Hi from Queensland, Australia

[Gordoncourtney]

I know the police don’t bother hunters much in Queensland But WA Perth you cannot hunt with a muzzle loader , use a proper gun , nothing to hunt anyway toured south to Bumbry and as far up as Exmouth nothing , been visiting relatives in Perth a good few times at 79 the 23 hour flight is getting a bit much. Let’s see some photos of water buff hunting. , you did have a wild hippo your way not heard any more news on it past years Cousins kids lived in Darwin long way up north. Coming out of Perth past Guildford I put Darwin into Tom Tom “ take a left turn, after 2300 miles take a right turn and you have reached your destination “. Nice to meet you , bloody cold frozen up in UK Me in OZ

Just got back from Cannaries sun

I might add :

Ha ha. In Perth Oz pubs and eating houses close around 8 pm. But over the railway bridge it’s “north bridge “. There’s the Irish “ Bog” pub. Only sells Guinness. We left at 2am. Drunk out of our minds. Got train home Next day Phil had fallen asleep in his suite , boy did he smell I drove him
to work unwashed and he was snoring away in the middle of a big important meeting at work

Sorry it’s not about muzzle loading but to some Guinness is more important to some

 

[Bushfire]

Dear Pete. I knew it wasn't a common deer ,Never considered Chital or Axis deer But very familiar with the Bi annual antlers . I bought a lot from Horn Scale cutters for Knife and in my case inlays since unlike the common Reds there is just a small hole rather than the center being mostly pithy stuff like Reds .So it was a prime choice for large cutlery as they could take the exposed ends down with out exposing the pithy stuff , it was gathered from shed heads but Indians where wont to kill it to get the head .
. Paterson, Yes good stuff is Paterson a positive to Lawson's tending to be negative . Flintlocks grow on you but if not careful you might find yourself on a slippery slope & degenerate to Snaphances /English" locks, wheellocks & in severer cases Matchlocks &' hande gunnes' from which there is little hope of recovery' hmmm Good on yer .
Regards Rudyard

The whole biannual antler growth with equatorial Asiatic deer is a myth. Come from the fact that they don't have a set growing or rutting season. early on people saw deer in hard antler year round and assumed stags carried them multiple years. We know now the population just staggers their cycle throughout the year.

 

[aussie pete]

The whole biannual antler growth with equatorial Asiatic deer is a myth. Come from the fact that they don't have a set growing or rutting season. early on people saw deer in hard antler year round and assumed stags carried them multiple years. We know now the population just staggers their cycle throughout the year.

I have heard the biannual antler theory, though Bushfire's post is correct; it's mythical. What I have observed, in the blocks that I wander over, individual males only produce one set of antlers over a period of twelve to fifteen months. What I see though, is that not all animals shed at the same time; moreover, animals in the same area can be in different antler development stages at any one given season - some are just beginning to bud, some are developing, some are fully formed in velvet, some are perfectly solid and well rubbed, while some are casting. While there seems to be a single genuine developing period in India and Sumatra, where these animals originated, perhaps the introduced shift to a different continent changed development patterns? Nonetheless, the bucks sure are handsome when in full bloom. Me - I'm not a trophy hunter, happily letting a good stag wander by; my preference, for meat, is a youngster. Stag meat, for me, can be a bit strong and musty.

I've included an image here of a strong young lyre-shaped stag, fully developed in hard antler. The spiker to the rear is fully hardened too, while the spiker to the front is only just beginning to bud - a significant development difference among a single small group. For curiosity, I've included an image of a found catastrophe, near one of the rivers here in North Queensland. While the truth of the narrative will never be known, I suspect these two chaps were fighting around a fence line, resulting in a grim demise for both. Both images taken by me in my wanderings.

Thanks too for all the welcomes! (Yes Gordon - Guinness is important ).

 

[2 shots]

welcome from new york U.S.A.

