Daylight savings, grass and spotlighting

[Warrigul]

Here I sit at home waiting, the property I am shooting tonight is only thirty km away and I won't start until midnight. In this respect I hate daylight savings but it is nice to not need gloves etc.

This property has fencing issues, it is never free of wallaby- especially as there is a young carrot crop in one of the paddocks at the moment, the farmer can see a couple of half moons in the crop. I will spend around three hours shooting. Two weeks ago, starting half an hour after dark and on the tractor, I shot 53 assorted bennetts and rufous wallaby, all had gotten through two holes, by waiting another couple of hours and being on foot tonight it is enough variation of routine to enable a good harvest.

I will find a hole and wait at the fenceline with the .22 and subs until I hear the fence rattle.Nothing will be kept as I am walking in off the main track. Everything will be left to rot in the paddock, takes about three or four weeks to disappear with the crows and devils and those weird death beetles and maggots.

On the way out I will stake the holes.

The grass is low enough now to see what I am shooting.

Variation is the key down here.

Tomorrow I will sleep in.

It sounds boring but it has been a regular part of my life for over 30 years.

I am off to get ready.

[Westy]

Good hunting sounds like a great time W !!!Get a couple for old westy will you!!!!

[bigfellascott]

Sounds different mate, good luck with it.

[scrolllock]

Here I sit at home waiting, the property I am shooting tonight is only thirty km away and I won't start until midnight. In this respect I hate daylight savings

I'm over it too.

Sun setting at like 8:30 here. Barely get a 'night' any more.

[mahna]

Not need gloves cause of light? Huh?

[VICHunter]

I hate daylight savings

Wish we would just ditch it like QLD did

[Gwion]

Not need gloves cause of light? Huh?

Anytime it's not daylight savings in Tas, it get bloody cold once the sun goes down!

[mahna]

Anytime it's not daylight savings in Tas, it get bloody cold once the sun goes down!

Ah right.

Was thinking of protecting your hands from rocks and trees and whatever, not warmth.

[sally-bee]

I won't start until midnight.

Why such a late start?

[Lorgar]

Wish we would just ditch it like QLD did

I'd be happy to lose it too.

[Warrigul]

Why such a late start?

It is best to wait a few hours after sunset. Sunset is late with daylight savings and long days.

[Tiiger]

Why such a late start?

Not everything starts stirring immediately on sunset.

[Norton]

Wish we would just ditch it like QLD did

Doing it was a win

[Gwion]

Why such a late start?

Not everything starts stirring immediately on sunset.

The wallaby that are a problem around here for crop protection tend to come out well enough late afternoon-dusk. They love a rainy/drizzly arvo especially. Problem is that they are flighty and nervous early on. A couple of shots and they all bolt for the bush. Later on they are more confident and less likely to bolt so quickly unless accustomed to being shot at (like in my back paddock). You can get a few stationary before they all bolt. Also, later on, they tend to come back rather quickly, so you can shoot one end of a decent sized paddock drive/walk through a few others and head back to the start and they'l be out munching away again half an hour later.

I tend to knock a few early on and then wait for about 10-11pm and hit'm a second time. Bloke i know has shot 120 in one night just driving doing laps of the paddocks on one property. He also tends to go later at night from about 11pm-3am.

[Warrigul]

Why such a late start?

Not everything starts stirring immediately on sunset.

The wallaby that are a problem around here for crop protection tend to come out well enough late afternoon-dusk. They love a rainy/drizzly arvo especially. Problem is that they are flighty and nervous early on. A couple of shots and they all bolt for the bush. Later on they are more confident and less likely to bolt so quickly unless accustomed to being shot at (like in my back paddock). You can get a few stationary before they all bolt. Also, later on, they tend to come back rather quickly, so you can shoot one end of a decent sized paddock drive/walk through a few others and head back to the start and they'l be out munching away again half an hour later.

I tend to knock a few early on and then wait for about 10-11pm and hit'm a second time. Bloke i know has shot 120 in one night just driving doing laps of the paddocks on one property. He also tends to go later at night from about 11pm-3am.

And that's why we have properties about down here that are hard to shoot.

[Westy]

I found it was fading my curtains that Daylight savings !!!
also the live stock was becoming more confused than ever , glad we ditched it up here

[Gwion]

And that's why we have properties about down here that are hard to shoot.

Just got 9 in the last hour since my last post. 4 on the fence line at about 140+m with the 223, then put a patch through the 223, got the 22 out and went to collect the ones on the fence line and dropped another 5 about 15 minutes later. Took longer to collect them than it did to shoot them.

