Friend Ponton
The laws have changed now you can only hunt under permit and have completed a course to say you can shoot to a certain standard and also you must be able to identify the different species as some are highly protected. You must also use a minimum caliber of .224 and be able to head shoot to avoid undue suffering.
You have a nice red roo skin, how big was he. A big red can stand up to 2 metres tall and have forearms like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
I hope you don't think they are nondangerous my friend.
If cornered they can rip man or beast to shreds with that big middle toe.
Cheers my friend
Bob Nelson
You know that there is a saying , " Ignorance Is Bliss " , Bob ? That essentially sums up my predicament at the time . At the time , I had NO idea that Kangaroos were considered to be dangerous game ! I had just recovered from my surgery the previous year and my former client invited me so generously to come to Australia for 2 weeks to partake in some recreational duck and goose shooting ( I believe that your local geese species are referred to , as " Magpie Geese " ? ) . Thus , I only took with me a few boxes of Eley Alphamax magnum 3 inch " High Brass " No. 3 bird shot cartridges ( for the ducks ) and a few boxes of Eley Alphamax 2.75 inch " High Brass " triple A cartridges ( for the geese )
I did not bring any of my hand loaded spherical ball cartridges with me , because :
A) I only expected to partake in the shooting of water fowl .
B) ICI Eley had sold all of it's shares in IMI and thus , had ceased manufacturing all it's shot gun ammunition ( Including Eley Grand Prix 2.5 inch spherical ball cartridges after 1970 ; the bullets of which I would use in my hand loaded spherical ball cartridges . ) . I did not know how to mould my own spherical ball bullets at the time , and I had already exhausted my existing supply .
During my stay there , my friend asked me if I would like to shoot a Kangaroo . I was overwhelmed with excitement and obviously said " yes " .
Thus , arrangements were made . My friend owned a pre 64 Winchester Model 70, chambered in .308 Winchester and a 20 Bore Browning Superposed over under double barreled shot gun .
I had my Belgian shot gun and the No. 3 bird shot cartridges and the triple A cartridges . I asked him if I could borrow his .308 Winchester calibre pre 64 Winchester Model 70 . He replied that obviously I could , but that a triple A cartridge fired into the head of a Kangaroo at very close range , would make short work of it . Since he had personally seen me shoot a charging man eating forest panther in the head in 1969 , at a distance of 9 metres ... he was confident that I could properly place the entire charge of triple A in to the Kangaroo's head .
This red Kangaroo was just above 6 feet 5 inches tall , Bob ( Please forgive me , as I do not know the measurement in metres ) . I shot it at night over torch light , using my Belgian shot gun and an Eley Alphamax triple A 2.75 inch cartridge . I shot it at a distance of 5 metres. Years later , it came to my knowledge that Kangaroos are actually considered to be dangerous game by many of our seasoned Australian brother sports men . If I knew that they were potentially dangerous brutes , then I would have instead opted for my friend ( and former clients' ) .308 Winchester calibre pre 64 Model 70 bolt rifle, and 180 grain Winchester Silvertip soft point cartridges . However , as I said... Ignorance Is Bliss . Those 44 pellets of English triple A easily found the brain of the brute at close range .
I really wanted to shoot 1 of the smaller wallabies at least once in my ( hopefully very long ) life . Unfortunately , I never had the privilege to do so .
Ah well...I will just have to content myself with my red Kangaroo .
PS : I observed that .308 Winchester almost used to be an universal shikar calibre amongst Australian sports men , back in 1977 .
My friend taught me how Australian gentle men back in those days used to grind off the pointed metal covered tips of military surplus spitzer 147 grain cartridges , to make a home made expanding bullet . Quite innovative !