Sexing wallaby

[zobster]

Hi all,

Firstly, I'm from Tassie and shooting wallaby is legal here. My question is, besides looking for the pouch, is there a easier way to sex wallabys?

I found that the bigger ones are usually boys but that is not fool-proof. The problem is that when spotlighting, you can't exactly light them up for too long else they hop away and normally, about half of the body is covered by the scrub or they are facing away from you.

[Gwion]

Paddy's, i'm guessing?

It's very hard to tell unless they are full grown. Much larger, broader/thicker across the shoulders, squarer head.

As you say, all this is hard to tell from a distance under light.

Why do you want to tell the difference? Personally i spend my time lining up a good shot, rather than trying to tell what sex they are.

[zobster]

ok, i'm a softie, i don't feel good after shoot a wallaby and discovering that there's a joey in the pouch that i have to euthanize. I try to only shoot bennetts, they taste better.

[Gwion]

I'm the other way around.

On my block the paddies are the ones eating all the grass and we see bugger all bennets, so it's the paddy that's mostly in the sights. It's not the nicest having to knock the pinkies on the head but it does save having to shoot two through summer.

I concentrate my pest control at this time of year for that reason.

I have found two recipes for paddies that you wouldn't even guess you were eating wallaby.

1: is a basic Caccitore. Simple and yum. Italian peasant food. "Cacciatore", from my understanding, translates as "hunter". So, hunter's chicken, or, hunter's wallaby.
Here's a link to a recipe but mine is more simple http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/6404/chicken+cacciatore

Joint up the wallaby (i just use hind quarters and maybe the shoulders) chop biggest bits.
Coat joints in seasoned flour (shake it in a plastic bag is easiest)
Pan fry to brown, be generous with the oil
Remove from pan and fry off some onion, garlic and red capsicum until softened.
Put meat back in and add some mushrooms and kalamata olives with some tomato paste and a tiny amount of goon bag white wine (with two legs i'd use about 1/2 glass). Stir it all about and keep it moving to mix wine and tomato paste.
When mushrooms have absorbed wine, add a can of crushed tomatoes and a few herbs (typical italian style herbs)
Cover and simmer for as many hours as you can be bothered waiting.
Mung it down with some pasta or rice or what ever.

2/ Bone out hind quarter/s of wallaby (butterflied, ie: keep meat in one piece)
Lay out enough rind of bacon to wrap wallaby well and lay wallaby meat on top; cut side up
Lay rosemary sprigs and a sprinkling of garlic, season with salt & pepper
Roll it all up and pin with tooth picks to hold together, or tie it up with kitchen string.
Throw it in a HOT (and i mean HOT) oven for 5-10 minutes until the bacon starts to sizzle
Turn the oven to LOW (140 or less) and cook SLOW.
Might take one or two goes to figure out how long it takes depending on how much you are cooking and how well done you like it.
Cut it up like any other rolled roast and have it with the usual veg or salad & spuds... whatever.

Both are YUM, even if i do say so myself.

I have another recipe but that one's a secret.

[Gwion]

Oh, and by the way. Difference between boys and girls with bennet's is basically the same as with paddies.

Boys obviously heavier, taller, broader in the chest and squarer in the head. But again, only obvious in full grown males and more so in the dominant breeder.

[tom604]

look for eye shadow and a bit of lippy

[Die Judicii]

I'm not familiar with the aforementioned breeds (Paddys/Bennets) . However if its legal and or under a cull permit, one real easy way to determine their sex is to shoot during the day and observe them before actually shooting.

As a general rule, the ones with joeys that are staying close by would be the Mums.

But if you are cull shooting because they are in great numbers, the most successful way of limiting their rate of multiplying,, is to actually seek out and destroy the Does.
Especially so if in times of drought conditions, because under drought conditions, roos will produce far more bucks than does.
So, a dozen bucks will stay as a dozen bucks, but 1/2 dozen does can produce at least another dozen offspring in 12 months.
So mathematically speaking,, by controlling/reducing how many does there are will control their overall numbers more efficiently.
Thus shooting a smaller overall number of does, will have a much greater control effect than by shooting many bucks.

If you are seriously trying to keep a manageable population, you will have to overcome the "softy" part of yourself, and harden the f*#k up a bit.

[Gwion]

^^^^

Yup. And at this time of year just about all the females will have young in pouch. Best to hit them before they start getting out to graze and disperse. Come spring time there will be twice as many mouths munching the grass. It's not nice but it is better to get two in one shot, so to speak.

[zobster]

For me personally, there's a very clear distinction between shooting for pest control and hunting.

When I hunt, I take a couple of boys for the pot and they fill up the freezer nicely.

When I pest control, I shoot every single one I see and just leave the carcass there.

It's all about the purpose of the shoot.



Also, could someone tell me why am I missing with my .22lr yet when I switch to my mate's 223, I'm dropping them consistently with headshots? We zero-ed both of the rifles the same day and I was hitting a target out 70m consistently all day.

[Gwion]

Range perception at night...
223rem with much longer point blank range.....

I find with a 22lr that your shot placement has to be dead on or it is less than effective and takes some following up. This is why only use it out to a max of about 50m.

I find the 223 to be a bit over the top so i'm looking at something a bit smaller. Hence the 223short build.
A 22hornet or 221fireball would also work great.

[Bourt]

is there a easier way to sex wallabys?

Bottle of wine and a candle light dinner?