Innehållsförteckning för Edition 74 från Australian Hunter

I recently bought my last rifle. I realised that day would eventually come, but it still surprised me. I’ve known for a long time what that rifle would be, as well. Some folks call it an old man’s rifle and, I guess, that is a fair description. Being halfway through my seventh decade, I hope I have another 10 years or so of hunting left in me. Over the past year I have sold off my reloading gear and various other rifles on the journey towards owning only a single, last rifle. So, what is this rifle and why have I chosen it? The rifle is a Merkel Kipplauf K3 Stutzen. That is German for a break-action, single-shot hunting rifle with a full wood stock. I have always admired single-shot…

The phone rang and my mate Lindsay barked: “Wild dogs have killed our first and only calf.” He was not impressed and wanted to know when I could come and thin them out. I know wild dogs kill calves all the time throughout Queensland and beyond. But Lindsay had just bought his first farm and these were his initial lot of breeding cows, so this calf was a little special to him. As Lindsay lives six hours away, I wasn’t keen on a weekender. But I was leaving on a family holiday, so I changed the route to include a diversion to Monto in Central Western Queensland. We arrived in the afternoon and while my wife and kids checked into the caravan park, I packed my swag, shooting gear and…

The customary metallic rattle of the gate chain opened access to the property and signalled the beginning of my afternoon outing with the camera. Leaving the vehicle, I headed off trying to adjust into the pace needed for a hunter with a camera. The wind quartered across me, lifting up from the blackberry bushes that choked the creek bed below. I sat down, settled in behind the camera tripod and pulled the face net up as the button whistle sounded its tune. Small birds called with alarm from across the gully as I looked to see a fox streaking down the opposite slope of green grass and blackberry clumps. Squirming into position the whistle called again before I prepared the camera for action. Silence would hopefully slow the vixen’s pace…

Stuck in lockdown, I found myself looking at our extensive range of food preparation knives and wondering why are there so many? Nestled into two wooden knife blocks are 19 knives. All are examples of knives we made and sold to customers over the years. I started to rank them in terms of the most useful, sales volume, customer preferences and thought about what I would do if they were lost in a fire or from some other disaster. In starting again after a total loss and with the aim of keeping costs to a minimum, I would purchase three knives – a parer, heavy duty meat and general purpose plus a bread knife. Of all the different shapes and styles of parers available, I would choose a sheepsfoot design.…

The humble rabbit and its close relation the hare have introduced generations of youngsters to hunting. They have provided the basis of countless meals shared for centuries. The rabbit can be a pest but also a useful food resource. This is one game animal that deserves appreciation as well as active control. The common rabbit originated from Spain and south-west France. They were brought to England in the 12th century by the Normans and kept in captivity as a source of meat and fur. Some escaped and became so common that farming them was no longer economic. They bred rapidly with little persecution from predators. Although favouring a warmer, drier climate, they quickly established themselves in the wilds of Britain. Following colonisation in 1788, rabbits became rife in Australia. What…

Ingredients (serves two) • A piece of venison (250-400 grams), preferably from tender yearling animal – backstrap, silverside, girello and topside all work well. Trim off any residual silver skin or sinew. Slice into pieces about 1cm thick and 4cm long.• Black pepper.• Light soy sauce.• Sesame oil.• Canola or peanut oil.• One heaped teaspoon of cornflour, slurried in about 50ml cold water.• Small clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped.• One fresh chilli, finely chopped.• Small knob of ginger, finely chopped.• 1-2 spring onions, sliced.• 2-3 bunches bok choy – separate tops and stalks, large slices.• ½ capsicum, sliced according to taste.• Generous handful of snow peas, or similar amount of sliced green beans.• 1 zucchini, thinly sliced.• 1 carrot, thinly sliced.• Half cup of water. Method Sprinkle venison…

