Table of contents for Edition 77 in Australian Hunter

Should I rebarrel my hunting rifle or not? This is a question that sometimes comes up in a hunter’s lifetime. It depends on certain circumstances, such as rifle age (barrel wearing) and use of said rifle, performance in killing power and so on and so forth. In my case it was an easy decision to make. I had hurt my right shoulder and was in quite a bit of pain. My doctor did not seem to be able to fix the problem and I could not take the recoil of my sambar hunting rifle, a .338WM. My older brother Darcy suggested I rebarrel my .243W to a 7mm-08 as it was a legal calibre in Victoria for sambar deer and had adequate killing power for the job. Thinking about this…

Blackfoot Designs is a small Australian company with a devout following of keen hunters. Established 20 years ago, Blackfoot does not advertise and the firm is known solely through word of mouth. Blackfoot manufacture an array of excellent camo clothing and a few hunting accessories, available through mail order direct from the company. Their formats are uniquely their own, and everything from design through to manufacture and shipping is done by one person. That used to be Dave Greig, but recently he retired and passed the business on to nephew James Greig. I consider Blackfoot camo the best you can buy. I had been doing a lot of research into camo and its effectiveness, and even made a few attempts to replicate the best patterns onto some test clothing. However,…

Restrictions on movement within Australia resulted in considerable disruption to the conservation work undertaken by many firearms owners and users, including major SSAA Conservation and Wildlife Management programs. However, this does not affect certain conservation work that can be done from the convenience of your own home. After attending an Indian myna bird (Acridotheres tristis) management workshop conducted at Ipswich, materials were purchased from Bunnings Warehouse to build traps. The Indian myna, one of only three birds listed, has been rated by the World Conservation Union as among the planet’s 100 most invasive species. It has been logged as an ‘extreme threat’ in Australia and was handed the unflattering honour of receiving the Pest of Australia award in the Wild Watch Quest for Pests 2005. It beat the cane toad…

There often seems to be no end to the cartridges people have converted to the 6mm calibre. Way back in time the US Navy had a rifle called the 6mm Lee, that in turn was eventually necked down by wildcatters to become the .220 Swift, but for the most part other rounds have been mainly necked down to the 6mm calibre. The best known of these being the .243 Winchester. Like many others the .243 began life as a wildcat. US gun writer Warren Page necked down the .308 Winchester to 6mm and called it the Page Super Pouper (not pooper). Not a very auspicious name for a cartridge that was to go on to be one of the most popular factory chamberings ever. Winchester ‘legalised’ it in 1955 and…

A season’s supply of magpie goose was nearly exhausted. I had only spent a few days in the Top End and the hunting had been difficult with few geese taken (Australian Hunter 73). I’d patiently rationed the meat I had brought home over the period, mostly making curries from the legs and thighs and schnitzels or stir-fry from the breasts, but now there were only two packets of goose breasts left in the freezer. So I thought I had better put in a bit of extra effort and make something special from a couple of the remaining magpie goose breasts. While I believe magpie goose treated well is a true wild game delicacy, getting it wrong is easy enough to do and can have nearly inedible results. In my view,…

My definition of ethical hunting is that I only take a shot at an animal if I can be confident of hitting it in the right place and with a bullet which will kill it with the one aim. To do this I require to know two things: • How to kill the target animal (ie, what is needed).• How to deliver what is necessary (ie, how to do this). So, why should we pursue a high velocity load? Simple. Because a flatter trajectory enables us to shoot accurately at a longer range, plus, because of the higher velocity, it enables the bullet to have the kinetic energy called for to do its job at that longer range. But, do we always need it? If we are seeking to reliably…

Finally, one of the worst droughts the Brisbane Valley has ever seen was broken with a flood. Whole families of property owners were out in force for weeks helping to repair fences on river and creek crossings and mustering wandering cattle. With that done, I was looking forward to having a good hunt on reds this roar. Rain had restored the land; the grass was tall, thick and a rich coloured green. I called in to speak to a property owner who had only just taken over that particular estate. As I stopped the car the sound of a savage dog barking came from high on the house. Standing on the roof was a stroppy-looking blue heeler cross ridgeback bitch, ready, willing and able to inflict grievous bodily harm it…

Once in a while, a knife comes along that just works. Not because it is exclusive, uses fancy materials or incorporates some cutting-edge new technology, but because it does what it was designed to do with a minimum of frills. A blade that to me approaches the epitome of a utilitarian tool that simply does what it was intended is the Opinel folding knife. Constructed of only five parts, which includes the safety mechanism, Opinel folding knives have little that can break or fail. While there are many variants available, the basic format and construction remain the same. The main differences between models are the type of wood used for the handle, the colour of painted versions, blade shape and size and the use of carbon or stainless steel for…

