Thread: Shooting Peafowl

Is shooting peafowl with a .222 considered varminting? Either way it's a lot of fun and they eat ok too.

They sound like fun - hope I can tick them off the list one day

I have a mate who gets paid to shoot the things and will travel all over the country to do so. They are vermin to most farmers, some areas are highly infested, can easily shoot 100 or more in a single night, you go at night with a spotlight when they roost up in the trees.
I see the OP is from Wanganui, ive seen a fair few of the things down that way, along with turkeys.
Yes the meat is delicious and tastes much like chicken, apparently you can get good money for the feathers too.

I had a school mate that would regularly bring it to school for lunch, he'd always bring extra for me as I enjoyed it so much.

Good eating and heaps of fun to walk them up with a shotgun like pheasants. The flush of a big rooster is pretty impressive!

Yep I should probably check out the feather sales.

Yep we shoot them with the dogs during the bird season. Good fun. The dogs sometimes catch the big cocks in the heavy cover as they struggle to get out.

It's amazing what such a big bird can hide in at times too.
I had one last season that flushed towards me, I managed to shoot it and catch it before it hit the ground, nearly knocked me off my feet!

There can be unforeseen benefits in shooting peacocks. A farmer was showing me around his place to shoot peacocks and mentioned that there were deer there as well and could I shoot some of the pesky things. If I have to I said.
Also could I shoot the blasted rabbits that are eating the veggie garden as well. Sometimes you just get lucky.

there was a programme on it sometime back..hunting with Tui Im sure it was...guy shooting peacocks and selling the feathers all over the globe.

Originally Posted by Hugy2023

There can be unforeseen benefits in shooting peacocks. A farmer was showing me around his place to shoot peacocks and mentioned that there were deer there as well and could I shoot some of the pesky things. If I have to I said.
Also could I shoot the blasted rabbits that are eating the veggie garden as well. Sometimes you just get lucky.

My rabbit shooting spot turned in to a pig shooting spot which was awesome while it lasted.

Originally Posted by Hugy2023

Is shooting peafowl with a .222 considered varminting? Either way it's a lot of fun and they eat ok too.

shoot the buggers worse early warning system for deer stalking around - nearly as bad as a wind change -one starts squawking and fallow know exactly what it means - and the mongrels have damn good eyesight

Yep it's often easier stalking into range of fallow than peafowl.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

there was a programme on it sometime back..hunting with Tui Im sure it was...guy shooting peacocks and selling the feathers all over the globe.

Whangara just north of Gisborne featured on a TV program a whole group goes up and shoot for several nights shoot hundreds of sheep farms up there

My old mate used to herd them into fishing nets