I rarely let my rifles go more than 20 or 30 shots without cleaning the barrel. On the odd occasion when I have fired more shots without cleaning, I have never detected any deterioration in accuracy. And, of course at the range you will hear folks talk of never, or rarely, cleaning their centrefire rifles. That led me to wonder just how many shots you could fire before a loss of accuracy could be measured. Tasco Sales Australia supplied the Fiocchi ammunition I used at my local SSAA range to test just what happened to accuracy when the barrel was not cleaned. I used my Weatherby Vanguard HSP in .223 Rem for the testing with the Fiocchi factory ammo. I fired both the 55-grain polymer tipped EPN rounds and the…

Growing up and discovering my love for shooting and hunting I pawed over all the magazines I could put my hands on. These were mostly referring to Australian hunting but the occasional article was set in ‘The Dark Continent’. I dreamed about hunting lions and elephants but the rest was beyond a boy’s comprehension. Well, fast forward to adulthood and the reality of such, when even the dream seemed out of reach. Then one night my wife Nikki and I received a call from her biological mother reaching out from South Africa. As you can imagine it was quite an emotional link-up, but it was decided we would head over to meet mum and her family. I was put on the phone to talk to the husband and these words…

Thermal imaging technology continues to improve and be of great use to hunters. Leupold make the LTO series Quest HD and Tracker 2 HD thermal scanners. As thermal imaging technology has advanced, and prices decreased, this expertise has rolled out of military-only usage to become available to recreational consumers. It allows wildlife to be ambiently detected in the dark of night without the need for visible or infrared flashlights. The device detects the thermal radiation of whatever it is pointed at and represents that as an image to the viewer. The gadgets are tuned to particularly highlight typical mammalian body temperatures in the mid- to high-30C range. It needs to be said that these tools can also be used in daylight. However, a hot summer day in the high 30s…

We spotted the goats on the ridge before we’d even finished unpacking the ute. The block we were on sees comparatively little hunting pressure, so the animals were not overly worried by our presence. But I don’t seem to be able to stop myself from rushing things when I first arrive on a trip. My hunting mate Thommo and I dumped the gear into the well-appointed cabin and hurriedly threw on camos, grabbed packs and rifles and discussed a strategy. We both carried Tikka rifles in .30-06 calibre. Mine was a T3 and Thommo had a T3x. The goats were north of our position and well above us at the top of an open paddock which offered no cover. The wind was blowing from the east, across us from right…

Italy has a long and proud history of producing fine sports cars and shotguns with great aesthetic appeal. They possess the elusive X-factor that stems from the Italian lifestyle and culture. This carries through to their cuisine. Food is to be savoured, not just eaten. The Tuscan region is known for its rich game such as wild boars, hares, fallow deer, roe deer and pheasants. The flavours of this recipe capture the essence of Tuscany. Enjoy with crusty bread and a glass of good red wine. Ingredients • 1 whole rabbit, jointed (approximately 1.5kg)• 2 tablespoons plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper to preference• ¼ cup (60ml) olive oil (3 tablespoons)• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds• 2 onions, chopped fine• 3 slices long cut bacon, diced with rind removed• 4…

I have fired rifles and handguns from many portable rests. It would be inaccurate to call any of them ‘solid’. In particular, when I need to see how well a firearm can perform, all such rests could not provide the stability I needed. Enter the Stukeys Shooting Bench, which is portable but incredibly solid. I decided that one way to test the stability would be to run a simultaneous comparison with the fixed, concrete benches at my local shooting club. I also wanted to carry out an analysis that included widely-differing firearms. I decided to use two rifles: my syntheticstocked, Model 700 Remington chambered to 7mm Remington Magnum; and my wooden-stocked .35 Whelen Improved. The Model 700 fired from 100-400 yards, the .35 Whelen fired from 100 yards and 200…

