OODAH wrote:I've spent lots of time at the range or a mates property shooting targets, but I've only been out hunting once, a long time ago and I couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo. Now that I'm bigger,older and uglier I want to get out there and get my own dinner. I feel to many people tell me you can't eat what you shoot. To much risk of getting sick or worse, but if that's the case what the hell is Hunt-Catch-Cook doing? And why didn't I curl up and die after eating the Roo my mates Grandpa shot? I understand there's much more involved after you decide if its good enough to consume but I thought I would break the ice with this.
I'm hoping the wise will come forward and give there wisdom on the subject
I'm far from wise but I'll give you a few things that might get some discussion happening
What are you wanting to hunt and/or eat?
There's rabbits, foxes, goats, pigs, ducks, cats, dogs and several species of deer.
Where are you wanting to hunt?
You can ask landowners for permission to hunt on their properties under their rules, or you can hunt in State Forests. To hunt state forests in NSW you need to book your hunt and carry a GPS with the latest maps of the area. Some places also require "blaze" caps or vests. To hunt deer or shoot ducks you also need a game licence and can only hunt them when they're "in season". There are also laws about spotlighting and minimum calibres for deer. There are also rules about disposing of carcasses, although I think most vermin species are left where they fall. Often not a bad idea to stop for a rest somewhere upwind of your kill site and see if any foxes or dogs come for a look.
There are bounties on foxes and dogs down my way, but I don't think there's any market for pelts any more.
If you haven't already got a firearms licence there are laws about carrying or using firearms on roads and tracks, from vehicles, or in areas frequented by people.
Are you looking at hunting only in NSW?
Gut the animal straight away as meat begins to decompose as soon as the animal dies, also cut away any shot-damaged meat and wipe out any blood (blood is what will attract flies). It's also common to just remove the bigger pieces and leave the rest without having to gut the animal. Rump, shoulders, back straps and the neck can be taken without opening the animal up.
The meat is usually better if you hang the animal for a few days before butchering it. But given the size of pigs, goats and deer it's generally easier to carry the meat out after butchering it on-site, even if it requires a couple of trips - two 30kg loads through the bush is way easier than one 60kg hump. I like elastic cargo nets for strapping bagged meat to a pack.
Gutting an animal reduces it's weight by around 20-25%. The actual meat you might get out of it after completely (including the extra stuff for mincing) butchering it is closer to 50%, but if you only take the shoulders, rump, backstraps and neck you might only be carrying out 25% or less of what the animal weighed.
If you want to keep a deer or goat skin and head for mounting you might have another 10-20kg load to carry out. If you do carry out any racks try to wrap them or cover them so you don't get yourself shot!