Introduced species: Deer are not indigenous to Australia and are considered a pest in large parts of the country but also a good source of protein.
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It was a friendly atmosphere outside Trelly’s Outdoor on Tuesday, October 4, as deer hunters from Shepparton and the surrounding areas gathered for a barbecue and to hear the latest industry news.
The evening event, run by the Australian Deer Hunting Association, was attended by about 100 people of varying ages. Some of the attendees were seasoned hunters whereas others came to learn about a pastime they knew little about.
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Some of the attendees were farmers; however, there were others whose day jobs included occupations as varied as engineering and customer service.
The uniting theme was a love of the outdoors and to keep updated with the latest information — and have a nice chat.
It was also a chance to look at the latest rifles on the market, with SJS Trading Co and Outdoor Sporting Agency both on hand to go through the technical details of the rifles on show.
Deadly but humane: A Hardy Hybrid and a Sauer 101 Highland XTC on display.
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Gabriel Garcia
Geoff Broughton is a keen deer hunter and sheep farmer, and was invited by friends to attend the event.
He said genuine deer hunters were humble people.
“A true hunter is a humane hunter. No-one wants to wound an animal; you want to kill them as quick as you can,” Mr Broughton said.
When hunting, Mr Broughton ensures that no part of the deer goes to waste, with as much meat as possible being eaten. The rest of the deer is fed to his dogs.
This theme of humanely killing the deer was a running one, with part of the purpose of the evening being to help teach new techniques that would ensure a more effective and humane kill.
Some attendees were keen to point out that hunting deer humanely was not only beneficial to the environment (deer, after all, are an introduced species) but also healthy for the individuals involved, as the wild deer harvested are organic, free-ranging and hormone-free.
Hunting also gets people out of the house and into nature.
As for anyone wishing to learn to hunt, Mr Broughton believes the best first step is to get educated.
“Get on to the internet and look up the various clubs,” he said.
