Innehållsförteckning för Edition 76 från Australian Hunter

When determining which particular bullet is best for your hunting circumstances, terminal performance, in-flight characteristics, accuracy and cost are factors worth considering. Unfortunately, few bullets rank highly in all these criteria. Opinions vary on the importance of each. For example, it is often stated that so long as your rifle can group three shots in 1½", that is all you need to stay in the vital zone of the animal you are hunting. This is probably true for medium to large game at usual distances they are taken at. If you are shooting small game at medium to long distances, a greater degree of accuracy is needed. I like to check my zero after my rifle has been on a long car trip over rough roads, on a plane or…

The Ranger model revolutionised ATVs more than 20 years ago with the side-by-side. Its 6x6 build allowed it to be classified as an offroad vehicle with a greater payload while maintaining its premium ride. Developments throughout the past two decades have included increased power and improved suspension. Hit the 2020s and the Polaris Ranger Electric Vehicle (EV) wraps that all up in an ATV running on ultra-quiet battery power. The 48-volt AC-induction motor delivers efficiency and zero emissions while still offering a payload capacity of 454kg. The 227kg capacity dump box is super-handy for offloading game and other things like wood for the campfire. The 680kg towing capacity further enhances your options. On demand true all-wheeldrive capabilities includes the Versatrac Turf Mode option. This allows tighter turning, helps prevent bogging…

Most folks enjoy a nice beef steak. Over the years, with the help of cooking shows on TV, there has been a slowly growing awareness that steak is more tender and tasty when it is not over-cooked. That is even more important for game meat like venison which has much less marbled fat content than does lean beef. Grilling a venison steak to the point of being ‘well done’ will destroy it. In fact, taking a venison steak to the point of medium is pushing your luck for a decent result. I have progressively changed my treatment of venison steak to the point where I now prefer mine cooked to what is known as ‘blue’, from the French ‘bleu’. This maximises the flavour, texture and tenderness of the cooked steak.…

We live on a small farm and also grow trees amid a forestry block on a nearby escarpment. Recently a coupe was harvested and we cleaned it up – windrowing the debris – and planted seedlings early in the winter. The coupe is surrounded by forest and we usually expect to notice some browsing of the new seedlings. We hired a professional shooter who didn’t come across much, so we discontinued this. As the winter progressed I would visit on a regular basis to check some trial plots to work out if there was a browsing problem emerging. On a weekend in mid-winter I was going up one afternoon to check with my son James. I usually take a firearm as occasionally I catch sight of a large wallaby sprint…

On a hunt, weather can change unexpectedly. A steady rain may increase our chances of moving closer to our quarry as our footsteps are muffled and our scent is stifled. But it can also mean that we stay out longer than expected. Whether we’re tracking pigs who will take the opportunity to venture wider, or stalking goats that have turned their rumps into the wind to keep heavy rain out of their eyes. Whichever scenario, there are lots of good reasons to stick with the hunt. But, meanwhile back at camp, everything you left out is wet… So, you’ll soon find if your swag is sufficiently seasoned, whether you fitted the fly on your tent correctly, or whether the tarp you erected as a camp shelter is taut enough not…

Write your full name, address and contact number on a piece of paper and place it inside an envelope and send to: (Name of competition) Australian Hunter 76 PO Box 2520, Unley, SA 5061 …or enter online at ssaa.org.au/win Competitions close May 31, 2021. Check out ssaa.org.au/win for competition winners. Walther SL40 Torch Kindly donated by Frontier Arms frontierarms.com.au Warthog V-Sharp Classic II Knife Sharpener 3to be won! Kindly donated by Winchester Australia winchesteraustralia.com.au Drover Bino Pack Kindly donated by Spika spika.com.au…

The year 2020 posed drastic issues for tackling the roar and hunting season. This included properties being closed to hunting because cattle were so underdone that farmers didn’t want to have them disturbed by rifle shots. Although others welcomed hunters to help rid ferals from feasting on animal feed. It seemed that though the Queensland government had not banned hunting per se, it was going to suffer along with many other activities. As luck would have it, I spoke to a property owner who would allow me to hunt but only with two partners. My mate Paul and his son Chis were grateful to join me on a three-day hunt. Most of the area had been in drought and this was having an effect on the roar. It would have…

A prominent proponent of the short, light hunting rifle was exmarine, handgunner, Gunsite founder, big game hunter and writer, Jeff Cooper. He popularised the concept of the scout rifle and recommended the ideal unloaded weight should be 6½lb (2.95kg), and no more than 7lb (3.18kg), with sling and forward mounted low-power scope. The length should be less than 1m (39.37"). To achieve this, the rifle needed a short action and a barrel of about 19". His ideal calibres were .308 with 150-grain bullet or a 7mm-08. For those who could not tolerate the recoil of cartridges such as .308/7-08, he suggested a .243 with a 22" barrel, as the .243 needs velocity. For large game, he liked the .350 Rem Magnum with 250-grain projectiles which would fit in a short…