 

[Rudyard]

If its' mythical' nobody told the horn scale cutters & the Axis deer / Chital does have but a small vain hole while other deer like reds do not, thusly it was valued by Sheffield cutlers Mythical or not .The firm of Scarlet & Whiteing Successors to Geo Whitticker & Sons had been at their Rockingham Street address since god was a lad, On his desk was an ivory of Marshal Foshe . Why I don't know, but in his drawer was the' Dead mans penny '& a scroll regarding the death of Mr Whitticar's son in WW1 a very sad reminder . Mr Scarlet was once our rent man & Mr Whitting was 90 & still cutting up horn for scales or handles I asked him once did he ever worry about the dust? .He replied "No it just made soup". When they finally packed up I was offered the firm but declined as I saw no advantage takeing it on . I doubt either of them went to India But they did have a very comprehensive book on deer.
Regards Rudyard '
Who's not mythical

 

[Old Timer 48]

Welcome!

 

[Ponderosaman]

Welcome from AZ. Great picture. Just can’t figure if you scared it to death or what since there’s no holes it.

 

[Bushfire]

I have heard the biannual antler theory, though Bushfire's post is correct; it's mythical. What I have observed, in the blocks that I wander over, individual males only produce one set of antlers over a period of twelve to fifteen months. What I see though, is that not all animals shed at the same time; moreover, animals in the same area can be in different antler development stages at any one given season - some are just beginning to bud, some are developing, some are fully formed in velvet, some are perfectly solid and well rubbed, while some are casting. While there seems to be a single genuine developing period in India and Sumatra, where these animals originated, perhaps the introduced shift to a different continent changed development patterns? Nonetheless, the bucks sure are handsome when in full bloom. Me - I'm not a trophy hunter, happily letting a good stag wander by; my preference, for meat, is a youngster. Stag meat, for me, can be a bit strong and musty.

All deer more or kess follow the ssme annual cycle of antler development, its just a more fluid timeline for some species. It's because of their equatorial origins that they don't have the defined antler and rutting phase, much like sambar.

Euro deer such as reds or fallow have defined seasons following the climate so they can birth in the spring giving offspring the best chance. It's less important in the tropics which is why there is no clear definition. Pure environmental evolution.

Hog deer seem to have a more defined rut though still variable. My first was shot in hard velvet during Feb which is after the main rutting period.

It's entirely possible that in thousands of years sambar in Vic will evolve to have a defined rutting period and antler growth phase.

 

[Billy Boy]

Hi all. I'm Pete. Introducing myself to all the members. I have been following for a while now, gaining lots of useful information that people have posted. As well as the keen local group here in North Queensland, your contributors have really helped me get my stable of arms going: Pedersoli 54 Tryon, Pedersoli 54 Rocky Mountain Hawken, Parker Hale 53 and Parker Hale 58. I look forward to joining in on some conversations when I can match appropriate input. My hobbies are bird photography, wildlife observation, being out in the bush, and enjoying aspects of loading and shooting in close.View attachment 182358View attachment 182361

Welcome from the tundra!

 

[user 31296]

G. Day from the south coast NSW .Merry Christmas

 

[Johnny 2 Knives]

G’day mate, I’ve just joined the forum also and spent about 12 years in Townsville and was in the green machine also.

Nice Chital too.

 

[UndeadPoet]

Beautiful deer! Welcome, from North Carolina, USA!

 

[gunpa]

Welcome from Eastern Idaho! Gateway to Yellowstone Park and Jackson Hole Wyoming. Nothing against tourists of course!

 

[Hawk54]

Welcome from Minnesota, USA.

 

[Trapper53]

Welcome from Oregon, hope to visit Australia some day.
Merry Christmas

 

[Gordoncourtney]

Welcome from Oregon, hope to visit Australia some day.
Merry Christmas

City Beach Perth. Oz First 3 photo Hardly any hunting there with in a 1000 miles , no muzzaloaders either allowed other than ranges, need to go out of Darwin for water buff. A hunting trip was Au$ 8000 for a week, see Marraki also on google , he has permissions, Or go for camel inland

HahaOh wife in the pink 3 weeks ago Fortamentura she’s 76
(First 3 photo.)

I prefer the Cannaries RIU hotel fortamenture see utube. But no gun shops or hunting

 

[Nebraskahunter]

well from Ne