Australia Part II
L.P.Brezny
W
hat Argentina is to the shot- gun, Australia is to the rifl e.
This second part of the Austra-
lian varmint hunting story starts with a bouncing 4x4 that has been cutting two-track trails for better than two hours while lacking much to show for the time spent. The outback had been fl ooded by 50-year rains only a week before my arrival, and as such game had moved well off the normal feeding routes because of fl ooded backwater streams and those famous Australian “billabong” water holes. Marc McDonnell, my trusted
guide at Big Shooter, had his hands full, to say the least. I was a writer/hunter on a fact-fi nding mission in Australia, and as such he wanted very much to show me the best face of his country that was possible. Making a turn onto a two-track that had not seen a truck or ATV for many a year, there came up an opening in the bush fl oor and in the middle of the trail stood a fi ne example of a red kangaroo. The range was under 150 yards and the target was completely unobstructed, with a head on shot being presented. With my 22-250 Rays Precision
custom turn bolt, and Leupold Boone and Crocket 4.5-14x scope, I figured this to be the “piece of cake” shot of the century. What I didn’t understand was that, unlike whitetail deer, or even goats and pigs, the anatomy of the kangaroo is quite different from those animals. This critter carries all his vitals well up in his upper chest. It is a kill area about the size of a small 4x4 inch triangle between the front arms. I say “arms” because this guy has no upper legs as we would typically think of them. For the most part, the kangaroo is made up of all lower legs and gut. Not much to shoot at except for the head itself, which is rather small at any extended range. Using the custom shooting plat-
form atop Marc’s truck, I turned loose a round with the cross hairs planted just under the animal’s front leg joint. Bad idea as I was soon to fi nd out. At the shot my target dropped back on his big tail and made one massive leap to
Marc and author check over a gray roo kill.
the left and into a dense pine thicket. He was gone and I was heartsick at the loss. My fi rst Australian target and I had completely messed up the shot. After a long search with the use of Monty, the wonder dog, for any sign of blood, hair,
or a dead critter, we gave up and turned again toward the task of locating a fresh target. Marc gave me a badly needed course in kangaroo shooting 101 along the way, and to be sure things would be different the next time around.
Commercial roo hunting rig. Hunters can make as much as $900.00 US a night hunting for hides and meat.
www.varminthunter.org Page 181
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