How Many Roos ?

[deadkitty]

I'm heading north in a couple weeks to test some ammo and assist with culling activities. I've been shooting in the same area up there for almost 41 years now and have never seen as many Roo's as I have the past couple years. When I was younger we generally left the Roo's alone cause there wasn't many and we were more interested in making some money on fox skins. They are definitely breeding faster and I believe that with all the mining and destruction of native forest they are running out of places to hide so we see greater numbers. Definitely a waste of a natural resource that has potential commercial value for both meat and leather.

I agree Brett, Kangaroo's breeding is determined by the avilability of permanent water, build bores and dam and numbers will keep on increasing in those areas. I'd like to see Kangaroo farming as a start up industry, supplimented by the roo's taken from culls like the one you're about to undertake. Cheers.

[brett1868]

Kangaroo leather is highly valued for it's resistance to abrasion and light weight compared to cow hide, many of the top MotoGP racers have leathers made from skippy. No matter how valuable Roo products could be there is a psychological barrier of killing our national symbol that's difficult to overcome before large scale commercial farming could be done. I've eaten skippy burgers, sausages and even a kebab and don't mind it one bit, tastes good and very healthy when compared to other red meats. Possibly it can't be Halal taxed which is why we don't see more of it on the shelves?

[Die Judicii]

In Nth East Vic, Lady Noisy's Xtrail was being hit by Eastern Grey's and /or wallabies every 8-10 days! She got so ticked off she even tried driving at walking pace and one smashed into the Xtrail's rear door! I was gunna get a roo shaped stencil for her so she paint a roo shape on the drivers door every time one of the bloody jumping rats committed suicide.

Spot on there matey,,
It's amazing how many people say, "I hit a roo last night"
Whereas in fact, I would say that 99% of the time the mongrels jump, and hit the vehicle.

It's a wonder the greentards haven't tried to ban cars Aus wide.

And yes,, they are at almost plague level out my way, and breeding like b#ggery.

[duncan61]

I thought macro meats ran the whole eastern seaboard from SA to NTH Queensland.We have human consumption meat here in woolies and coles from over east.Our main human consumption processor was King river but as someone mentioned the Russian and satellite states of russia died when South american beef cleared for export and flooded Europe with cheap beef.I was in the office when an order for 3 full seatainers came in and it took 30min for the boss to explain he just has not got that amount to sell.It closed down the industry here and we now have 6 lic processers which only one will regularly buy carcasses

[happyhunter]

I'd like to see Kangaroo farming as a start up industry, supplimented by the roo's taken from culls like the one you're about to undertake. Cheers.

There are reasons skippy isn't farmed.
1. It's a wild animal.
2. There is a large enough wild population to sustain an industry without the need for farming.
3. They develop a disease of the central nervous system if stressed, by actions like by being rounded up into holding yards.

4.Overseas markets have disappeared and professional shooters are having to leave the industry. There's no money in it.

[Gwion]

So why did the OS market dry up?

Surely it was not just sold as a cheap beef substitute???
Maybe a bit of targeted marketing could kick start it again?

Come to think about it, I haven't seen it in supermarkets for a while, either.

[happyhunter]

So why did the OS market dry up?

Surely it was not just sold as a cheap beef substitute???
Maybe a bit of targeted marketing could kick start it again?

Come to think about it, I haven't seen it in supermarkets for a while, either.

It's in the Coles super markets here in the game meat section, along with some pretty ordinary looking vac packed wild rabbit.

Not sure what slowed the exports. There was some nature nazis banging on about it and creating a negative vibe and California put a ban on importing, but not sure how that ended.

[Gwion]

Rarely use Coles.

Can't say I've seen it once since moving to Tas.

Mind you, I rarely look in the meat case as we have a big freezer full of our own.

Use to see it all the time in Vic supermarkets.

[brett1868]

I'd like to see a Masterchef challenge featuring Roo, Croc & Emu dishes, maybe that'll increase awareness / demand

[deadkitty]

I'd like to see a Masterchef challenge featuring Roo, Croc & Emu dishes, maybe that'll increase awareness / demand

That's a brilliant bit of lateral thinking Brett! , don't like roo much or Emu but Croc....mmmmmm yum!.

[Gwion]

Roo on its own isn't the tastiest of meats. It is a very lean meat and needs to be treated right so that it doesn't dry out. Marinate almost any meat in the right goodies for the right amount of time and you can make a very tasty meal!

Master Chef and other cooking comp shows would make a great platform for alternative Australian meats to be marketed..... what about Tree Rabbit??? Plenty of those need thinning out in places!

[Chronos]

Roo on its own isn't the tastiest of meats. It is a very lean meat and needs to be treated right so that it doesn't dry out. Marinate almost any meat in the right goodies for the right amount of time and you can make a very tasty meal!

Master Chef and other cooking comp shows would make a great platform for alternative Australian meats to be marketed..... what about Tree Rabbit??? Plenty of those need thinning out in places!

I have tpo disagree G, Roo backstrap with a little salt and pepper seared in a HOT pan and served rare is one of the tastiest meals around. other roo cuts make excellent pies and curries as well as sausages if you add the right amount of pork fat to keep them from drying out

Chronos

[Gwion]

No worries, Chronos. I personally don't find roo to be the tastiest of meats. Not that i don't like it, just that i find the flavour neither here nor there. Add a good marinade (or curry, etc) and it can be YUM!

As i say. It needs the right treatment or it will come out dry as it is so lean. And yes, rare from a HOT pan is one of the ways to do it.

