Spotted Safari

Location:

Arriving in Townsville, your guide will be waiting at the airport, vehicle packed and ready to travel to the property. This minimises lay overs and time wasted, not hunting.

Only 3 hours drive from Townsville (depending on road conditions), in the heart of the basalt wall region in northern Queensland, Australia.

We offer hunting opportunities on 70,000 acres of wilderness waiting to be explored. The private property we hunt has a long history and been used primarily by cattle graziers for five generations.
With great numbers of chital deer and the ever present opportunity to encounter feral pigs and wild dogs / dingoes. There is always excitement and a sense of adventure.

Hunting Package/ Pricing:

Embark on an unforgettable journey and exclusive hunting experience! The all inclusive guided chital deer hunt is $5,000 AUD (per person).

There is a $2,500 deposit fee to be paid (per person) via bank transfer prior to the hunt.

The deposit locks in your allocated dates and allows the booking to move forward with organisation of flights.

On these trophy hunts we typically experience plenty of mature, representative chital deer stags exceeding 25 inches in length. With a few lucky hunters encountering stags which exceed the magical 30 inches in length.

We try and maximise time hunting, so its early starts and late finishes, just as it should be.

The 4 x day hunt package includes:

• 1 x trophy chital deer stag
• Feral pigs and wild dogs which also roam the concession.

To extend the typical 4 x full days of hunting you may choose to add extra days to the trip. This can be done at a rate of $750 per hunter / person, per day.

Please let your guide know if you would like to explore this option at the time of booking and we can discuss this further.

For additional fees, a hunter may be able to take extra deer to what is typically included in the package. The ability for hunters to take additional deer is reserved by the guides decision based off factors such as current heard health, upcoming hunts and environmental conditions ie. drought, etc.
The fees are outlined below:

• 1 x trophy stag -$2,000
• 1 x cull stag – $1,000
• 1 x meat hind – $330

We specialise in both bow and rifle hunt packages.

Catering to 1 x 1 guided hunts or 2 hunters x 1 guide packages most commonly available for trophy hunts.

Additional optionality for group hunts can be discussed with 3 or more hunters, however price and duration of these hunts are subject to change to allow for maximal opportunity for all hunters to target a mature representative chital stag.

Non-hunters, partners and kids are all welcome and encouraged to participate on our hunts at Spotted Safaris.

There is however a $500 day rate, applied per person per day.

Thought should be given when booking for these non hunters as increased people when hunting / stalking can limit success while hunting.

Rifles can be hired for $500 for the duration of the trip.

We recommend a minimum rifle calibre of .270 for ethical hunting of chital deer which commonly weigh up to 80 kilograms live weight.

Please enquire for available calibers to hire.

Hunters are responsible for the purchase of all ammunition when hiring the rifle. Rifles will need to be sighted in and checked over at the beginning of the hunt.

If a rifle is hired, then participants must comply with all local hunting laws and regulations during the experience.

Including having a current Australian or International Firearms License / Permits.

Meat and Trophy Preparation:

All trophy and meat preparation is carried out immediately after the taking of an animal. There is a cool room and freezer setup available, and it is encouraged for the hunter to take meat back home to be enjoyed by family and friends.

We can butcher, mince, vacuum seal and prepare all acquired meat.

Please let your guide know prior to the commencement of the hunt if you’re interested in taking meat home.

In this instance a 20L styrofoam box can be provided and meat adequately prepared for transport.

Taxidermy:

If you wish to have your deer mounted by your preferred taxidermist, all skins and capes will be salted and skulls cleaned during your hunt.

In the event that your aeroplane prevents trophies such as the skull or capes from being transported on the flight, a separate postage through a courier can be sorted. Please note, that this will be arranged at an additional cost to the hunter to cover preparation and postage expenses.

Feral Pigs and Dingoes / Wild Dogs are included free of charge to harvest within the package, however if trophy preparation is requested, then a fee of $200 will be added to the package costs per animal.

Meals and Accommodation:

Depending on which concession the hunt is conducted on, accommodation may vary slightly. We have bush camp options available, or quarters with electricity and subsequent facilities including fridge, freezer, cool room, etc.

Our accommodation and facilities are humble, yet cosy.

Located at the property homestead in the heart of the chital deer home range. Bellowing stags are often heard of an evening whilst we unwind and settle into a hot cooked dinner and cold beverage back at camp.

For bedding, we have a number of bunk beds to maximise space, with all linen, bedding and pillows provided.

Clients are encouraged to bring their own linen if they prefer.

After a lengthy days hunting, you can unwind with a hot or cold shower, and relax within the comfort of air conditioned facilities.

