I've just purchased a new rifle (.30-06 Weatherby Vanguard) which I will soon be looking at taking hunting around Toolangi or Kinglake (within approx 1hr drive of a major city). I have a few mates that have a fair amount of experience bow hunting, but not this close to Melbourne and with as many hunters in a relatively small area. I am familiar with safe hunting guidelines, but I am after some advice as to how to protect myself from any possible !@#$ heads in the vicinity, and for other issues that I may not have identified and things such as plenty of water, first aid kit, etc. that I should take along.

Thanks in advance, David

Welcome to the site mate!!
Thats a fine rifle you just bought!! I liked Weatherby.

1 hour drive out of a city is not that far and remote mate
I wish there is places I could go within that distance!
Actually there is, but it is pretty much shot up by weekenders and no worthy animals left.

Your best defense if some sort of advertisement that you are there.
This usually can be achieved by wearing the orange vest and caps as Australian R license shooters required to wear.
No ghillie or AUSCAM for you mate !!

If you have many others hunting nearby, you way want to postpone your trip until those $#!T heads moved out of the way.
Besides, with plenty of hot heads in the vicinity, the animals you want to hunt will already run away
so your chance of a success is much lower anyway.
Why bother? better go when it is quiet and safer. You are out there to enjoy yourself, not to be worried that some idiot may shoot at you every step of the way.

Play safe - Play hard

Gelan

I see you are in good hands, so will just say pull up a stump have a cold one, and welcome aboard!

Welcome Claymore....I agree wholeheartedly with what Gelan said mate. Only thing I will add is maybe save your dollars and go on a hunt out in the scrub rather than close to Melbourne. The Dandenongs comes to mind mate.

Cheers, Vince

Welcome aboard Claymore.

I don't have any experience hunting in areas with other hunters, but as Gelan said and I would assume that the orange vest would be good idea.

From reading about hunting accidents, it appears that most hunters, shot by other hunters, were walking/stalking. I would drive close to your hunting spot, then still hunt. This would lower your chances of encountering other hunters.

Be safe and good luck.

Cary

A orange vest or shirt should do but a important factor is don't break up your outline . By wearing camo it breaks up your human figure therefore making you less visible . If you don't wear camo your outline is more visible .

Orange vest and cap. Remember the deer are color blind so if you go with an orange camo pattern it will break up your body lines, but the more intelligent hunters will see you [with a little luck]...

NC requires "Hunter orange", either a vast or hat. I take my orange hat and "camo" it by cutting leaf shaped pieces of paper and pin them to the hat. Then dab around the edges of the paper with dye or a permanent marker. When you remove the paper you have orange "leaves" mixed with some dark areas to help break up the outline.

I've had a couple occasions when bullets cracked overhead. Once someone was shooting up hill and I was standing just below the crest on the other side. He never knew I was there but he shouldn't have been shooting at something that didn't have a solid background behind it.

IN IOWA WE ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR SOLiD BLAZE ORANGE WITH NO CAMO AT ALL!! I think it is a dipstick reg, but I do not run the DNR!!!!

You pay their wages if I remember correctly...

True, but we have a lot of liberals in control!!!

Down here we have no rules (that I know of) regarding what you have to wear while hunting. The only two rules that we follow are the common sense rules #1 and #2. The common sense rule #2 states that no other rules apply, except for rule #1. Rule #1 requires that you don't tie a set of deer antlers to your head and go walking through the woods.

Cary

Not really a bright idea to wear a beard during whitetail season at my age!!!!!!!!

Yes, I can visualize it. A white beard that looks like a deer rumph!

Boom!!!!!!!!!!! Yowee!!!!!!!!!!

Cary

vint2...Do we really want to go there?...