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Pigdog hunting research in Australia


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Hi,

My name is Dr Paul Keil. I am not a hunter, but am an academic researcher. I am doing research on pigdog hunting in Australia, specifically Northern NSW / Southern Queensland. I am based in Australia but am employed at a European university, part of a larger project studying boar hunting across Europe and internationally.

I am not a undercover greenie, do not work for PETA, and do not adopt an ethically critical position towards pigdog hunting. I am interesting in understanding hunting with dogs as a legitimate past-time, cultural practice, and community in Australia. (you can see my academic profile here -  I did previous research on sheepdogs in NSW and working elephants in India).

I am interested in interviewing pigdog hunters in regard to dog training, teamwork with their dog, their perspectives on feral pigs and hunting, as well as other related issues. I understand that hunters can generally be cagey around outsiders, which is fair enough. But if you are interested in knowing more about my research and possibly participating in it, please feel free to send me a message. The goal of my work is to accurately represent hunting from the perspective of hunters themselves.

I'm announcing myself on this message board to look for potential participants but also because, ethically speaking, researchers should be open and upfront about their intentions and work, and respectful to the people they are researching. It also gives the community and admin an opportunity to decide whether they are comfortable with having a researcher signed up to the Ozziedogger forum.

Cheers

Paul

____

Paul G. Keil Ph.D.

Postdoctoral researcher, TANDEM Bewildering Boars Project

Institute of Ethnology, Czech Academy of Sciences

https://mq.academia.edu/PaulKeil

paul.g.keil@hotmail.com

Edited by Paul Keil
simplify
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Thanks mate - yep been in contact and interviewed a few guys connected to APDHA.

I thought I might try and expand out and try to learn about variations in perspectives and approaches. 

7 hours ago, JC said:

Hi Paul, probably better off sending an email to the APDHA.

https://www.apdha.org.au/

 

 

Edited by Paul Keil
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51 minutes ago, pig mad said:

Everybody here hunts to apdha code of conduct.

All good. Didnt express myself clearly - I am just interested in finding more people outside of the small group of hunters I've engaged with. In my opinion, everyone brings their own experiences, perspectives, and insights. My job is to talk to different people, learn about what pigging lifestyle means for them, and find cultural patterns between those individuals. 

My questions arent focused on proving whether people conform to APDHA guidelines, although I aim to study skilled and lawful hunters.

An example of my questions are:

- How do hunters and their dogs work as a team when catching pigs? What does this relationship mean to the hunter?
- How do hunters train and work with different dogs (e.g., bailers, luggers, combination of both) and how do these differences change the dynamics of hunting?
- What unique insights and knowledge about pig behaviour and pig environments do hunters have?
- How do hunters create good relationship with landholders? 
- How has pigdog hunting changed over the last 30 years (including industry, social media etc)? What is the history of pigdog hunting in Australia?
- How are organisations like the APDHA working to promote a good image of pigdog hunting? And what are the public misconceptions of pigdog hunting?

My methods are in-person, in-depth interviews and observation of hunts.

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1 hour ago, Wayz64 said:

Do you only want people from your target area? Or all over Australia?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks mate - Yep, I am certainly interested in talking to pigdog hunters from all over Australia, so feel free to message. Although it will have to be over the phone if it is too far (I don't have the funding for long-distance travel, unfortunately). 

Aside from travel distance, the reason I specify a target area is because I like to conduct in-depth research (as opposed to fly-in / fly-out short-term approaches). It helps me to get first-hand experience and become familiar with individual hunters and environments. 

Edited by Paul Keil
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I’ve taken Paul hunting a couple of times and he’s stayed at my house. He’s a decent bloke. Up to you blokes whether or not you are comfortable chatting to him but I have been and I’m happy to vouch for him. Just tell him the truth, we are all saints and kind to kittens...

Cheers.

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