You might legitimately, and logically, question the motivation or sanity of someone who eagerly volunteers to carry out a range review of a rifle chambered to one of the most powerful cartridges that can be fired from your shoulder. Further questioning is begged when it is discovered that the reviewer had not previously fired anything more powerful than a .340 Weatherby Magnum. Materials and methods Blaser USA were incredibly generous with their time, advice, encouragement and trust in providing me with an R8 Platform (Safari stock with steel receiver and kick stop recoil dampener) rifle chambered to .458 Lott. Because of the impressively simple, modular nature of the R8 Platform rifles, I was able to easily construct the firearm from its component parts. On my bathroom scales, the assembled rifle…

Finally, after several years of being out of action my Air Arms S410 was ready to hunt thanks to Ian at the Gunroom in Brisbane’s suburb of Sumner. With a daypack full of gear and the S410 over my shoulder I wandered off to the property in Victoria at a pace only matched by a rabbit with a whippet on its tail. Rounding the bend into the gully I intended to hunt for the afternoon, the bush came to life with the crashing of vegetation. Swinging my head to the left big-sized animal smashed through the scrub as I ran back to view the opposite face. I realised a sambar stag had burst into the open, bounding down the gully with his body covered in mud and about 24" antlers…

It is often theorised the North American pronghorn antelopes (alias speed goats) gained their pace and awareness some 10,000 years ago. That’s when they were preyed upon by all manner of predators, from sabre-toothed cats, North American cheetahs and other great marauders. Then came today’s killers - coyotes, wolves and undoubtedly the odd mountain lion. The antelopes call the open plains home, where weather can change in a few moments from clear sunny skies to blizzardlike conditions. With no scrub for protection, it’s no wonder the pronghorns developed a wary nature, incredible eyesight and the ability to run faster and longer than any other animal on the North American continent. All this makes them a worthy challenge for any Aussie hunter. After a long road trip from San Francisco we…

Over the decades I have eaten a wide variety of game, and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, the one animal missing from my menu has been wild pig. I have tried it on only a couple of occasions, shot and prepared by an old mate who used to be a butcher. It’s not that I lack the opportunity, I live in a rural area where wild pigs abound. Occasionally, I will shoot a pig in the course of my hunting for wild dogs. The trailcams I deploy capture lots of pig activity. At first light recently my hunting buddy, Pete, and I were walking along a cattle track on our way to a calling stand for wild dogs. The path traversed lush pasture and we crossed over a few spurs that…

Now, I’m not a country chef in a fit. My wife is an excellent cook but I usually do the barbecuing. One of my favourite meals (as it was for my late father-in-law) is to simply barbecue some wallaby, then add it to whatever else you wish to eat. This is an easy thing to do – if it’s up to me, it has to be. I simply thaw a wallaby leg, or back, or if they are small pieces a couple of them, then bone them out so each is one flat piece of meat, a bit like a parmi. The accompanying photos show a small leg and small back. These took 4-5 minutes to bone out with a sharp knife. Boning out the back is particularly good practice.…

So, you already have your rifle and scope in the calibre you have chosen. Now you need to find suitable factory ammo to go hunting with. By hunting, I mean you are after medium-sized game, like deer, goats and pigs. This is where time and money spent at the range testing a variety of factory ammo will pay dividends later. Selecting the style of projectile For hunting medium to large game, I test heavy-for-calibre premium projectiles that offer controlled expansion. There are reputable makers of such projectiles and your choice will depend on what you’ve read and what your buddies think about these. Factory loadings of premium projectiles do not come cheap. To make my dollars stretch further I look to swap some of the ammo I have bought with…

It could be a fleeing once-in-a-lifetime 30" sambar stag that doesn’t present a perfect broadside shot, crashing through the undergrowth. You may be in the Outback after a big bull camel, but the closest you can make is 320 paces from him. Or perhaps you’re in Arnhem Land and there’s a mean-looking buffalo watching and you’re just not sure whether he’s taken a dislike to you. In these situations, a rifle chambered in a medium bore cartridge might be the ideal remedy. The medium bores start at .33 calibre and go to .375. There are some fine cartridges suitable for large game in 8mm (.323) but traditionally 8mm wasn’t classed as a medium bore. The medium rounds can have a few advantages over big bore cartridges, such as manageable recoil…

The shotgun has always been used to shoot close range targets. Its range and therefore effectiveness was greatly improved when choking the barrel was discovered in about 1827. In his book American Wildfowling, J W Long credits a Mr Jeremiah Smith of Southfield, Rhode Island, as the gunsmith who first discovered the concept. Over time, choke was developed to the point that full choke became a reality and at least 70 per cent of the pellets in a load could be expected to fall in a 30" circle at 40 yards. Even with this new ability to control the spread of the pellets in any given loads, a shotgun is very limited in range compared to a rifle. The big advantage of the shotgun is the allowance for error that…

