Innehållsförteckning för Edition 55 från Australian Hunter

At 3.15am the alarm’s merciless beeping went off, much to my wife’s displeasure. I quickly turned it off, rose out of bed and tried to remember what planet I was on. After chucking my gear in the car, I drove south through the harbour region of Rotterdam, in South Holland in the Netherlands, and the industrial oil-manufacturing zone known as Pernis. Nearby was Europoort, one of the largest seaports in the world. I was driving through one of the most heavily populated and industrialised places on earth, so it was hard to believe that in another 20 minutes I would be part of a bird hunt in rural farmland. I eventually pulled up at a farmhouse in a hamlet just outside the town of Poortugaal. This location is about 15…

As a teenager, fishing was my chief outdoor activity, balanced with body surfing and, until my late 20s, playing rugby league. At the time, we lived at Coogee in New South Wales. We surfed at Coogee and Maroubra beaches and I fished the shoreline from Clovelly to Coogee. It was within easy walking distance and gave boundless opportunities for fishing. One of my brothers-in-law was among those people who could catch fish anywhere at any time. He was the person who introduced me to blackfish (luderick) fishing. We paddled his canoe to Wedding Cake Island off Coogee beach and caught big, sea-run fish that were plentiful, full of fight and made wonderful food for the table. Having little money, I made my own rods from blanks of Rangoon cane, fitting…

Now and then you discover a product that has been around for years and you wonder how you ever did without it. For me, rangefinders are such a recent discovery. That came about through the opportunity to review the Leupold RX-1200i TBR digital laser rangefinder, distributed by Nioa. The Leupold RX-1200i TBR represents the current state of the art in rangefinders. This model comes with a Cordura holster and the necessary CR-2 battery. A new CR-2 battery should be good for at least 10,000 measurements. The rangefinder is quite compact and fits comfortably in one hand. Ready to use, it weighs 208g. The casing is of armoured aluminium for robust field use. The dimensions of the piece are 96x71x33mm. The optics of the RX-1200i TBR are those of a high-quality…

I long felt that hunting and fishing didn’t really mix. However, I’ve recently changed my mind about that. The catalyst was acquiring a Daiwa Short Bite SP 603LFS 6ft travel rod. In chasing wild dogs across large northern grazing properties, I came across some very appealing freshwater streams where I could see good-sized fish cruising about in the clear depths. All I could do was look at them and wish that I had some fishing gear with me. Taking along any of my custom one-piece rods from home was not an option. They would not only be in the way on my ATV, but would also be unlikely to survive long in the overgrown and scrubby country that I was pushing the ATV through. In talking about that with my…

My body ached, my feet throbbed and my eyes just wanted to close and allow my body to sleep and recover. Yet, at the same time, I oozed with satisfaction, my inner consciousness thriving on the knowledge that the hunt I commenced three weeks earlier was still yet to reach its finale. No, I hadn’t spent three weeks in the field chasing an elusive quarry, though it was three weeks earlier that Mick and I had embarked on our latest adventure - chasing deer. We had arrived at the property at about 2pm and then walked the length of the property, Mick along the creek bank while I followed the four-wheel drive track that paralleled the creek some 150m away. It had taken about an hour to walk to the…

April is a great time to be hunting if your quarry is a fallow buck. The autumn weather is usually mild and calm and the bush refreshed after a long summer. This time of the year is the mating season for fallow too, which gives the hunter a good chance of finding these often elusive deer. Deer hunters around the globe wait for the deer to begin their mating rituals, which is known as the ‘roar’ or ‘rut’. Each species has its own habits, but whatever type, most male deer (stag or buck), vocalise their intentions to others of their species. The fallow buck will advertise his presence with a series of short loud grunts, which come from deep in the chest and throat. As they grunt, they raise their…

When the North Queensland cattle country was first established, the traditional British or European breeds used proved to be unsuited to the harsh environment of the far northern scrub and its bush ticks. The pioneer cattlemen soon realised a more resilient breed was needed and started to import Zebu cattle into the region in or around the early to mid-1930s. The original Zebu cattle came from India, were small in stature and were mostly used by Indians for milk. In the 1700s, the cattle were exported to Brazil and the United States, where they were crossed with other Indian classes such as Kankrej, Gujarat, Ongole and the Gir strains to develop a larger, more robust type of animal more adaptable to the heat of the tropics than European cattle. These…

As a shooter for the better part of my life, I can admit that I certainly haven’t been immune to problems and difficulties in my own shooting career. I have learned much of what I know today essentially the hard way - by personal experience, or perhaps better put, by personal inexperience. In other cases, I was fortunate to have been the observer and was able to learn from other shooters. The accumulation of all those experiences are far too many to adequately cover within these few pages, so I have selected 10 problem areas that can be overlooked or misunderstood in the field and offered some suggestions and solutions. Clean bores are not for field use While cleanliness is said to be next to godliness, that rule doesn’t necessarily…

Traditional design meets modern functionality in the simple but tough tool that is the Mora Classic 2 knife. The Morakniv company was established in 1891, having roots in medieval sword-smithing, and then became Mora of Sweden in 2005. Since that time, the company’s knives have become almost a staple for the outdoors enthusiast. Mora prides itself on creating functional tools at cost-effective prices and this shows in none better than Mora’s Classic 2 knife. Following Mora’s traditional styling, the knife sports a rounded 4.1" birchwood handle with a red ochre coating, which fits comfortably in the hand. The 4.2" carbon-steel blade comes in a mirror finish and features a fine edge running from its tip to the stainless Following Mora’s traditional styling, the knife sports a rounded 4.1" birchwood handle…

