Innehållsförteckning för Edition 85 från Australian Hunter

The cacophony of sound produced by the stags reverberating through the Australian bush. The patient and quiet search and stalk. There’s nothing quite like hunting deer during the rut. Once in position to squeeze the trigger, being ever so careful to not spook the deer, composure is further tested to secure a clean one-shot kill. The ‘hilar’ zone should be where we are all aiming. In Part 3 of our red deer hunting guide, we demonstrate exactly where you want to hit, no matter the angle. We also expand on why ‘patience’ is the most powerful tool hunters can possess. On top of this, all the necessities for the avid hunter heading bush are covered inside. From the right boots to binos, blades, ammo and vehicle, it’s all here. And…

All aboard for another zany but riveting ride through the culinary creations of P J Booth, who has recently released the third instalment of his hardback series. Still domiciled in Melbourne, the lawyer who decided to turn his hand at putting together impromptu meat and poultry dishes, has opted for a charcuterie encore in another coffee-table extravaganza titled simply Squeal. This follows his earlier acclaimed efforts of A Charcuterie Diary (reviewed in Edition 65 of Australian Hunter) and Feathered (Hunter 69). The debut volume laid bare Booth’s love of all things from the stable of charcuterie meats. Second time around it was fowl in the spotlight. Both productions received rousing receptions from literary reviewers and notched Gourmand world awards. It’s likely that part three of the cooking series trilogy, spanning…

I was discussing my intention to change to a new style of hiking boot with my buddy and gear guru, Grizz. He is certainly well qualified to advise on that topic, having traversed more than 10,000km of the European Camino trails alone, in addition to extensive walking in Africa and Australia. I wanted to move away from the heavy, leather, high-sided hiking boots I have always worn and opt for something lightweight, employing the latest technology. These days I do no heavy backpacking, save only for occasionally packing out venison over a few kilometres back to my vehicle. Stalking dogs, pigs and deer on local home-based hunts is what I now do. So, I carry only a light daypack, if at all. Grizz agreed with my intentions and took me…

I have to say that my efforts in trying to bag a deer up until recently have been a complete disaster. Chasing these flighty types has been on and off for me for the past 15 years, with no success at all. For some reason deer have been the monkey on my back that I just have not been able to shake. While I have chosen the bow for this period of time, I have had plenty of success on goats, pigs and bunnies, but had trouble getting the drop on a deer. I have no doubt that if I had been using a rifle, I would have harvested deer by now, but the challenge of a bow-shot deer was my ultimate goal. With the start of a new year,…

Over recent times, I’ve been fortunate to gain permission to hunt on a couple of new private properties, with pigs, deer and foxes being the main targets causing various problems for the owners. During previous years the properties that I mainly hunt on, for the most part, have seen the emphasis with the owners to use side-by-side quads or farm utes to collect downed game. On these new properties I’m pretty much a lone agent, which is fine. Not having the luxury of some type of pick-up vehicle did initially cause a bit of an issue. I had to break down game animals where they fell into smaller cuts for transport, rather than hanging them whole to set and cool down, which is the preferred method. The trusty LandCruiser wagon…

See the complete range of products in our Online Shop SSAA Renegade Jacket The SSAA Renegade Jacket is made from wind and water-resistant breathable material and lined with cosy microfleece to keep you warm. The clamshell jacket comes with a structured hood to keep the rain off and has a multitude of zippered pockets to keep your belongings secure in the field, on the range, while hiking, hunting or just out and about. $94.95 Please visit our website for measurements for correct sizing Snake Bite Kit In the SSAA Snake Bite Kit are two snake bite indicator bandages and an easy to follow first-aid guide specific to snake bites. Along with other necessary bandages, the kit is compact and packaged in a durable, soft canvass bag that can be worn…

The heart shot has been the goal of hunters since antiquity. Our ancestors needed to kill their medium-sized prey quickly, before it attracted the attention of major predators and was stolen by them. When tackling huge, dangerous game like mammoths and rhinos, the faster it was killed the less the risk of injury and death to the human hunters. For those using spears and arrows, the heart offered the best option for a fast kill. That held true, right through into the age of firearms. Muzzleloaders, then more sophisticated black power rifles, threw heavy lead projectiles at low speeds. The late 1800s, just a few years before the turn of the 20th century, saw the advent of modern smokeless cartridges with smaller diameter and lighter weight projectiles. Smokeless propellants delivered…

A red wild dog passed under the bordering barbed wire fence and paused briefly in the middle of the firebreak. Without a look in either direction, it went straight on to the carcass of the wild boar lying there. I had shot the boar at point-blank range a couple of days earlier in an unexpected close encounter. As the wild dog began to tug at the exposed pig flesh, a second red dog came through the fence and went directly to the carcass as well. Eighty metres away, I sat in the middle of the fire-break. The narrow, slashed firebreak ran through thick scrub and forest. The block I was shooting on had been de-stocked for years and the grass was long. However, other areas of the property, and the…