Among survival enthusiasts, Fällkniven (Fallkniven for ease of writing) knives have a substantial base of loyal followers. The Swedish military employs various models and the United States is among the other countries that have approved specific items for use by their armed forces. Hence my surprise at the apparently low level of awareness of these knives among hunters. Part of it may have to do with marketing, or perhaps the Fallkniven options become lost between the vast number of Chinese and American brands that are available. Regardless, I own a few and have been quite pleased with them. I have a big knife I sometimes take along on pig hunts and a small utility blade I use on camping trips and when travelling, but the one I opt for most…

What was to be become the catchcry of the trip, “Just another hundred,” he said. I was deer stalking with a mate, Jamie. I’d only been to this particular property once before and was still working out the lay of the land and where the good spots for deer were. The plan was for us to drive along the main valley and park approximately 1km away from a likely-looking gully where I’d seen deer previously. We carefully nosed Jamie’s brand new ute up the track. It had 47km on the clock when he swung by my place to pick me up. Jamie wanted to stop, but I insisted we continue as I scanned the surroundings looking for a familiar landmark. The first definitive marker I came across was the exact…

After a successful venison hunt, I have plenty of prime trimmings for mincing. Scrappy pieces from the exterior membranes with any bits of grass or the odd hair removed go to dog food or hawk food. The prime mince is ideal for bolognese, lasagne and pie filling. Venison also makes excellent sausages and my favourite version of that is with rosemary and garlic. Following are my ingredients which you can vary according to your taste. However, note that venison is a very lean meat, so do not skimp on the fat content. I use a domestic, kitchen meatgrinding appliance. Ingredients • 2kg cubed venison• 0.7 to 1kg diced lamb fat• Leaves from 3 large sprigs of rosemary• 6 cloves garlic• 150ml white wine• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar• 30 grams salt•…

When firing at targets at distances of more than several hundred metres, or calling shots for others aiming at these distances, it’s difficult to visualise point of impact using an optical spotting scope. Even the highest quality options present distortions at extreme spans due to vibrations and heat waves. Such altered images often prevent determining impact points. CR Kennedy & Co carry the Longshot LR-3 Ultra HD target camera. This system is described by Longshot as ‘guaranteed to 2 miles’ (3.2km). Though suspicious of that claim, if this unit was able to capture bullet impacts out to ‘only’ 1000m, that would be more than sufficient. The LR-3 unit arrived packed within a heavily-padded carry case; this contained two tripods for mounting the camera and receiver. The LR-3 can support up…

In January this year London’s oldest gunmaker Boss & Co, established in 1812, announced the arrival of their innovative ambidextrous side-lever over- and-under shotgun. The two levers packaged with the 1812 Edition 12-bore shotgun uniquely allows it to be configured for a left or right-handed shooter. “We see this as a pivotal moment not just in our history, but in the history of gunmaking,” said Boss & Co owner Arthur DeMoulas. Boss & Co’s illustrious pedigree dates back to more than 200 years ago when William Boss taught his three sons the art of gunmaking, with the youngest, Thomas, establishing himself as one of London’s finest and forming Boss & Co. Thomas’ workmanship and work ethos led to him taking on his own gunmakers, two of which were his nephews,…

We can waste time debating all manner of things to describe what we do; but when it comes down to the basics, we mainly hunt introduced species in Australia. Let’s face it, if it were not for all these, what would we be left with? The idea of shooting kangaroos has little appeal to most of us. To a large extent, they are not very challenging. After all, they are a part of our national emblem. Certainly, nothing like hunting deer - an animal that has been prey for humans and other beings for more years than we can imagine. A recent conversation over the dying coals of a good campfire concluded that feral animals are pretty much here to stay. The Australian environment has been overly kind to just…

As a child I loved exploring and collecting interesting stones, bird feathers and small branches for my pet lizards and snakes that I kept in large glass tanks. On trips to the bush I often found pickedcleaned bones and even skulls of herbivores that had succumbed to predators. I took what I liked and cleaned them until spotless. After school growing up in Durban, South Africa, I would often visit old Ivy’s curio shop where the specialty was in the sales of hides and beautiful animal mounts. You name it, they were there from different buck species, zebras and all the carnivores under the sun. Later on in life when the hunting bug bit, I started my own collection but with a difference. Mounted animals are expensive and I mainly…

