Gun ownership and hunting in Japan

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KumamotoHunter
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Gun ownership and hunting in Japan

Post by KumamotoHunter »

I expect several members on this board have problems with boar and deer causing damage to crops on their properties.
If you want more information about gun ownership and hunting, feel free to contact me.
Hunting deer and boar is also a great way to keep a regular supply of meat in your freezer!
http://www.fukuoka-now.com/en/2013/12/f ... ing-guide/

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Eric in Japan
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Re: Gun ownership and hunting in Japan

Post by Eric in Japan »

How are the economics of hunting, if you compare inoshishi to supermarket pork, and deer to supermarket beef?
Is it better or worse than trapping?

My volunteer fire department is thinking of paying for half of a trapper's licence for any members who want one.
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Zasso Nouka
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Re: Gun ownership and hunting in Japan

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Certainly is going to be a growing problem with no natural predators to control them. I've heard that bow hunting is strictly forbidden in Japan, could you confirm that KH ?

In your article (lovely scenery by the way) you mention owning a 'slug' gun, is that a rifle, a shotgun or something else entirely. Sorry for such a newby question but I've never owned a gun or hunted in my life.
Eric in Japan wrote:My volunteer fire department is thinking of paying for half of a trapper's licence for any members who want one.
That's pretty cool Eric, how do you dispatch any wild boar once you've trapped them ?

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Re: Gun ownership and hunting in Japan

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Eric in Japan wrote:How are the economics of hunting, if you compare inoshishi to supermarket pork, and deer to supermarket beef?
Is it better or worse than trapping?

My volunteer fire department is thinking of paying for half of a trapper's licence for any members who want one.
If you only have a trapper's license, how do you dispatch the trapped animal? Spear? Electricity? I've seen both used in Japan.

For me, economics isn't really an overriding factor. By the time you factor in the costs for hunting (annual permit, renewal every three years, petrol to and from the mountain etc) I am sure it is cheaper to just buy pork/beef at the supermarket. For me though, I enjoy the whole hunting experience; tracking, being alone in the early morning forest, seeing other rarely seen birds/animals, skinning, butchering my own meat, processing it to mince....everything. Makes the first burger so much more tasty!

I don't really care for Japanese beef....far too fatty. The pork is okay. Boar can be tough, so it best to grind it up.

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Zasso Nouka
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Re: Gun ownership and hunting in Japan

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Sorry, if i could ask once more, what is the difference between a rifle, a gun that fires slugs (like you own) and an ordinary shotgun ?

Thanks.

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Re: Gun ownership and hunting in Japan

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Zasso Nouka wrote:Sorry, if i could ask once more, what is the difference between a rifle, a gun that fires slugs (like you own) and an ordinary shotgun ?

Thanks.
To keep things simple, I'll explain it like this:

A rifle's barrel contains rifling; a spiral pattern inside the barrel which imparts spin on the bullet as it is fired and travels out the muzzle. Example : This is what I intend to buy in another three years. You can shoot hundreds of yards....if you're good enough!

Shotguns can have different barrels:

a) a smoothbore barrel has no rifling. Such a barrel can be used to shoot bird shot or slugs. A slug is a single, large projectile. Accuracy is not good as you get past 60m or so. My gun is an SKB smoothbore in 12-gauge.

b) a rifled-barrel has rifling throughout its length. This barrel is used to shoot slugs, especially sabot slugs, which allow greater accuracy. Some jurisdictions don't let you use rifles (too close to towns, people etc), so instead hunters use shotguns with rifled barrels. If you shoot bird shot through it, I guess it would screw up the rifling over time as it bounces down the barrel. Example :

c) Now we come to retarded Japan. A half-rifled barrel has rifling in half of the barrel only; it's better to have the rifling at the chamber end. Japanese law says that a shotgun with a fully-rifled barrel is, in fact, a rifle (which is bullshit). So, in Japan, if you are yet to get your rifle license but want to shoot accurately, you buy a shotgun with a half-rifled barrel (it has rifling in 49% of the barrel only). You can shoot up to around 150m with a half-rifled barrel and sabot slugs. In Japan, you can buy the exact same gun as in the YouTube video in b) above....but the barrel will be smoothed out 51%.

I use a) above and shoot Brenneke slugs. I have to get within about 60m of what I am shooting.

Here are some useful links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotgun_slug





There is a lot more to go into regarding projectiles and powders etc, but the above covers the basics.

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Re: Gun ownership and hunting in Japan

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Thank you KH,

That really clarifies the subject. To the untrained eye the guns all look fairly similar but it would seem there is a whole world of difference. Would an ordinary shotgun firing the cartridges filled with what looks like bb's lack power or accuracy to take down a deer or wild boar ?

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Re: Gun ownership and hunting in Japan

Post by KumamotoHunter »

Zasso Nouka wrote:Thank you KH,

That really clarifies the subject. To the untrained eye the guns all look fairly similar but it would seem there is a whole world of difference. Would an ordinary shotgun firing the cartridges filled with what looks like bb's lack power or accuracy to take down a deer or wild boar ?
If you're standing about five meters away when you shoot, then they'd probably do the trick. Most Japanese hunters do this....while the deer/boar is surrounded by hunting dogs. I don't like this style of hunting though. To me, this is not hunting, but simply execution.
Also, I much prefer the "one shot, one kill" style of hunting. With buck shot, you risk just hitting the animal in the guts without hitting any major organs....

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Re: Gun ownership and hunting in Japan

Post by Zasso Nouka »

I hear what you are saying about enjoying the whole day out in the wilds, tracking and stalking an animal and totally agree with your philosophy of a single shot. That seems far more humane than surrounding an animal with a pack of dogs and half scaring it to death before shooting it and also more respectful to an animal that is going to provide you with food over the next few months.

When you do upgrade to a rifle in a few years time do you have to take any further tests or is it more of a procedural thing ?

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Re: Gun ownership and hunting in Japan

Post by gonbechan »

I am more curious about the inoshishi after you kill it.
Have you ever tried curing and/or smoking the meat?
Like in making bacon, pancetta and ham, I mean :D

I have had botan nabe and really liked it, also have had wild boar salami and cured meats in Italy and found them to be more flavorsome than their regular pork counterparts.

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