00:01As the light fades, we're ready to hunt for Rufus and Bennett's wallabies,
00:06which feed across the 120 hectare property at night.
00:12When you're shooting like this, animals in the wild, and you're encroaching on their territory,
00:16you only have a short window of time before, you know, they smell you, or they sense you, or they see you,
00:22and off they go into the bush.
00:26The 300,000 or so wallabies on Bruni Island threaten crops and the ecology.
00:35I've never used thermal imaging technology to hunt before, so it's a completely new thing for me,
00:40and I'm kind of just learning on the fly. I'm actually finding it really hard, to be totally honest.
00:46With one large wallaby in my sights, I now need to stay calm and focused.
00:53See Nick? Oh, yes.
00:55Yeah, right, okay. So, put your, put your bolt down.
01:03Grease slowly.
01:06See Nick? Oh, yes.
01:07Yeah, right, okay. So, put your, put your bolt down.
01:11Why does it look far away for me in this?
01:14Okay. Okay, bolts back down.
01:19Squeeze slowly.
01:22I didn't get him again.
01:23No.
01:24What is wrong with my shooting?
01:25It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. You actually...
01:29It's annoying.
01:30You actually...
01:31It blew me low.
01:32I just, I hesitated too long, and I shouldn't have done it.
01:37But you know, you really want to make the headshot, and you don't want to take the shot
01:42if you don't think you're going to get the headshot.
01:44So, so you hesitate.
01:46I think the anxiety is always, what if I hit something but in the wrong place?
01:53Like, you don't want to cause any animal pain.
01:57So, it should be one shot, one kill.
02:01Hang on, I'll turn the buggy off.
02:03Okay.
02:05Shooting is challenging, especially at night, for a novice like me.
02:09Aim for his head and just squeeze slowly.
02:12It makes me appreciate the skills of commercial hunters such as Richard.
02:16Look at my eyes.
02:18Yeah.
02:19Time for a deep breath, and go again.
02:21Can you see them so clearly, or...?
02:27Well done. Good shot.
02:28He's down. We're going to have to go over.
02:30Yep, we'll go and pick him up.
02:35Oh, and they just look like they're sleeping.
02:37I know that this is the reality of hunting and of eating meat and life and death, but it's still sad.
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