Salt Water Crocs

Question for the Australian contingent: Are salties entirely protected or can they be hunted? Also was wondering do the cattle ranches in the Kimberly loose many cattle heads to the crocs and can you cull the crocs at the watering holes?

JoeSoap said:

Are salties entirely protected or can they be hunted?

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Totally protected - problem crocs are trapped and removed, not shot.

JoeSoap said:

do the cattle ranches in the Kimberly loose many cattle

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Yes.

JoeSoap said:

can you cull the crocs at the watering holes?

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No

This article may help you understand the politics around crocs = zero chance the law will change.

I hunted buffalo in Australia in 2017. That ranch was given crocodile harvesting permits each year. They could not be hunted and couldn’t be taken by client, but they sold “crocodile harvesting experiences” so you could be part of trapping one. There were a number of buffalo missing parts of their noses. I’d think cattle would just be taken. There were a large number of crocs in the 13-14 ft range we saw on edges of floodplain. The owner had a 15 ft pet in a pen that was a problem on a different ranch.

You can hunt them in Malaysia if you want to. A few outfitters offer trips there.

Local aboriginal groups are the only ones allowed to hunt/take them as part of traditional food rights that they won back in the 1990s. Damn things are like the plague across the top end and really need to be better controlled - if you ever want to convince yourself not to go anywhere near water up there, just take a boat along the East Alligator and see how many 18ft + crocs there are.

Few years ago now was in the Burketown pub with a couple of mates on my way out to fish in the Gulf and heard someone howl with pain, followed by a fellow coming in and handing me this juvenile to hold (my reaction was like...do I really want to be doing this, but crocs are funny, they go still until they sense their moment and so gave me no trouble). Apparently this croc had managed to spring the tape on his mouth and bitten his thumb (blood on the tape fair evidence, and the thumb was a managled sight), he'd retaped him and needed someone to hold it while he bandaged up the thumb. He took his croc back but hung around for a yarn. Talking to this guy for a little while was a riot, he'd caught this one earlier that day, and had taken a few others that season for food. Not sure he was the sharpest tool in the shed as apparently, he'd given his kids a croc larger than this one to take in to school for show and tell...apparently that didn't go down well.

It's redundant to point out that wild animal populations should be managed by biologists not politicians, but I'll do it anyway. Sigh ...

Problem is akin to wild elephants in India in many regions. With hunting banned and shrinking habitat these herds of animals are going wild, pilfering into villages in search of food, destroying pastures and killing poor people....Not too long ago there was a one tusk male bull that ran amok killing 20 plus people while the babus in high places sat on their fat asses trying to figure out a simple solution.....

Then the rogue vanished, no one knows where it went and when it may strike again...this is the other consequence of banning hunting all-together. My view.

I hesitate to preach to the choir, but I'll do it anyway. One of the primary benefits of sport hunting the ecologically apex species is that it's the simplest/most effective/cheapest way to remove the boldest and most human fearless specimens from the population, and these are the ones most likely to cause problems interacting with the general public, thus leaving the more cautious and human respecting population largely undisturbed. In short, it's just the easiest way to remove the majority of problem animals.

My way of thinking is....if a animal is legally hunted they will turn to avoid humans....if there not they will have no fear !
I lived in the UP of Michigan bears are very little of a problem they will avoid you at all cost, there hunted. Also have wolves there a problem not allowed to be hunted at all. They will come right up to the house mid-day. Only will let my wifes dog out side if I have a gun and watch the dogs every second. Wolves have little fear of man.

analog_peninsula said:

It's redundant to point out that wild animal populations should be managed by biologists not politicians, but I'll do it anyway. Sigh ...

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Or the people living there with the 3 s system

DieJager said:

You can hunt them in Malaysia if you want to. A few outfitters offer trips there.

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Do you have any names you can share?

Milo said:

Do you have any names you can share?

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HuntGeo, Malepartus. Both offer hunting trips there.

DieJager said:

HuntGeo, Malepartus. Both offer hunting trips there.

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Thank you

375Fox said:

I hunted buffalo in Australia in 2017. That ranch was given crocodile harvesting permits each year. They could not be hunted and couldn’t be taken by client, but they sold “crocodile harvesting experiences” so you could be part of trapping one. There were a number of buffalo missing parts of their noses. I’d think cattle would just be taken. There were a large number of crocs in the 13-14 ft range we saw on edges of floodplain. The owner had a 15 ft pet in a pen that was a problem on a different ranch.

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@375Fox
I think that good 'ol Cajun boy Troy Landry would shit in his pirogue if'n he caught one of those big salties. I think he would be saying more than choot 'im Liz choot 'im.
Bob

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

@375Fox
I think that good 'ol Cajun boy Troy Landry would shit in his pirogue if'n he caught one of those big salties. I think he would be saying more than choot 'im Liz choot 'im.
Bob

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Idk he came to fl looking for some.
Supposed to have brought ins and escapes in the swamps here.

I hope they don’t cross and get hybrid vigor

analog_peninsula said:

It's redundant to point out that wild animal populations should be managed by biologists not politicians, but I'll do it anyway. Sigh ...

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I like Australia as a country and the people who live there, but Australian government and their bureaucracy are not on my favorite list, almost akin to California or New York
On knife and gun laws, wife and I were looking at plans to move to Broome in north west, but all the bureaucracy and crazy stuff the government has done put us on hold.
I can’t imagine the problems with saltwater crocodiles and the lack of balance the government has created!

pilar said:

I like Australia as a country and the people who live there, but Australian government and their bureaucracy are not on my favorite list, almost akin to California or New York
On knife and gun laws, wife and I were looking at plans to move to Broome in north west, but all the bureaucracy and crazy stuff the government has done put us on hold.
I can’t imagine the problems with saltwater crocodiles and the lack of balance the government has created!

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If you’re a hunter/shooter WA in the last place you’d want to go.

BlueFlyer said:

Totally protected - problem crocs are trapped and removed, not shot.

Yes.

No

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@BlueFlyer
I remember my dad telling me stories of when he was a croc hunter back in the late 40s. He used an old military 303 with fnj projectiles. Shoot them skin them salt them then sell the skins.
Told me the easy part was shooting them, the hard part retrieving them and skinning.
He made some good money back then but they almost wiped the Crocs out
Now they are a problem and the idiot govt can't understand that by letting hunters cull some they could let community and others to make money whilst still maintaining a healthy population.
( Would work on some people to, there's a lot of idiots that need to be pruned as well especially politicians).
Bob

JPbowhunter said:

If you’re a hunter/shooter WA in the last place you’d want to go.

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@JPbowhunter
Five poster bull bars aren't allowed in western Australia either. The 4x4 I just bought has a nice Tuff brand 5 poster so I can't take it to WA. Fortt been there done that no desire to go back.
My brother lives there and asked if I would go to his funeral when he died.
Told him it's to far and if I did I would pour a bottle of beer over his grave. He said that's good but changed his mind when I told him I would drink it first. We don't see eye to eye, he is a pompous prick.
Bob