Camel Hunting ???

I was reading a post on another forum about Lee Speeds about shooting camels.  Anyway, I’m interested in anything people living in Australia can tell me about hunting camels.  I didn’t even know that there were camels in Austraila.  Why were they brought in?  Between the goats, pigs, overgrown cats, kangaroos, deer, and buffalos, your diversity of game is spectacular.  That’s a lot of choices. 

 

How much of this type of thing is hunting for food and how much is a culling of non native species to reduce crop damage etc?  Are there limits and seasons or is it a shoot what you can when you want proposition?  How do you judge a trophy?  Is there even such a thing as a trophy camel?  It’s not like they have horns to mount, so do you keep anything?  Do you make a rug or use the hide?  Do you eat a camel? 

 

I know I must sound silly, but I’m truly interested in hearing about it.  Pictures would be appreciated if anyone is willing to share.

From what I have read feral Camels are a real PIA in parts of Austrialia.

The 'gahn was the Camel train the operated between Adelaide and Alice Springs. Run by Afghan camiliers, who also helped explore the desert from the 1800's to about the 1930's when they finally put the last of the rail road in. The cross country train up to Alice Springs from rAdelaide is called The 'Gahn.

Because there are huge deserts out here, the camels went nuts and there are now millions of the bloody things running round out there. The camel numbers must be in their millions. Mostly because they are in the middle of nowhere they are just culled.

Mostly shot from helicopters or mobs get "bombed" from a four wheel drive.

As with most hunting here, there is no seasons. The aim is to try and exterminate the bloody things.

I do know that people do take meat from them occasionally though.

Have a look at http://www.australianhunting.net/AHN_Journal/Articles/011%20Camel%20Cull.htm

Hey lithy, I have a 9.3x62 and my 303 that would love to meet some camels. 

Can I come too 

The desert camels only get culled when the Goverment sponsered culls happen as they are an expensive proposition, the vast distances and inaccesability means it has to be done from the air by specialist shooters, only happens once in a while. The shooters I have seen usually have SLR rifles.

I have been out on a jaunt or 5 with my issued SLR....ask no questions....hear no lies...
I have "heard" that the SLR is an excellent choice for camel and good ol big red....just  "heard"....I also "heard" that it will pop a pig and is good with iron sights out to about 250m.....especially on the open land....thats all I have to say..

I may be stating the obvious here,but.........in Australia we call the FN 308 an SLR , I think they're called SAR or LAR in America, it was our standard military issue after the 303.

             Roger