OPINION Peter Burke

In its most basic form, sambar stalking can be defined as hunting sambar without the use of a dog or scent trailing hounds. (Some believe using a gundog or indicating dog is a form of stalking. However, I think it is deserving of a separate classification.) Sambar stalking in Australia has evolved from this simple description into a more complex activity due mainly to the fact that a variety of techniques have evolved from the basic method of ‘Walking Them Up’ as outlined in Ken Pearce’s excellent book of the same title on sambar stalking published in 1987 by the Australian Deer Research Foundation. Also in that year, Frank Moore’s book ‘Bush-Stalking Sambar Deer’ was published by the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia.

Both works were basic when it came to describing what sambar stalking was and how to go about it. Yet they were very true and correct because sambar stalking was a very basic activity with simple equipment and always carried out in similar terrain and bush, usually within a four-hour drive of Melbourne. The majority of sambar hunters lived in Melbourne or a major rural centre. In 1975 the Victorian deer hunting licence was introduced and there were less than 1,000 licences issued. In 2022, 50,478 Victorian deer hunting licences were issued.

This massive increase in hunter numbers has led to new and different ideas on how to stalk sambar. More people, equals more ideas. Some good, some not so good and some ethically challenging. Social media, deer hunting articles, video and television programs along with more deer hunting publications have made information more readily available. There has also been a radical shift in technology and equipment availability along with improved mobility and mountain accessibility. The proliferation and affordability of four-wheel drives with an increase in disposable income (for some) along with rostered days off has opened more opportunities to get away and do it. With more than 50,000 hunters there is no lack of new ideas and techniques are constantly evolving.

From the basic technique of walking them up we have seen stalking morph into several different directions, some driven by technology. As an example, we have glassing in conjunction with long-range shooting continuing to develop and grow as a stalking technique. This is only possible today because of the technological advancements in equipment. Optics, range finding equipment coupled with electronic ballistic calculators and firearms and ammunition that have dramatically improved since the 1970s. Reliable high magnification compact scopes with accurate adjustments paired with the ballistic parameters of the ammunition being used did not exist back then as far as the recreational shooter was concerned. Affordable high-quality binoculars, accurate range finders and spotting scopes have opened up a new world for some stalkers. (Remember my initial definition of stalking: ‘hunting sambar without the use of a dog or scent trailing hounds’. Perhaps it is time for a new definition?) But this is not the limit of technology being applied to stalking and other hunting practices.

Drones and thermal imaging are also being utilised by some hunters. Drones can and do search a wide area quickly. Thermal imaging, while some people think it is a technology of the night, is also being applied to detect deer during the day, especially in heavy vegetation. Drones with thermal imaging are also available. Because I mention these things it should not be interpreted that I endorse or encourage their use other than as a tool for sanctioned animal control work.

If you have a thermal or infrared devise on your rifle or intend to use one, please be aware of the following: On public land in Victoria; it is illegal to use thermal imaging or infrared devises to hunt deer or to have them in your possession with a firearm in recognised deer habitat, even during daylight hours (Jan 2024). Please refer to the current Victorian Game Regulations 2012 for both the definitions and specific regulations regarding spotlights (infrared and thermal devises are covered under spotlights). Further information is available from the Victorian Game Management Authority. www.gma.vic.gov.au

Technology takes other forms such as trail cameras that record information that hunters can capitalise on. Technology is one of the major influences in the development of new stalking techniques.

Information has also driven the development of new or broader stalking practices. Programs like our ADA Hunter Education Courses have offered large numbers of new hunters the opportunity to learn and hear about different stalking methods from a wider range of competent hunters.

The internet, once you get past the video clips I call deer porn in which it is all about the kill shot, for the inquisitive hunter there is information that can be used to develop or modify stalking practices. But it’s not just things like video channels on the internet, it is magazines, websites, books and other sources of quality information that has fostered deer stalking and aided its growth. Grow or evolve? Both, it has grown into a $356 million industry and outdoor recreation that continues to evolve. Evolve into what? Time will tell because we do not have a crystal ball. However, as far as recreational deer stalking is concerned, it may be appropriate and time to re-consider what is ethical or fair chase.

In the past there was a clear ethical line between recreational deer hunting and animal control work. Deer were held in high esteem with both sambar and hog deer considered an important game resource worthy of conservation by the Victorian Government and hunting organisations. The Minister for Conservation had a Deer Advisory Council to advise them on matters pertaining to deer made up of government departments and deer orientated organisations. (Fisheries and Wildlife, Forests Commission, Department of Agriculture, Australian Deer Association, Sporting Shooters Association of Australia, Victorian Field and Game Association, Para Park Co-Operative, Victorian Deer Conservation Council and Deer Farmers.) When introduced, the Game Regulations were intended to reflected the ethics of fair chase, conservation and animal welfare. The restriction on electronic devices at the time was an effort to define fair chase standards. The seasons and bag limits for game birds and hog deer were for the conservation of the species. (A basic principle of game management is maintaining a healthy and sustainable population in harmony with the environment). Animal welfare was the reason for minimum rifle, shotgun and bow requirements for hunting game.

Times changed and sambar were labelled a threatening species and considered a pest by some. Calling them a pest has brought with it an attitude of disrespect and the concept of fair chase, for some, has become irrelevant. Get them any way you can philosophy has become more prevalent. Such a philosophy is impacting the direction deer stalking is taking. Calling an animal a ‘pest’ shifts that animal from a valued resource into a problem species to be eradicated at all costs thus making the costs associated with their removal economically negative instead of economically positive in the case of a game resource. For example, spending large amounts of public money to shoot deer from a helicopter as opposed to recreational hunters spending their own money to hunt the same deer. This in conjunction with well-designed game management can be a game changer resulting in a win:win situation.

Public land wildlife management principles are also impacting on the evolution of deer hunting, not only in Victoria but throughout Australia. The pest label has opened short term opportunities for hunting as a means of control. Short term, not long term! Long term is fully dependant on an integrated deer and deer hunter game management system. Victoria shifted from game management to hunter management. We went from actively managing game based on a sustainable resource principle to a total lack of game management. Population control and eradication is not game management. Even though Victoria has a Game Management Authority, in reality the GMA is a hunter management authority charged with the enforcement of the Game Regulations and hunter education. This is not a criticism of our dedicated and hard-working Victorian Game Management Authority but a reflection on government policy.

The evolution of sambar stalking is being driven by new emerging techniques, advances in technology and changing attitudes towards the deer, particularly on the political landscape. The future of sambar stalking and all recreational deer hunting is a firehose where no one has a firm hold on the nozzle, it is all over the place with no direction following an uncertain path.

Historically, sambar hunters were politically active and progressive. Progressive to the point that they won deer stalking in the Victorian Alpine Park. Today I am sorry to say we are inward looking and have failed to recognise various government objectives for the total eradication of deer in Australia. Victoria had a sustainable hunting policy that sadly has been erased with the deer management (eradication) policy. A continued growth in deer hunting and the demise of deer as a game species will have a profound effect on the evolution of sambar stalking.

Sambar stalking will continue to change and evolve. I am a sambar hunter; without the deer I am nothing.