Camel Hunting ???
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Category: Enfields
Forum Name: Hunting with the .303 British cartridge.
Forum Description: Share your hunting stories with the rest of us.
URL: http://www.enfield-rifles.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3901
Printed Date: March 26 2026 at 8:19pm
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Topic: Camel Hunting ???
Posted By: EnfieldHunter
Subject: Camel Hunting ???
Date Posted: April 28 2010 at 12:44pm
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I was reading a post on another forum about Lee Speeds about shooting camels. Anyway, I’m interested in anything people living in 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. |
Replies:
Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: April 28 2010 at 1:36pm
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i dont find your inquiry at all silly , i didnt know there were camels in austrailia , let alone that they hunted them , id like to know about this too ............. i do know , first hand , from a dear friend back from an african safari that absolutly nothing goes to waste there , the meat goes to feed the people who support the 'game farms' and the villages that surround it , ive never thought of austailia as ahunter destination but thats because im not that kin of hunter , im more a local content with what we have here person , |
Posted By: SW28fan
Date Posted: April 28 2010 at 1:56pm
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From what I have read feral Camels are a real PIA in parts of Austrialia. ------------- Have a Nice Day If already having a nice day please disregard |
Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: April 28 2010 at 3:13pm
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The camels were brought in many moons ago-to help with outback construction(railroad?) I believe.Then they turned 'em loose when they were no longer needed.
I'll bet if ya look it up,the info is there Hoadie ------------- Loose wimmen tightened here |
Posted By: Hatchetman
Date Posted: April 28 2010 at 8:35pm
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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 - http://www.australianhunting.net/AHN_Journal/Articles/011%20Camel%20Cull.htm ------------- But the winters coming, And the snow will cover tracks, And I'll be watching, Because I'm hunting you - Sarah Blasko, The Gardens End |
Posted By: Lithgow
Date Posted: April 28 2010 at 9:23pm
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And a good sport it is too
The 303 is about ideal as a Camel rifle. 10 shots and fast action.
It is not uncommon to see large herds in the station(ranch)country. They do untold damage to fences, water tanks and troughs.
They were originally brought here by the afghan traders as they were well adapted to dry conditions and would pull much larger loads than horse teams.
The horse teamsters and the Afghans did not get on as the Horse teamsters were Aussies and the Afghans Muslim.
The Afghans would allow the Camels to defecate and urinate near wells and waterholes and there is documented eveidence of 1 Afghan being caught washing his feet in a water hole used by the teams. I believe he was murdered for this act.
The camels were turned loose with the start of motor transport, although they were still active until just before WW2.
They have quickly become a pest in the outback regions and the deserts of Aust.
They breed in the Desert and move into the station country where they do damage. They can reach high into the trees and strip the leaves.
If they want to drink they will lean over the edge of the tank and push down on it wrecking the tank.
Do not underestimate them as they can be dangerous, particularly a Bull camel in season. They have what is called a pedastal on their chest ( a hard raised pillar of skin and gristle) and they will get over an enemy (or human) and drop their front legs out efectively driving the foe into the ground.
They are also blessed with an excellent memory and will remember if you mistreat them and will wait their chance to kick you at the first opportunity.
if you are going to shoot them. right behind the ear at the base of the skull will drop them every time, I have even seen a running camel dropped with a 22 rf when it was hit there.
under the hump there is a strip of meat on each side. This is just like beef and I have fed it to people and they did not know.
If you get a tough one, mince it up and make burgers, delicious.
Yep I have shot lots of camels and hope to shoot a lot more.
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Posted By: Hatchetman
Date Posted: April 28 2010 at 9:34pm
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Hey lithy, I have a 9.3x62 and my 303 that would love to meet some camels.