As humans we are not particularly well blessed with acute night vision and it goes without saying that we require some form of artificial light to go about our nocturnal activities. Hunting, by the very nature of the activity, requires us to spend extended periods of time camped out in the bush and, for the most part, away from grid power and lighting. Having the ability to move about at night in a well-lit environment has to be a great advantage and a safeguard against misadventure in one form or another. While a well-organised campsite can be illuminated with various types of lighting technology, it’s when we are away from camp, say spotlighting and retrieving downed game, that we require an efficient form of personal lighting. Portable lighting technology has…

Having a practical pack camera that can record action, either with stills or video clips, is very handy. Many small cameras can do this of course, but most don’t have the lens quality or correct megapixel (MP) size for publication purposes. My large DSLR cameras and lenses are weighty and these days, I try to keep the bulk down when heading into the bush. I wanted something more portable and had a look at the Go-Pro camera, but it does not meet my editorial requirements. I visited the Nikon camera website and noted the release of the new Nikon 1 AW1. It appeared to be just what I wanted in a pack camera. I Googled the model and discovered that prices ranged from $850 to $1200! Some dealers are ripping…

Goat is a superb meat that is undervalued in Australia. The following recipe combines goat meat with sweet potato and celery. Sweet potato is native to South America and began its spread around the world with Christopher Columbus. It is favoured in the West Indies and also New Zealand, to where it was carried by the Polynesians. Celery was prized by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, as they believed it cured many ills. For some, a recipe is a text set in concrete, but for us, it’s a guide to be adjusted to individual taste. For instance, we have specified ¼ cup of dried apricots, roughly chopped; however, tasty substitutes may be 1 tablespoon of honey or brown sugar, or some sultanas. The curry is a one-pot recipe that…

It was the start of November and after 18 hours of travelling and several days as a tourist in Cairns, Josh and I had made it. A hunter’s dream. The arid tropics; an unforgiving, relentless and isolated game paradise. One year earlier, I had contacted Mick Baker from Trophy Bowhunts Australia about a 10-day hunting trip in the heart of Cape York. As we arrived, it was obvious that the extremes in humidity and temperature were going to be a struggle for us Tamworth boys. This wasn’t enough to stop us though and we were straight into the scrub with Mick, searching for the notorious Cape boars. The week prior to our trip, 41mm of rain had fallen and scattered the pigs. It was proving difficult to find them in…

It was the end of my working week. “Well, I never thought that a doctor would be interested in hunting.” The departing words of my last patient went almost unnoticed as my mind slipped from professional mode to hunting outlook. The big day was almost upon us. Little did my last patient (or any of the multitude of others who were subject to the anticipation of my ‘biggest hunt yet’) realise that the doctor they were talking to was a boy who grew up in the country, with a love of hunting. This passion, combined with strong memories of being in my father’s boardroom at five years og age mesmerised by the great red stag on the wall, all led to this. Yes, I had finally booked the big hunting…

As an owner and breeder of gundogs for more than 30 years, I have been amazed at the intelligence of these faithful companions. From experience, I must say that it generally takes at least one to two years before a gundog matures. During that time, it is imperative to instill good discipline and not some half-hearted boundaries that you expect the dog to respect at all times but you fail to address and enforce 100 per cent of the time. More often than not, the behaviour of a gundog with its training is a reflection upon the handler rather than the dog. Indeed, I don’t believe I’ve ever come across a ‘dumb’ dog, but what I have seen time and again is a dog that has not had the training…

I make no apologies for being a fan of the modern stalking rifle. Light in weight and designed to be carried over long distances over all manner of terrain and in all weather and environmental conditions, it is the perfect tool for many hunting opportunities available to the Australian shooter. While the components used to manufacture these rifles may include carbon fibre, fibreglass and high-strength polymers in the stocks mated to blued, stainless or cerakoted barrels and receivers, such outfits aren’t usually cheap. In fact, many are considered custom rifles and are priced accordingly. However, one manufacturer continues to produce a wide range of lightweight sporting rifles, which are not only very well priced, extremely well put together and accurate, but they are also huge sellers in Australia and around…

While the concept of thermal cooking is not new, many people have never heard of it or have any idea about how it works. The Billyboil thermal cooker is a product that can save you time and energy, as well as produce some wonderfully warm and nourishing dinners while out in the bush or even at home. It allows you to prepare a meal well before it needs to be consumed; you can have the cooking process started and then go off to do other things (such as hunting) while your recipe is simmering away. After seeing a thermal cooker in use on a popular four-wheel driving television program, I immediately thought of how convenient it would be to be able prepare a meal in camp, ensure it is started,…

When I am camping with a large group, I occasionally see an idea that might make the adventure either easier or even more enjoyable. On a recent trip, I watched in fascination as my new friend Scott proceeded to cook chocolate cakes in his jaffle iron over some coals beside the evening campfire. It seemed effortless and the result was so delicious that I thought it worth sharing. The beauty of this piece of thinking is its sheer simplicity. You need little that you would not already be taking with you for a standard bush camp, scant preparation, and it requires only a few extra basic ingredients. For even the roughest of camping excursions, this is a straightforward way of making a yummy treat to savour at the end of…