[Baronvonrort]

The tail is the best part of a Roo, my native friends all fight over who gets that bit

[deadkitty]

....starts taking notes....save tail.....marinade first........backstrips seared in hot pan......stop it!, you're making me hungry!

[MR. WINCHESTER]

....starts taking notes....save tail.....marinade first........backstrips seared in hot pan......stop it!, you're making me hungry!

Should a 'greenie' be heard to talk about enjoying the thought of eating our national faunal symbol .... a protected species ?

[duncan61]

Not sure about over east but here the western grey kangaroo is borderline inedible and they smell but the red roos from the gascoyne are really tasty if hung for a while.The factory would only take reds over 14 Kg dressed for pet food so anything under was kept for the table.The same one Qantas have on there aeroplanes.Its much slimmer and the fur is soft and smooth.I can only assume eastern greys are similar to the western

[duncan61]

My picture is a large western grey.you can see how furry and muscular they are.One that size would not cook up real well.My largest weighed in was 68Kg dressed.My biggest red was 43Kg.Up north you struggle to get large roos but down south they are deceptively heavy.I nearly passed up a doe last year but at 20 feet away and in front of a tree I took it and it went 22Kg.You lose 1/3 of the live weight when done for pet food and 1/4 when done for human consumption so that big buck was about 102Kg standing when I dropped it.They get bigger as you go further south and most shooters down south have a hydraulic crane set up on there utes.

[Gwion]

Can't say for sure about the difference between eastern and western greys but the biggest eastern gre I have seen (a lot of them where I grew up) was significantly smaller than the big reds I saw up through SA/NT outback.

[deadkitty]

....starts taking notes....save tail.....marinade first........backstrips seared in hot pan......stop it!, you're making me hungry!

Should a 'greenie' be heard to talk about enjoying the thought of eating our national faunal symbol .... a protected species ?

If it has been legally obtained, and speaking as a confirmed carnivore, yes! Unless you think all greenies are all dreadlocked vegans living of tofu Cheers

[brett1868]

....starts taking notes....save tail.....marinade first........backstrips seared in hot pan......stop it!, you're making me hungry!

Should a 'greenie' be heard to talk about enjoying the thought of eating our national faunal symbol .... a protected species ?

If it has been legally obtained, and speaking as a confirmed carnivore, yes! Unless you think all greenies are all dreadlocked vegans living of tofu Cheers

He be gone DK

[deadkitty]

....starts taking notes....save tail.....marinade first........backstrips seared in hot pan......stop it!, you're making me hungry!

Should a 'greenie' be heard to talk about enjoying the thought of eating our national faunal symbol .... a protected species ?

If it has been legally obtained, and speaking as a confirmed carnivore, yes! Unless you think all greenies are all dreadlocked vegans living of tofu Cheers

He be gone DK

Cheers

[<<Genesis93>>]

....starts taking notes....save tail.....marinade first........backstrips seared in hot pan......stop it!, you're making me hungry!

Should a 'greenie' be heard to talk about enjoying the thought of eating our national faunal symbol .... a protected species ?

If it has been legally obtained, and speaking as a confirmed carnivore, yes! Unless you think all greenies are all dreadlocked vegans living of tofu Cheers

He be gone DK

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
What?
Noooooooooooo

Oh
YAY

[<<Genesis93>>]

hang on....
so deceased feline is still around?

oh.

[<<Genesis93>>]

My picture is a large western grey.you can see how furry and muscular they are.One that size would not cook up real well.My largest weighed in was 68Kg dressed.My biggest red was 43Kg.Up north you struggle to get large roos but down south they are deceptively heavy.I nearly passed up a doe last year but at 20 feet away and in front of a tree I took it and it went 22Kg.You lose 1/3 of the live weight when done for pet food and 1/4 when done for human consumption so that big buck was about 102Kg standing when I dropped it.They get bigger as you go further south and most shooters down south have a hydraulic crane set up on there utes.

Seriously? 102kg? Holllllly far out..
We have a mob of Eastern Grays that have moved in, we had Swamp Wallabies that seem to have been displaced by the roos.... wish I could drop of few...I'm not reallt happy with them getting the confidence of moving so close to the house (40 - 80m)...

[happyhunter]

Yeah, they get big.

[happyhunter]

My picture is a large western grey.you can see how furry and muscular they are.One that size would not cook up real well.My largest weighed in was 68Kg dressed.My biggest red was 43Kg.Up north you struggle to get large roos but down south they are deceptively heavy.I nearly passed up a doe last year but at 20 feet away and in front of a tree I took it and it went 22Kg.You lose 1/3 of the live weight when done for pet food and 1/4 when done for human consumption so that big buck was about 102Kg standing when I dropped it.They get bigger as you go further south and most shooters down south have a hydraulic crane set up on there utes.

Seriously? 102kg? Holllllly far out..
We have a mob of Eastern Grays that have moved in, we had Swamp Wallabies that seem to have been displaced by the roos.... wish I could drop of few...I'm not reallt happy with them getting the confidence of moving so close to the house (40 - 80m)...

We've had a couple incidents over the years in town. Both times it was elderly folk that were beaten up. I wouldn't worry too much about it, but keep an eye on any kids or elderly when the mobs hanging around.

[duncan61]

That red is a lot bigger than 43 Kg

[Gwion]

What they'll is that Buck doing carrying a bucket around!???!

[deadkitty]

What they'll is that Buck doing carrying a bucket around!???!

Probably cleaning up after messy campers...... ..sorry couldn't resist