:Hey all, hunter from Tasmania here. Me and a few mates are planning a hunt to vic high country april 2023. We all want to try our luck shooting pigs/ foxes/ big roos and red/sambar deer. We’re looking around the Mansfield/ jamieson state forest areas. Is this a place that will give us half a chance to see all the game listed above? Doing a 2 week trip so any advice/ camp spots would be muchly appreciated! (Don’t expect anyone’s hidey hole just chasing some help on where to start)

Cheers Deccaz


Well, I can tell you that you won't be shooting 'roos up here, big or small - 'roos and wallabies are protected species.
Pigs possibly but not likely I think.
Sambar definitely, reds unlikely, foxes maybe but unlikely I think. Probably be fallow up there as well.
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Re: Sambar/red deer in Vic high country

Post by Oldbloke » 17 May 2022, 7:32 pm

Sambar, foxes, dogs.

That's about it, generally speaking
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Re: Sambar/red deer in Vic high country

Post by brinny » 17 May 2022, 9:05 pm

Pretty simple.....find the bush and go walking.....more deer up there than people realise....just have to find them.....sambar and the very odd red......reds hard to find though, but i have seen them....escapees from pens im told.......stacks of fallow....their not hard to find.....plenty of foxes.....dogs...there are the odd pigs but lots of bush in between them and like the reds, bloody hard to find....check your maps for places you can and cant hunt.....
Last edited by brinny on 18 May 2022, 4:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Sambar/red deer in Vic high country

Post by Die Judicii » 17 May 2022, 11:37 pm

That's a good way of getting free board and lodging in the area you mentioned,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, If you are shooting big roos without
the appropriate paperwork. :lol:
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Re: Sambar/red deer in Vic high country

Post by Deccaz » 20 May 2022, 6:41 am

I didn’t realise Roos were protected. Thanks for clearing that up fellas otherwise I could’ve been in a world of hurt! If that area is good for samba/ foxes and the odd pig, where would be a good place for reds separately and big numbers of foxes and pigs? As we will be more than happy to travel and hunt around, not limiting ourselves to one spot.
Appreciate the reply’s though guys, cheers!!
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Re: Sambar/red deer in Vic high country

Post by bigpete » 20 May 2022, 8:56 am

How do you get a gun licence and not know roos are protected ? Its pretty well covered in the test ( at least was 20 odd years ago )
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Re: Sambar/red deer in Vic high country

Post by bladeracer » 20 May 2022, 9:54 am

Deccaz wrote:I didn’t realise Roos were protected. Thanks for clearing that up fellas otherwise I could’ve been in a world of hurt! If that area is good for samba/ foxes and the odd pig, where would be a good place for reds separately and big numbers of foxes and pigs? As we will be more than happy to travel and hunt around, not limiting ourselves to one spot.
Appreciate the reply’s though guys, cheers!!


All native wildlife (including birds) is protected unless specifically exempted by law or you have cull tickets to drop them on specific private properties. As we don't have to pre-book here I would plan a trip to encompass as many state forests as you can, if you're having no luck at one spot move on to the next. But you are going to be doing a lot of walking in some pretty rugged country, deer are everywhere but they generally don't stand near roads and tracks waiting to be shot. You might not see anything at all but you will have enjoying hiking some beautiful country.

We don't have a hunting permit for pest species, like foxes, dogs and rabbits, but you do require a game licence if you want to hunt deer - it's $66 a year from GMA. In April you might catch the end of duck season so you could also get a game licence for duck and quail, also $66 but I think it's $100 if you get a deer and duck licence together. Ducks have daily bag limits though - this year it was four birds so hardly worth making the effort. There is no bag limit on deer, except the small Hog Deer. The hog is not protected exactly, but as we only have a small number they use them for studying so you can't shoot them like the other species. You have to enter a tag ballot which, if your name is drawn, will let you take one doe and one buck in April - the only time they can be taken. https://www.gma.vic.gov.au/hunting/deer/hog-deer-hunting

Also read up on the firearm requirements and the regs around shooting at night or carrying spotlights. Of your list, only the .300WM would be deer legal, and the 12ga. gun f you use slugs and it has sights.

Sambar are everywhere, millions of them, but they're like ghosts, you can cover many kilometers without seeing one despite fresh sign all around you. Somebody that has stumbled upon a "lucky" spot is unlikely to share it. Red, and pigs and goats to some degree, are much rarer here so good luck finding somebody happy to give up their favourite spot :-) Some deer reserves only allow hunting deer, you can't take feral pests while you're in there. And it is illegal to shoot cats on public land in Victoria, ridiculous as it sounds. There are always foxes around but for "big numbers" I don't think April is ideal, more around August to November, at least around where I am that's when the spotlighters are out every night.

Can you hunt public land in Tassie? Do you already hunt deer down there? I just had a look and it appears wallaby and rabbits are the main hunting there, with fallow restricted to one buck tag but antlerless are unlimited.
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Re: Sambar/red deer in Vic high country

Post by CRF » 31 May 2022, 1:07 pm

Hey Deccaz,

Always wanted to hunt fallow in Tassie, any recommendations on where to go?
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