------------- But the winters coming, And the snow will cover tracks, And I'll be watching, Because I'm hunting you - Sarah Blasko, The Gardens End |
Posted By: Lithgow
Date Posted: April 28 2010 at 10:52pm
| If you ever come to WA and are willing to put your sparky skills to work I MAY be able to get you some camel action. |
Posted By: Lost Kangaroo
Date Posted: April 29 2010 at 11:31am
Can I come too 
------------- Get some |
Posted By: EnfieldHunter
Date Posted: April 29 2010 at 12:41pm
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Hatchetman, Very interesting article about the cull.Doesn't sound like much gets used, but it does sound like it makes a difference on the eco damage.
Sounds like the areas are so remote that the time and gas and wear and tear on the truck makes it an expensive prospect. Just getting there sounds like and adventure in itself.
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Posted By: Lithgow
Date Posted: April 29 2010 at 5:07pm
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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.
property owners shoot the camels on sight when driving around the stations.
With the stations ranging from 250000 to about 1.5 million acres, a lot of camels go unseen.
Donkeys, while not as bad in number as camels are also destructive little beasts and I regularly engage in hunts for those.
I have seen huge mobs and the 303 is great for those too.
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Posted By: EnfieldHunter
Date Posted: April 30 2010 at 12:05am
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So, is the sporterized 303 Enfield the "truck gun" of choice in the way the 30-30 Winchester was the saddle gun of choice in the States during the days when cowboys rode horses instead of atv's?
Do you go donkey hunting as the primary reason for being out and about and try to find "mobs" or is it a part of another activity that would bring you into the wilderness? Like for example, hunting something else? Or, is it an accepted and fun thing to just go on adventure and seek targets of opportunity, cover new ground, explore etc
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Posted By: Lost Kangaroo
Date Posted: April 30 2010 at 12:55pm
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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.. ------------- Get some |
Posted By: Cookie Monster
Date Posted: April 30 2010 at 10:03pm
| Camel on the Barbie anyone? |
Posted By: yumastepside
Date Posted: May 01 2010 at 6:10am
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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 ------------- roger |
Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: May 01 2010 at 6:33am
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I believe it was std for all commonwealth countries,mate.Here it was FN-C1,or FN-C-2(C standin for Canuck)
Hoadie ------------- Loose wimmen tightened here |
Posted By: Lost Kangaroo
Date Posted: May 01 2010 at 10:04am
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SLR = Self Loading Rifle ....7.62 rimless NATO round. ------------- Get some |
Posted By: Tony
Date Posted: May 01 2010 at 5:03pm
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Yep standard nomenclature for the rifle in most countries.
------------- Rottie (PitBulls dad.) “If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons Born free taxed to death!!! |
Posted By: SW28fan
Date Posted: May 02 2010 at 1:17am
In the States it is usually referred to as an FN SLR or simply a FN their other products usually go by their model number FN-49 , FN Model 24 etc. There isn't much of a convention about them nowhere near the Heresy of calling a M1917 a P-17 ------------- Have a Nice Day If already having a nice day please disregard |
Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: May 02 2010 at 1:36am
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"There isn't much of a convention about them nowhere near the Heresy of
calling a M1917 a P-17." I dunno, there's plenty in some places  . I once made the mistake of telling someone who'd never visited the UK that we called them SLR, pronounced "slur", not L1A1, or FAL.In some circles calling an Inch pattern "L1A1/SLR" a Fusil Automatique Léger ("Light Automatic Rifle") or FAL for short can lead to a little "heated debate" pretty darn fast. 
------------- Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force) |
Posted By: SW28fan
Date Posted: May 02 2010 at 2:03am
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Yep they be called FAL too but that is again not as sever a crime as calling an Enfield Charger as "Stripper Clip" I just refer to the things L1A1/SLR/FAL as FNs. Ofcourse I call the highly accesorised car-15 clones that are usually shot off sand bags at 25 or 50 yards as "Ninja Sniper Assasination Guns" ------------- Have a Nice Day If already having a nice day please disregard |
Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: May 02 2010 at 5:14am
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We're in agreement there even if I call them "Mall Ninja Poodle Pooters".
------------- Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force) |
Posted By: Lithgow
Date Posted: May 02 2010 at 6:48am
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Lee Enfields used to be the choice rifle to carry bshing the seat of the car as the goverment actually gave them to the pastoralists for free and the ammo was also readily handed out. Cant see that happening ever again.
