For those who pulled up John Byer's web page I hope they enjoyed looking at the photographs. Regarding Australia, I find it puzzling why there hasn't be much of anything written about their duck hunting. I have been going down there almost yearly since 2002, and have had some remarkable days. What has proven to be most enjoyable is hunting with the waterfowlers down there. They are a great bunch of guys.
As for the question about gun ownership: Any auto or pump is banned. For shotguns only side by side or over/under are allowed. (I really like that rule.) One can own a bolt action rifle. I know pistols are allowed, but think they must be kept at a police station and checked out???? All gun owners are issued a permit. And that is a problem, as the permit can be revoked for a number of things. And is. Even an oral threat directed at another individual is grounds for losing a permit. In some cases, a DUI also can result in loosing it. The guys down there walk on eggs over these permits. Guns need to be stored in a safe, and the police make surprise calls to check on these. Also, a person can only own a certain number of guns, I can't remember how many. While down there I stay and hunt with John Byers. John is a retired police officer. During his many years on the job he was forced to revoke many permits. Several cases were especially painful for him. These were when a wife/girlfriend wanted to get back at a man, and did so by claiming he had threatened her, as she knew he would loose his guns. John has told me that in two cases the woman admitted to him that they did it purely out of spite.
The first time I went down I took a gun. It was a giant headache. Not only to get the gun into the country, but to leave with it again. So, I first purchased a Charles Boswell 12 bore pigeon gun to leave with John. I liked the gun so well that I imported it back over here. Then I got a WW Greener F25 12 bore. John has it listed on his permit, and I use it when I go down. But even so, I need to get a permit each year to use it.
One of the most amazing things I ran into with their weapons ban happened two years ago. While we are hunting, sulphur-crested cockatoos sometimes land in the trees overhead. They are very noisy and quickly get on one's nerves. So I decided to bring down a slingshot for them. When I unpacked it, and showed it to John, he remarked I was very lucky the custom people didn't find it. Slingshots are classed as a dangerous weapon!
The snakes are no joke. It is tragic, as just about all the hunters I know have lost dogs to them. And all have no end of snake tales. This is because snakes are VERY common down there. In Victoria it is the tiger snake that waterfowlers encounter most frequently, as it likes wet places. But they all have had run ins with brown snakes, which are worse than the tiger. Last year John Byers and two of his friends were shooting the rice fields in the State of New South Wales on a special permit given to the rice farmer. (Hunting is banned in New South Wales)
During the three days they hunted they shot four brown snakes. During one of those days a woman was bit by a brown about 20 miles from them. John said the snake must have bit her close to an artery, as she died in less than 20 minutes. During the breeding season brown snakes are noted for being aggressive. That simple means they will come after you. As mentioned, I wait until the weather turns cold before I go down. By and large the snakes are down by mid to late May, as that month is our November. But not entirely. In 2006 I was hunting stubble quail with a friend and he nearly stepped on a tiger snake. During that same year I was using a small boat loaned to me by a friend. I kept it along the shore of a marsh. I would walk out in the dark, flip the boat over, and paddle out into the marsh. About a week after I was back in Oregon I got a phone call from my friend. He had gone out to get the boat, and found a tiger snake under it.
After 2006 I crated up one of my Barnegats and shipped it down to John. While there I keep it in various places we hunt. Let me assure you that there is some very careful looking into the boat each morning prior to getting into it!
If anyone has an interest in waterfowling in Victoria, John Byers is considering guiding now that he is retired. It isn't easy to go down there to hunt, but can be done. Aside from the gun permit, one needs to pass a waterfowl identification exam. While they don't have all that many species down there, one needs to study hard for it. There are a couple of trick questions based around the freckle duck in the test. The test is given by watching a video of ducks and answering the questions.
As for species, I have been lucky to have shot them all that are legal in Victoria. That includes the pink eared, which is really an odd little duck. But I will say once again, that my favorite is the hardhead. Those offer diver hunting at its classic best! Best, Worth Mathewson
