I recently had a message from a person enquiring as to the ethics and sport of Bowhunting a camel. Because he had taken the time to personally message me rather than publicly abusing making violent threats, I was more than pleased to reply and try to give some insight into the hunter side of the story. Hopefully this will shed some light for other concerned Facebook users commenting on this post. QUESTION I was bought up in the bush cape york just out of coen Ive hunted all my life. Im a farmer I guess not a greeny why would you want to hunt a camel seriously what is the fun in hunting a camel Im not doing this publicly because I just want to know not everyone else. I mean I believe in eradicating animals if there a problem does a bow kill it quick ? I always been taught that its a privilege to kill a animal wouldnt a well place bullet put it down quicker? MY REPLY I appreciate your comments. I too believe in an quick and ethical kill and have utmost respect for the animals and country I am hunting. The benefit of bowhunting is that to make a kill, the animal must not be aware of the bowhunters presence. I guess it takes away a bit of advantage for the humans as we must really get in very close to make the kill. The animal, thus, is not aware of any danger, even after the shot, as opposed to the click of a rifle action and the subsequent loud firing. Even after the animal is shot, provided shot placement is good, the animal is not often aware of its predicament, nor are the other animals around spooked or traumatised. In bowhunting we aim for a double lung shot, which essentially results in what is termed in the medical world as a tension pneumothorax (or collapsed lung). This results in the animal going into hypoxia, which essentially makes it very sleepy and it will simply lay down to rest and not get back up. This hump-backed mammal is an introduced species. They were largely responsible for opening up the great unexplored and inhospitable expanses of central Australia in the late 19th century, along with their Afghan camel drivers. Certain physiological adaptations made this particular mammal a suitable candidate for the monstrous task of carrying food, furniture, railway materials, water, mail and medicine to the pastoralists and mining ventures in the red dusty heart of Australia. The most renowned physical attribute, of course, are the humps on its back (which incidentally are fatty deposits, not water tanks as often thought), but other equally useful traits include having oval shaped red blood cells that can continue to flow freely during dehydration, an ability to drink and store 200 litres in 3 minutes, and long legs to keep its body well above the heated ground. In a land that would otherwise be inaccessible, they helped sustain viable communities in the growing accessibility of the Australian outback. However, on conclusion of the railway construction, the Camel drivers did not have the heart to shoot the camels as instructed, so instead released them. The physical adaptations of the camels have made them very suitable to thrive in the harsh central Australian landscape, and there are now millions of feral camels roaming the central Australian environment, consuming the diminishing food and water supply of the native and agricultural flora and fauna. Many drying waterholes can be observed with dead, dehydrated or starving birds, lizards, roos and cattle. In regards to the sporting aspect of camel hunting... Despite thir abundance, they can be very elusive. This particular hunt had me stalk this animal for 7km before being able to get into bowrange of 40 yards. It was definately not a matter of shooting a standing animal from a roadside! The camel meat goes to the indigenous communities, used for dogfood, or for baiting other predatory creatures. I believe in not wasting the quarry, and any animals I take will be put to good use. I hope that gives a little insight into the whole situation. I appreciate you taking the time to personally contact me for discussion, Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions. I hope your farming activities are coping ok in this horrible dry. My thoughts are with all you Landholders doing it tough at the moment! Kind Regards, Christie
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 04:21:19 +0000
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