This is nothing to do with hunting and killing, it is about respecting native wildlife. When we camp, we are visitors, we should be respectful, clear up after ourselves and accept our host's foibles.
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Consider yourselves most fortunate = wait until you have to contend with black bears or grizzly bears.
A grizz can sprint at 35mph to bring down a horse.
All food whatsoever, even chewing gum, goes in a pack, hung in a tree, 50+ honest yards from your camp every night.
Accidents happen: stumble across a partially buried recent kill. Get between the sow and her cubs.
Young grizz stalk little kids at the country school bus stops (that didn't go on for very long.)
A grizz can sprint at 35mph to bring down a horse.
All food whatsoever, even chewing gum, goes in a pack, hung in a tree, 50+ honest yards from your camp every night.
Accidents happen: stumble across a partially buried recent kill. Get between the sow and her cubs.
Young grizz stalk little kids at the country school bus stops (that didn't go on for very long.)
Not defending his entire post, but he did state that this species is an invasive in NZ rather than native.
I was thinking the same thing. No grizzlies down here but we do have black bears (they even raid in town occasionally) and gators.
But his talk of 'infested campsites' was in Australia, where the possums are native.
Robson, your description of camping and considering there might be bears about *is* respecting the local wildlife. Don't tempt them in with having food around.
On one or two National Parks I camped in in the US you weren't allowed to keep food or cosmetics or anything smelly even in the car overnight; it had to go in the bear safe: the bears had learned how to pop out or break car windows. Check out youtube for bears and cars. Or just bears! I never use deodorant, aftershave or toothpaste in bear country. (Or cook too near the tent.) Someone else is going to smell much nicer than me and therefore make a much better meal. From my point of view.
Sat in a circle having a picnic lunch while on the road with 3 friends in the outback in N. Australia somewhere. Black Kite swoops between us stealing the food from my friend's hand as she was lifting it to her mouth. Luckily only scratches to her hand. It also tried further attempts to steal food from us until we got close in under a tree to thwart its attempts. It's scary watching a bird of prey coming in at you at chest height.
In Corsica had to sit back to back with GF while having a picnic to get 360 degree vision of approaching wild pigs that are quite aggressive. Not the best picnic I've had.
Hungry, and human-acclimatised wildlife can be quite scary and dangerous, regardless of size.
the campsite i was referring to was/is near port arthur- i camped there in 2007 and there were lots of humans incl. some school classes- yet the possums still outnumbered them. i daresay it was the garbage cans which attracted them (there were no lids on them so easy access for wildlife to foodtrash)....
Big, dominant bears (Grizz, mostly) drive the young bears out of prime habitat.
That is +/- 100m of an avalanche track, facing south. So, the young buggers were sizing up the little country school kids
when they got off the bus, after-school-snack and all. We do NOT take kindly to wildlife interactions which threaten our children.
Let me make that simple fact perfectly clear. That situation was regulated in a single Friday afternoon.
Gunshots mean gut piles. Bear Spray means no more than people and food. Soft on the outside, crunchy in the middle.
My `Bear Spray`is a 3x 12 mag with SSG. Two in the body, one in the head, guarantees that they`re really dead.`
You need to know, up front, what the possibilities are. Been there, done that, far too many times.
That is +/- 100m of an avalanche track, facing south. So, the young buggers were sizing up the little country school kids
when they got off the bus, after-school-snack and all. We do NOT take kindly to wildlife interactions which threaten our children.
Let me make that simple fact perfectly clear. That situation was regulated in a single Friday afternoon.
Gunshots mean gut piles. Bear Spray means no more than people and food. Soft on the outside, crunchy in the middle.
My `Bear Spray`is a 3x 12 mag with SSG. Two in the body, one in the head, guarantees that they`re really dead.`
You need to know, up front, what the possibilities are. Been there, done that, far too many times.
I hunted Possum in North Island New Zealand. Well stood in a forest clearing with a lamp and a .22 and shot over 100 of them in a night.
The key issue with Possum in New Zealand is the epidemic numbers, no natural predators and the enormous consumption of foliage on tree species that hasn't evolved to be browsed.
Shame they can't find a market for the fur.
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The key issue with Possum in New Zealand is the epidemic numbers, no natural predators and the enormous consumption of foliage on tree species that hasn't evolved to be browsed.
Shame they can't find a market for the fur.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
i experiences similiar numbers of possums caught with traps by a professional possum hunter on the south island. there is a (small) market for possum fur products- mixed with sheep wool it's used for making socks, jumpers etc. +some naughty souvenirs for tourists...
the possums i hunted myself were all killed in NZ AND went into the pot- the ones in OZ/THE kangaroo island were just chased away!
they may look cute, but for thoise who have not done maybe it's worth reading: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_brushtail_possum_in_New_Zealand
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