If the hunter prefers to camp in one of our more isolated spots, then these hunts include sleeping in swags, open fires, and the simple necessities.

All meals and drinks (non alcoholic) are provided whilst at the hunting concession.

When booking your hunt, please advise us of any food intolerances or allergies.

Seasonality / When to Book:

A commonly asked question by our clients when organising their hunt is: What’s the best time of year to hunt chital deer?

Chital deer are a unique species of deer where stags can be found in hard antler and velvet during all twelve months of the year. Therefore theoretically, they can be hunter for trophy purposes through three hundred and sixty five days of the year.
The following information is based on over fifteen years of bowhunting chital deer on this property and outlines some of the factors to think about when planning your hunt with us.

Whilst there isn’t necessarily a best time of year in my opinion. There certainly are two distinct times of year in which we typically conduct our guided safaris. Each offering totally unique styles and conditions for hunting.

Summer/ Wet Season Hunts:

These hunts are conducted during the months of December, January, February and March each year.

With the hot humid conditions and onset of the wet season bringing rain and rounding out the previous year, the early summer months tend to offer great opportunities to pursue rutting stags. With an increased number of hinds beginning to cycle due to the lush green feed. This brings on a fiery spectacle and stags can be seen fighting, rubbing and calling in what we call a bellowing action. The increased rutting activity can yield greater opportunities on stags as they are often traveling and distracted by the allure of females.

As always the case, rainfall is inconsistent in the tropics and there is a chance of having an abnormal rain pattern which can result in delayed rains and dry conditions or even heavy rainfall and flooding or abundance of growth making locating deer difficult.

If the rain is delayed or late, the rut may be pushed back and different strategies are implemented to adapt to the conditions. Hunting along the many large lagoons, inland lakes and watercourses throughout the property can turn up game such as chital deer, feral pigs or even wild dogs. Without rain, much of the countryside is brown and dry, meaning wildlife congregates around available water as it recedes and reveals lush green vegetation.

In the event of a flood situation, the hunt may have to be postponed or swapped to a later date. It is always beneficial to have flight insurance when booking for these summer/ wet season hunts as the tropical region of Townsville can have unpredictable weather which may impact your booking.
Another factor to note during this time of year is that with increased rutting action, there is the ability for many stags to break their antlers during fights. This can make locating an intact stag with even antlers amongst the broken antlered animals a bit of a task.

Winter/ Dry Season Hunts:

These hunts are typically conducted during the months of June and July:

It is a much milder/ cooler time of year and the countryside is often blanketed by a tall array of wild grasses which makes for great stalking, particularly with the bow.

The landscape is often nice and dry allowing for plenty of 4×4 access throughout the 70,000 acres of property available to hunt. Some areas which may have been landlocked earlier in the year will now be available for hunting.
With shorter day length periods its often big days on foot, with lunch in the field, this means making the most of the pleasant weather by maximising effort walking on foot.

In this time period the deer are often in small mobs of 10-15 hinds. Each mob will typically be ruled by a mature stag, a couple of subordinates and spikers making up the group. The stags which went hard during the rut earlier in the year are often poor in condition which means they’re choosing to be solitary in their lifestyle and in quiet places with greater amounts of green feed. As they try to put on condition and recover, they leave themselves open for great 1 on 1 stalking opportunities.

Velvet / Late Season Hunts:

If you are interested primarily in a velvet stag or trophy animal just emerging from velvet, then hunts may be better focused for later in the year. November and December may be the optimal time of year to pursue an animal in its final stages of velvet whilst still being hard enough to harvest and preserve antler.

Seeing as we conduct all of our hunts on private property, with working landowners, consideration must always be given.

There are certain times of the year where they conduct work such as mustering where safaris may not be conducted for safety reasons.

This will be discussed with you at the time of booking.

Things to Bring:

For a full list of useful/ recommended items and gear to bring on your hunt, please ask and a gear list can be provided.

Media Packages:

Filming / Photography packages can be requested prior to undertaking the hunt. Our guides will carry camera gear, and are also capable of producing film and high quality photograph packages whilst hunting. We have produced commercial media work in the outdoor scene and are fully capable of capturing your hunt and delivering memories to you in the form of quality film and photographs.

However, it must be emphasised that the taking of a trophy animal by the client is their major priority.

All footage and images captured by the guide on the hunt are copyright and owned by Spotted Safaris.

For use of the media captured on hunts, please request permission prior to any distribution or sharing on social media etc.

If owning your very own copy of the raw footage and images captured during the hunt appeals to you, then arrangements can be made. We will most likely export the media onto a hard drive at your expense, in addition to the media package costs. . For references of the standard of our photography and video footage, please checkout @spottedsafaris on Instagram or our Youtube channel.