Swedish meatballs are an excellent way to use the trim and offcuts from game animal butchery. Chopped or ground finely, this is a great means to eat recently hunted meats as any tenderness issues can be addressed by the mincing process. To cook this recipe, instead of a campfire, I plugged a Tefal brand portable induction hotplate into a 240-volt outlet. Any pan or pot that is magnetic can be used on such a hob. In Scandinavia, tinned/canned reindeer meatballs are available (‘Joika’ is one of the sales names). Historically, in the far north of Scandinavia meats such as reindeer and other game meals have been important elements of the local diet. Sometime, a few hundred years ago the dish Swedish meatballs originated. Many traditional Nordic dishes employ simple, contrasting…

When I first began looking for a gun safe I quickly discovered it wasn’t going to be as easy a proposition as I thought it would be. Even the capacity turned out to be a bit problematic. For example, just because the manufacturer indicates their safe has room for a certain amount of guns, that certainly doesn’t mean it would actually hold that number of ‘normal’ type firearms. Most double-barrelled shotguns are considerably bulkier than other sorts. And if you happen to collect the older side-by-sides like I do, you will quickly find those ol’ doglegged stocks of yesteryear will eat up space in a hurry. So my best advice is to add at least 25 to 30 per cent more capacity than you think you will need. Even if…

As I drove into Darwin just before midnight, I felt a great sense of relief after my 3200km journey from South East Queensland. It had been more than four years since my last sojourn in the Top End to hunt buffaloes. I was mighty glad to be back after several attempted trips in the preceding two years had fallen through. The best laid plans of mice and men… Two days later, after a well-earned rest and the necessary grocery shopping done, my hunting mate Paul and I were on the road to Arnhem Land. Early October is the start of the ‘Build Up’ at the end of the ‘Dry’ in the Top End and under the relentless tropical heat and clear blue skies, the flood plains had dried up and…

The majority of my hunting is done by slow stalking and sitting in ambush at promising locations. Most times, I try to use a convenient tree or patch of bushes to disguise my presence. Given that in these hunting areas, I need to position myself relative to the wind and expected approach of predators to carrion, sometimes the best ambush point is not ideal cover-wise. I prefer to carry a minimum on these hunts but decided that I would, at times, need to include a portable, folding hide. Cattle are very inquisitive and I long ago learned that it was a waste of time building hides. Despite giving every indication of a total lack of interest in your presence and activities, cattle will wait until you leave and then congregate…

Many hunters tend to develop a fondness for a particular brand or model of hunting rifle which has certain traits. Some will favour accuracy over anything else, some prefer ruggedness and low cost, others mechanical reliability in feeding and extraction and some want light weight so they can hunt all day over hills and down gullies without adding to their fatigue by carrying a heavy firearm. There are so many different brands and models of new and secondhand options on the market today (check out ssaa.gunsales.com) that you can usually acquire most of the facets that you want in the hunting rifle if you choose carefully. Here are some of the attributes of my top nine bolt-action hunting rifles. Winchester Model 70 One of the most iconic of all hunting…

The south-east Queensland landscape looked dismal. When I put my trail camera out to catch photos of what was about, the dam that I like to set up on was bone dry. It’s the first time I have ever seen that dam dry. The property owner told me later that it’s the third time it has been dry since it was built some 60-odd years ago. There was little to no grass on a barren landscape and the west branch of the Brisbane River was all but dried up, as were a lot of cattle dams. A spring feed gully was as rare as hen’s teeth. With that said, I found a place to put my camera. As I was driving out of the property four red does and one…

I do not like the heat and yet here I was heading to far north Queensland in February, chasing chital deer. Having previously sworn off summer hunts after a horribly hot New Year’s Eve outing in cheap cotton cams, I had no lightweight camouflage clothing suitable for the trip. Spika provided their most casual set of Horizon camo pants and shirt along with a pack-lite skeleton knife. According to the specifications, ‘Airflux’ refers to the mesh fabric used to make the clothing. The material is extremely lightweight at 90gsm and is quick-drying and highly breathable. It is engineered to allow maximum breathability while still remaining strong and durable. It has been designed to allow moisture to evaporate through the materials, which is intended to keep you dry and cool. The…