Feral Donkeys ln Australia

[sw282]

Reading the Donkey Thread here l remember a customer's rifle l had seen at a rifle shop some years back. Jarrett had built a 300Winchester for a customer in Australia for the express purpose to shoot Feral Donkies. Seems to be a huge problem there.
lf my memory is not too foggy, the Aussie said they are extremely intellegent. With no natural enemies except humans. They breed freely. They are even shot from coptors. Years past l seem to remember seeing a couple of articles in Varmint Hunter Magazine about them

Feral donkeys in Australia - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[memtb]

I had a friend that went to Australia twice, about 15 years ago, to shot donkeys. I don't remember who many he killed, well over 100.....but, I know that he had a ball! memtb

 

[CBH Australia]

I have not shot them. I have seen them.

I have worked in pest management but not aerial culling unfortunately.

They are in numbers in places. They are a problem they are not native, not protected and deemed a pest.

For hunters, shooters or someone willing to do culling they could be a good opportunity.

 

[MagnumManiac]

When I was doing pest control in Queensland and the NT, donkey's were my favourites to test different bullets with. They are tougher than you'd expect.
I remember using my 375 Weatherby with a Woodleigh 300g PP. They went end to end on donkey's and were found in the rear hams most times. The other bullet at the time were 260g Ballistic Tips doing 3000fps at the muzzle which absolutely dumped those donkey's like they were pole axed.
Good times.
The buffalo and rogue cows are a huge problem also in those areas. For those I was using 308's issued by the gubberment at the time. From vehicles I was using a 416 Rigby that I had to supply my own ammo for.

Cheers.

 

[sw282]

They are a problem in Australia and PROTECTED here.
As Doris Day would say, ''lmagine that''

 

[MagnumManiac]

Who remembers the burro in the movie "the ridiculous 6"?
I have no idea what the difference is between an ***, burro or donkey, is it just the name?

Cheers.

 

[MagnumManiac]

Why does it edit A S S, it is just a word after all with many meanings.

Cheers.

 

[badthirtyone]

For those of you who have actually done the culling in Australia, did you guys eat them? I'm wondering how they are as game meat?

Could one fill a freezer - or from what it sounds like, a fleet of freezers with quality meat?

 

[Jagumba]

For those of you who have actually done the culling in Australia, did you guys eat them? I'm wondering how they are as game meat?

Could one fill a freezer - or from what it sounds like, a fleet of freezers with quality meat?

I didn't eat any of the ones that I shot. If they were not too far away from town we used to let the owner of the crocodile farm know where they were and he would head out in a truck and collect them..... I am sure the crocs enjoyed eating them!

I mostly used a 6.5x55 and head shot the first few out of a mob. If they were out a bit further I used a Ruger 300 Win Mag

 

[MagnumManiac]

I never ate anything I shot when doing government pest control…..weren't allowed to.
I have had many water buffalo steaks and Blltong is a favourite of mine. Biltong is water buffalo Jerky.
I also shot the elusive Bentang buffalo, they are delicious. The other thing I have eaten that was surprisingly tasty was Camel. I could not tell the difference between Camel and beef to be honest.
Do not ever eat Emu! YUCK!

Cheers.

 

[Muddyboots]

So MM, ever have Skippy? Many years ago I was in a fine restaurant in Adelaide with a business mgmt team from there. They ordered roo for me med rare probably with purpose to freak me out. It was loin done to perfection. If it wasn't for being in fine restaurant, I may have licked the plate! The team was surprised and little distressed how much I liked it! Guess tables were turned! The restaurant chef came to table in starched whites to ask me if I enjoyed it since it was the FIRST one he ever cooked. Told him how much I enjoyed it and he thanked me for the opportunity to cook this for me. It was kind of funny and weird at same time.

 

[CBH Australia]

I haven't culled Donkey myself. I have freinds that have shot them.
I am way far south of the Crocodile s .
They are often used as baits for fox and Dingo baits but it you shot a few that would do a good amount of bait and if too many donkeys are around people might shoot the lot while they see them.

Not everyone eats Kangaroo, property owners probably don't eat too, donkey emu (greasy), goat or horse or feral pigs.

None of that is considered exotic or game meat to the masses and the property probably graze sheep or cattle by the thousand s so why eat the pests.

Deer are spread into areas that are more sparse, arid and remote. Hunters tend to take "game" meat but the rest are pests and shooters are shooting pests to get out bush and enjoy some hunting.

Myself I took a fallow deer for meet, first I ever shot technically a pest where I was. Pest /game ? Wild dear are introduced but "Hunters" do hunt public land and private land for game meat.

Some will catch and feed up wild pigs, some will take the meat but in many dry areas pigs are eating rotting dead animals and anything else they can get.

In areas with cropping pigs will eat crop and will take to grain readily top. I don't see Aussie feeding with corn and feeders like the US hunters, maybe some do but I doubt it's common but researchers and pest management are trialling many things with pigs and deer.

I don't think. Camel, Horse or Donkey are not widely eaten here. Some have done it but the majority probably don't consider it and most would turn there nose up.

Kangaroo is harvested for human consumption under nstrict guidelines but the bulk of commercially harvested Kangaroo meat goes to pet food.

Most Aussies don't seem to see it as a delicacy or game meat.

We have many Hunters in Australia but i think the typical American hunter seems to be more about the meat and game.

 

[MagnumManiac]

So MM, ever have Skippy? Many years ago I was in a fine restaurant in Adelaide with a business mgmt team from there. They ordered roo for me med rare probably with purpose to freak me out. It was loin done to perfection. If it wasn't for being in fine restaurant, I may have licked the plate! The team was surprised and little distressed how much I liked it! Guess tables were turned! The restaurant chef came to table in starched whites to ask me if I enjoyed it since it was the FIRST one he ever cooked. Told him how much I enjoyed it and he thanked me for the opportunity to cook this for me. It was kind of funny and weird at same time.

I actually eat kangaroo on a regular basis, however these are not harvested by me, it's available at most food chains here. The loins and chops are the best cuts.
Have shot and eaten kangaroo on aboriginal land, where it is allowed to be consumed. Without being tenderised a few days prior to eating it it is not the same, it was very tough and gamey.
Emu is the Gamiest animal I have ever eaten….unless it is minced and added to other meat it is worse than rutting billy goat!

Cheers.

 

[Aussie Hunter Steve]

For those of you who have actually done the culling in Australia, did you guys eat them? I'm wondering how they are as game meat?

Could one fill a freezer - or from what it sounds like, a fleet of freezers with quality meat?

I've shot a lot of donkeys, they are quite good to eat. Because they browse more than graze there is always an abundance of food suitable to them, so they are normally in good condition. But they destroy a lot of habitat, and then move on to another spit and do the same. Meat is not really gamey, but isn't as tasty as camel.