Give it another hour and they'll be out again. Using a filter on the spot helps because they don't spook from the white light.

[Westy]

And that's why we have properties about down here that are hard to shoot.

Just got 9 in the last hour since my last post. 4 on the fence line at about 140+m with the 223, then put a patch through the 223, got the 22 out and went to collect the ones on the fence line and dropped another 5 about 15 minutes later. Took longer to collect them than it did to shoot them.

Give it another hour and they'll be out again. Using a filter on the spot helps because they don't spook from the white light.

[Warrigul]

And that's why we have properties about down here that are hard to shoot.

Just got 9 in the last hour since my last post. 4 on the fence line at about 140+m with the 223, then put a patch through the 223, got the 22 out and went to collect the ones on the fence line and dropped another 5 about 15 minutes later. Took longer to collect them than it did to shoot them.

Give it another hour and they'll be out again. Using a filter on the spot helps because they don't spook from the white light.

It is quite interesting when you head in after a grass survey has been done on a property, usually the farmer(usually a small acre hobby farmer or a mainlander) initially thought they had the problem under control, either by themselves or others, until they saw the results.

In your case you've got a small 200 acre paddock and probably a mixed population, of say 500, in the surrounding area(not sure if it is bush or other farms) you are shooting the small percentage that haven't come across you before or are still only a little bit wary and they would mainly be the bigger greys(maybe one or two joeys a year at the most) early on.

The real ones that are the problem are the smaller rufous that are constantly pregnant even with a joey in the pouch, these are spitting out four or five a year and they DON'T come out until well after dark and in your case I would nearly bet they would be a 2.00 or 3.00 in the morning proposition and at the first sight of any light they would bolt. Get them skittish(which from what you've said about regularly using a .223 I would guarantee they are) and you are rooted.

There are only a couple of ways to reset the problem that is trapping, to get rid of the current generation, and running dogs and a shotgun line(which won't happen after what you have written in the past), maybe baiting but the DPIPWE won't consider it they way you are running the problem at the moment.

I would say at best you are keeping the population in check and still suffering in the paddock, at worst you are actually going backwards. There are some basic rules most of us down here grow up with and you are breaking a few straight away. Wallaby control is totally different to anything encountered on the mainland.

But all you do is run a few sheep in the back paddock and it's not your livelehood at stake so it is no issue but don't proport it as the proper way to control wallaby.

[AusC]

also the live stock was becoming more confused than ever , glad we ditched it up here

And everyone's late for work on the say because they "forgot".

[zobster]

And that's why we have properties about down here that are hard to shoot.

Just got 9 in the last hour since my last post. 4 on the fence line at about 140+m with the 223, then put a patch through the 223, got the 22 out and went to collect the ones on the fence line and dropped another 5 about 15 minutes later. Took longer to collect them than it did to shoot them.

Give it another hour and they'll be out again. Using a filter on the spot helps because they don't spook from the white light.

It is quite interesting when you head in after a grass survey has been done on a property, usually the farmer(usually a small acre hobby farmer or a mainlander) initially thought they had the problem under control, either by themselves or others, until they saw the results.

In your case you've got a small 200 acre paddock and probably a mixed population, of say 500, in the surrounding area(not sure if it is bush or other farms) you are shooting the small percentage that haven't come across you before or are still only a little bit wary and they would mainly be the bigger greys(maybe one or two joeys a year at the most) early on.

The real ones that are the problem are the smaller rufous that are constantly pregnant even with a joey in the pouch, these are spitting out four or five a year and they DON'T come out until well after dark and in your case I would nearly bet they would be a 2.00 or 3.00 in the morning proposition and at the first sight of any light they would bolt. Get them skittish(which from what you've said about regularly using a .223 I would guarantee they are) and you are rooted.

There are only a couple of ways to reset the problem that is trapping, to get rid of the current generation, and running dogs and a shotgun line(which won't happen after what you have written in the past), maybe baiting but the DPIPWE won't consider it they way you are running the problem at the moment.

I would say at best you are keeping the population in check and still suffering in the paddock, at worst you are actually going backwards. There are some basic rules most of us down here grow up with and you are breaking a few straight away. Wallaby control is totally different to anything encountered on the mainland.

But all you do is run a few sheep in the back paddock and it's not your livelehood at stake so it is no issue but don't proport it as the proper way to control wallaby.

May I ask what is the proper way to control them wallabys? NVG? Thermals?

[Gregg]

I think you'll find Warrigul isn't around any more to answer that zobster.

I think you're answer is going to be either NVG or Thermal and a spot out of ear shot from them.