It had been three long years between hunts for my mate Warrick and me. Last time I had seen him we went to a property I regularly hunt for rabbits, wild dogs, goats and pigs. This time around Warrick was keen to take his first deer. Eventually we settled on a date far enough ahead that we knew, as active tradesmen, we could make work. That weekend rolled around in no time and the plans were locked in. After a long uneventful drive and the obligatory fast-food stop for dinner, we met up at the closest town to the farm we were going to be spending the next few days hunting on. It was late by the time we reached our destinated valley. We set up our swags and the…

As the last of the day’s light began to fade, along with my hopes, the dense bush gullies that usually yielded a bellowing roar from a lovesick stag, fell eerily silent. Just as I raised myself up from my quiet hunting position, a faint roar could be heard a long way off but nowhere in the vicinity of my hunting property. I made my way back to camp and thought I may have missed the main roar by a few days. I had my work cut out for me but there was no point in complaining. I was camping in a beautiful part of the Queensland bush on top of a mountain and enjoying the scenery. As most deer hunters know, the red deer roar generally falls within a three-week…

This hunt was with Nkwe Safaris in Botswana for six days out of Ghanzi, about a 280km drive south-west of Maun. The focus was any Cape eland bull, with burchell’s zebras, blue wildebeests, grey duikers, steenboks and jackals also part of my package. I had hunted in Namibia four years earlier, also with elands on my list, but the opportunity to hunt this, the largest bodied of the African antelopes, did not eventuate. Nkwe’s owner Jaco Visser, who has more than 20 years experience as a professional hunter with all manner of plains and dangerous game, runs the operation. Jaco absolutely knows his stuff. The hunting camp provides tented- and chalet-style accommodation. I stayed in one of the tents which have an outside shower and toilet, a couple of comfortable…

Being fortunate enough to have a fairly constant year-long supply of venison, my wife Julie and I are always on the lookout for new recipes and ideas to prepare tasty meals with this great meat. If you have dinner guests over for any meal comprising venison be mindful of the ‘Bambi effect’ so a little time explaining the benefits of venison should save any embarrassment later in the evening. We have for years been keen on Italian cuisine, regularly visiting a couple of favourite family-run restaurants in our area. Apart from the various pasta and pizza alternatives, our stand-out choice would have to be veal saltimbocca. Like other Italian offerings there are many variations of saltimbocca, which translates to ‘jump in the mouth’ and having sampled a couple of versions…

As the annual red deer rut approached in South East Queensland, plans were made for my nephew Frank and I to head to a new hunting block. As we arrived in camp in the early afternoon, the stags were in fine voice in the hills. Consequently we were both wearing broad grins, as there is little that can equal the exhilaration of stalking roaring red deer stags during the rut. By 3pm light intermittent rain had begun, creating almost perfect hunting conditions as we carefully pussyfooted along a steep track, through the semi-open bush towards the plateau. We spotted four stags roaring in the bush on our trek to the top, some with hinds, some without. Lucky for them and unlucky for us, all were relatively young and none had…

In the morning sunlight, the big male wild dog stood like a statue near the carcass of a cow, killed earlier by a canine pack. Here was a real bonus. I had been chasing these dogs hard for a few days and was expecting a black juvenile wild dog to show up. The robust alpha dog had left plenty of images and video on the trail camera, but always at night. My Vanguard HSP .223 Rem was resting on a sandbag in the low hide I had built. The dog was 120m distant, according to previous readings on the rangefinder. With a clear sight picture, the cross-hairs of the Swarovski z8i 1.7-13.3x42 could not have been steadier. Just like taking a shot off the bench at the range, I eased…

Sometimes no matter how well you plan ahead or what you think you know, things just don’t turn out the way they should, could or would. Hunting can be a bit like that, life in general and circumstances as well. On several occasions some of my hunts have gone quite unexpectedly, some surprisingly well and others on the disappointing side. Many years ago, I was hunting with a good mate, Ken from Nanango. When we arrived at our area, Ken suggested we stick together until we had checked out a gully. If unsuccessful we could split up and go our own ways. As we made our path over the ridge and investigated the gully, two mature red stags trotted out and stopped side-on halfway up the other incline of the…

Periodically over the years I’d noticed sambar tracks heading off in a general northerly direction from their usual habitat, so it was time to go for a stroll and try to find another piece of this puzzle. Without the weight of a rifle or daypack I was free to explore without any added burden and if I bumped into a deer, so be it. As most hunters already know, hunting isn’t about simply shooting animals but the entire experience, that indeed sometimes involves shooting. This exploration was merely another excuse to again immerse myself in the magnificence of Victoria’s sambar forests. After following a game trail that held the occasional set of deer prints mixed with those of wallabies, I reached a fork in the gully system with deer sign…