I have hunted for more than half a century, beginning my career as a youngster chasing table cuisine such as briar rabbit. My father, far from being a bushman, believed that every person should be able to provide for his family. He taught us to hunt and shoot with a single-shot Lithgow Model 1A .22LR, which now has been used to instruct my son and grandchildren how to shoot. My father unwittingly kindled a passion in me that has grown stronger every day since my first successful hunt. But as I discovered, things don’t always progress as planned. The 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns summed events up perfectly when he wrote: ‘The best laid-plans of mice and men oft go astray.’ Or to use the Scottish vernacular: Gang aft…

While chainsaws have replaced the traditional axe as the favoured tool for gathering wood, many prefer an axe due to its portability. Chainsaws and spare fuel require room and space to carry, while their fuel and oil smell is a problem in station wagons. Australian trees are renowned for dropping branches and the bush is littered with dead trees that make for excellent firewood. In most cases, branches and small logs can be tossed onto a fire without the need to be cut up. Dead timber stuffs up sharp blades and only the back of the axe should be used (like a sledgehammer) to break branches into handy lengths, but watch out a piece does not hit you in the noggin’. It is not something a novice axe person should…

With the plethora of rifle cartridges on offer to hunters these days, you could be forgiven for the frustration caused by the myriad of choices. The vast array of new cartridges is constantly growing. Many years ago, possibly the largest calibre most hunters might own was the ubiquitous .303 British. By today’s standards, the old .303 is no real powerhouse, but rightly or wrongly, it has taken every game animal, large and small, on the face of the planet. Although maybe not ideal, in the hands of a competent marksman under perfect conditions, it can still take the largest game our continent has and do a fair job on most medium to large game in North America and the African continent too. That said, way back in the 1960s and…

(Name of competition) Australian Hunter 85 PO Box 2520, Unley, SA 5061 Competitions close August 31, 2023. Check out ssaa.org.au/win for competition winners. …or enter online at ssaa.org.au/win Winchester Prize Pack Winchester Rifle Gunslip 52" Decibullz Custom Molded Earplugs Orange Warthog V-Sharp Extreme Edge Black with Carry Case Winchester Lunch Bag Winchester Khaki Cap RRP $284.80 Kindly donated by Winchester Australia winchesteraustralia.com.au Traser Red Combat Watch RRP $799 Kindly donated by SSAA National ssaa.org.au Beretta Prize Pack Beretta Shooters Towel Beretta Cap Beretta Flag RRP $90 Kindly donated by Beretta Australia berettaaustralia.com.au…

Spending decades exploring, safari guiding and hunting for the cooking pot, I told my dear wife Eileen when we married over 40 years ago that she would be marrying adventure as well. Even as a little boy my love for nature and the curiosity to explore was intense and I’m sure many of our SSAA hunters feel the same. It is vital to teach children the importance of fauna and flora as well as disciplined ethical hunting and conservation. And it’s a good break from mobile phones, apps, laptops, Facebook and professor Google. When hunting for the pot, I always explored and enjoyed collecting many items from the bush in South Africa. This consisted of skulls, curious pieces of dead wood, stones and other ornamental and interesting oddments lying loose…

Life is an ever-turning circle of circumstance, whether in the animal world or human for that matter. History keeps on repeating itself in circles. I first started walking the spear grass covered hills of the Brisbane Valley chasing the Queen’s red deer some 50 years ago. In that time two close friends and I have noticed a recurring trend every six to 10 to 15 years with the quality of red stags’ antlers in different areas, due to hunting pressure. In the old days there were not too many trophy hunters about, as most deer hunters wanted meat. Food was the main reason why you went out after deer. Although, I have seen rafters in the odd farm shed here and there packed with lots of red deer heads and…

I seek out premium projectile loadings in factory ammo for my game hunting. A good example of that is the Nosler Ballistic Tip loadings for medium game, offered in an array of calibres, by Federal in their Premium bracket. These Federal Premium Nosler BT medium game loadings are available in 12 separate offerings: 95gr .243 Winchester 100gr .25-06 Remington 120gr .260 Remington 130gr .270 Winchester 130gr .270 Winchester Short Magnum 140gr 7mm-08 Remington 140gr 7mm Winchester Short Magnum 150gr 7mm Remington Magnum 150gr .308 Winchester 150gr .30-06 Springfield 165gr .30-06 Springfield 150gr .300 Winchester Short Magnum The packaging features a buck deer on the box which reflects one of the prime applications of this loading - for deer hunting. The cartridge cases are shiny and attractive nickel-plated brass. The Nosler…

SSAA WA Conservation & Wildlife Management SSAA WA has six individual branches that undertake Conservation & Wildlife Management activities throughout the state. All participants must be full members of SSAA WA. Prior to taking part in sanctioned field activities, members must complete accuracy and safety tests, as well as a written assessment covering navigation, bushcraft and hunting ethics. In addition to formal programs, the branches conduct a range of social and training activities. Our branches are involved in a variety of conservation-based activities in cooperation with private property managers, local municipalities and state government agencies. We work closely with other conservation organisations. Projects cover a wide range of feral and pest species, as well as agricultural protection. For further information or membership inquiries, phone the State Coordinator on 0429 847…