The 243 is the most common work rifle these days.
The donkeys are considered a pest and pastoralists are generally happy to allow them to be shot.
For me its about getting out in the bush and I keep the meat as pet meat.
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Posted By: LE Owner
Date Posted: May 04 2010 at 11:06am
There were legends of lone camels seen years or even decades later with the skeletal remains of calvarymen that had died of thirst still strapped to the saddle, while the Camel carried on unaffected by heat or thirst.
Don't think many could have long survived the sorts of predators they'd run into in the southwest, Mountain lions, Red Wolf, occasional Grizzly bears in some areas. Even if the adult camels could survive their offspring would end up easy prey.
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hoadie wrote:Posted By: Hatchetman
Date Posted: May 04 2010 at 11:09pm
I remember when I visited Roo up in Rochester, when I first got to the range with him there was a few people playing round with an AR-15 carbine. They had it set up on a bench sitting on bags, shooting at, and missing clay targets at about 15 metres on the pistol range. With a scope on the thing. Later that day we had clay targets out on the 50m mound, and I was managing to hit about 8 from 10 standing un-supported using an old nagant 91-30 with iron sights. I used a Savage No4 Mk1* to much the same effect as well. ------------- But the winters coming, And the snow will cover tracks, And I'll be watching, Because I'm hunting you - Sarah Blasko, The Gardens End |
Posted By: LE Owner
Date Posted: May 05 2010 at 1:38am
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I had no problem hitting dead center at 250 yards offhand using an original Colt sporter with 16 inch barrel firing offhand, till the wid kicked up, then those little pills began going where ever they liked down wind from the target.
itty bitty bullets just don't buck wind and even a thick branch can cause one to shed its jacket and spray the target with melted core droplets like ratshot.
At anything other than point blank one might empty a mag into a camel without being sure of a kill, especially firing from above where there a couple of feet of hump between the bullet and vitals.
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Posted By: Lithgow
Date Posted: May 05 2010 at 5:40am
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A body shot from above on a camel would be futile, even with a large calber round. The hump is all fat and in a good season you woild have at least 2 to 3 feet of fat to penetrate.
Body shots are not good even from the ground. if you have to try a body shot, into the ribcage right behind the front leg or a chest shot. both can be effective but nowhere near as effective as the upper neck shot.
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Posted By: EnfieldHunter
Date Posted: May 09 2010 at 11:40am
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Does the 215 grain bullet do more damage on a beast that size, or is the camel so big that 215 Woodleigh vs. whatever 180 grain soft point doesn't really matter to the point where the shooter can tell a difference?
What's harder to knock down the camel or the water buffalos over there? I'd have guesed buffalo by a wide margin, but it sounds like you're saying body shots on camels don't produce sufficient results. So, are the in the buffalo class, the moose class or somewhere in between?
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Posted By: Lithgow
Date Posted: May 09 2010 at 7:23pm
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I use 110 grn hollow points in my 270 on camels. Most of the pastoralists use a 243 with factory loads.
I have never shot a Buff but I believe you need a pretty big rifle. Mind you, plenty have been taken with the 303, like everything, its a matter of placement.
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Posted By: EnfieldHunter
Date Posted: May 11 2010 at 12:12pm
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Thanks to everyone for all the information and enlightening a deer hunter about shooting camels. |
Posted By: hybridfiat
Date Posted: January 18 2014 at 3:21am
Back in the very early 70s a film called 'Across the Top' was made and shown across Australia in small towns and the cities. If my memory serves me there's a comment or clip in it about shooting buffalo with the .303. The bloke didn't recommend it as they needed about 5 rounds before going down and could get real grumpy in the mean time and chase the shooter from 'pillar to post'. We have camels up here where I work and Ive been invited by the pastoral manager to shoot some. I hope to come up with my Martini Henry in 35 Whelen Rimmed and bowl a few. For those who are interested the 35 Whelen R is a case based on the 9.3 x 72R case necked down and shortened. It is so close to the old 35 Win as to be nearly identical. The rifle was a 35 Win but cases are now unavailable so it has to be fed something else close to it. I got the action donkey's years ago and put a brand new 26" Douglas XX barrel on it, made a new stock and forearm and reblued it. The rifle is a bit light (6.5lbs) but has a good recoil pad. 225gn spitzer at 2550fps. Should deal with a camel eh? Might take the No4 too.
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Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: January 18 2014 at 5:27am
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as long as you-all brought it up , i call my belgian an FN FAL and an SLR , since both are true , mine was one of that group that got imported here as sporting rifles because they marked it 308 match , http://s1034.photobucket.com/user/watabmike/media/mikesphotos-2284_zps3c88b062.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  http://s1034.photobucket.com/user/watabmike/media/mikesphotos-2283_zps2738fcf7.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  http://s1034.photobucket.com/user/watabmike/media/mikesphotos-2214_zps23e3c367.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  http://s1034.photobucket.com/user/watabmike/media/mikesphotos-2212_zpse321fff9.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  http://s1034.photobucket.com/user/watabmike/media/mikesphotos-2215_zpscffce7bd.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  our nato rifle was the M14 , mine is a springfield armory M1A , i do have a military stock for it too as well as handguard , http://s1034.photobucket.com/user/watabmike/media/mikesphotos-2280_zps6581e347.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: January 18 2014 at 5:36am
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35 Win isn't available? I didn't know that. I just gave 2 boxes away @ deer hunt last Nov. I had 'em but don't shoot 35. Two of my hunt mates do - so I gave 'em away. Hoadie ------------- Loose wimmen tightened here |
Posted By: Jon287
Date Posted: January 18 2014 at 5:40am
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A square, remind me to never make you mad,SIR! ------------- Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their planet!! |
Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: January 18 2014 at 1:40pm
..who are YOU kidding?! The man IS "mad" - quite "MAD", I assure you  Hoadie ------------- Loose wimmen tightened here |
Posted By: hybridfiat
Date Posted: January 18 2014 at 6:03pm
How old were they.
It was discontinued as a rifle loading by Winchester in the 30s.
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Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: January 18 2014 at 9:23pm
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When I'm at the hardware store today, I'll look. IIRC, they were in FEDERAL boxes Hoadie ------------- Loose wimmen tightened here |
Posted By: hybridfiat
Date Posted: January 18 2014 at 11:29pm
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I was talking to a friend who has been up here shooting camels and he was interested to hear about the 'behind the ear' shot.
His experience of shooting a couple of big camels with a 25/06 loaded with 117gn projectiles was enlightening to say the least. He picked what he thought was a heart shot and squeezed one off only to have the camel start and then trot off as though bitten by a mildly irritating insect.
3 shots later and it went down.
He said 1. The heart wasnt where he thought it was.
2. The camel has tough hide and muscle that will soak up most of the 25s energy before it reaches anything vital.
3. They are tough willful animals that dont give up easily.
Hence his quest to convert his Weatherby MkVII from 240Weatherby to .30 Rem Ultra Mag.
I bought him a reamer the other day and am keen to have a shot with it at really long range.
He has a very nice Nightforce scope 6-24 x 50 I think (been a while since I shot with him).
They should make a really good package.
If we get up here to shoot Ill post some pics.
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Posted By: Lithgow
Date Posted: January 19 2014 at 7:01am
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If you go in behind the ear, it will drop them instantly, I have even seen it done with a .22, not that I would advocate shooting camels with a .22 RF. I do know a few blokes who regularly shoot gem with 223 s though in the same manner. The theory is that it severs the spinal cord. It works well. I have chest shot them with the 303 and dropped them but I think you need a heavy projectile that will smash through the muscle, camels use their chest when fighting so it is built strong and sometimes takes a bit to get through. The behind the ear shot seems to work well on donkeys and horses too although donkeys tend not to be too hard to kill if you can get a standing shot. |