Many conversations between hunters seem to focus on optics. Who uses what? Why are European optics superior to Japanese ones or vice versa? Is a red dot or illuminated reticle better than a traditional cross-hair? Perhaps fortunately, there is no single answer except that whatever works for you is ‘best’. I will admit, I’m a sucker for European glass. There is a case for the brightest, highest transmission and magnification optics for those shots at long distances or last light. For most other shots, alternatives will do just fine. And so, with the law of diminishing returns in the back of my head, I often find myself researching for substitutes to the premium offerings by the likes of Swarovski, Zeiss and Leica for everyday applications. The result is that I…

Think about how many times you handle a knife on any given day. Buttering toast in the morning; cutting cheese and bread for sandwiches at lunch; peeling, slicing or dicing fruit, herbs, vegetables. A good knife makes day-to-day chores a lot easier. But the implement you use in the kitchen is probably not the knife (or knives) you take hunting. Chances are you have a droppoint general purpose hunter blade and a favourite skinner. Quite probably you also have some kind of multi-tool hanging off your belt or quiver, or in your gun box. Added to these, perhaps you also carry a machete for around camp. Each of these blades have intrinsic differences that make them well-suited for the defined assortment of tasks for which they were designed. So what’s…

As I answered my mobile, I immediately heard “G’day Ben, I need your help, my property is being overrun with deer!” from my mate Craig. This is a big statement and although it is something that virtually every deer hunter longs to hear, I was a little dubious but replied: “Of course, mate.” “Great!” came the response. “How’s this Saturday?” After checking with the special breed of person (who is the partner of all deer hunters), she rearranged a few things and genuinely gave me her blessing, as she knows what this means to me, so the trip was booked. ‘Trip’ is almost an overstatement as it is a tick more than one hour’s drive from my front door. As it would be an overnight stay only, I packed light.…

I was looking forward to this clean boar’s tasty backstraps with their nice pink colour and good texture. After the necessary minimum two weeks of freezing time (for pork), I defrosted 500 grams of fillet to use in a recipe that’s my favourite for pork and chicken. It is a simple one, with few ingredients. This is a flexible process and quantities quoted are indicative, not precise. Ingredients • 500g diced wild pork• Tablespoon of cooking oil – personally, I like coconut oil for pork but whatever you prefer• Two medium brown onions – sliced into long slivers• Three cloves of garlic – finely sliced• 100ml of kecap manis sweet soy sauce (or 60ml soy sauce + 40ml honey)• 100ml of hot water• A few diced chillies (or a teaspoon…

From a comfortable front row seat in the Honda Pioneer 700, I quietly watched as my good mate Neil moved into a better position to take the shot. Now standing a few paces from the side-by-side’s paint-chipped, dented, black bull-bar he slowly shouldered his mighty .300, worked the bolt and took a sight-picture through the scope. A short distance away, a solid, widechested buffalo sporting an impressive trophy rack was gingerly stepping from the streaked, gloomy shadows of the tree line. It was a nano-second away from showing us both a clean set of hoofs when the .300 exploded into action. The shot was on the money and the majestic monarch of the north was jolted sideways by the impact and dropped on the spot. After being previously chased a…

A timely arrival for food lovers has seen the advent of Field to Fork - Second Helpings to satisfy the desires of discerning Australian hunters and fishers. The lavish cookbook is a follow-up volume to the initial Gourmand award-winning Field to Fork offering which was published in 2012. That impressive 124-page hardback ‘must-have’ edition also earned plenty of other plaudits from culinary reviewers and this version seems almost certain to follow suit. This extensive hardback ‘Australian Game Cookbook’ takes a journey around the sustainable, assorted, environmentally attuned helpings across our vast land. As the introduction to the book tells us, all 54 succulent recipes were kitchen and dining room-tested before being put into print for would-be chefs to prepare their quarry and any other options they fancy for themselves plus…

Smartphones have revolutionised the way we live, work and entertain ourselves. In fact, many folks seem to have their smartphones glued to their hands as they constantly browse social media and watch video clips. Among the many areas that smartphones have come to dominate, photography is another example. Over the past decade, the improvement in smartphone photography has been amazing and has largely obliterated the market for conventional digital compact cameras. And, it is not only the compact camera that is finding itself edged out by smartphone photography. My wife and I are keen amateur photographers and have run Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera systems for nearly 50 years. Over that time, we have owned more than 100 different cameras representing most of the major names in photography. Kathy has…

On the surface this probably sounds like a bit of a navelgazing exercise, but if you look at what we do from the point of view of those who don’t hunt, it’s probably worth exploring. We can say we like nature; they may then ask why we shoot nature. We can say that the killing of our quarry isn’t all that important; they can counter that with “then just go bush walking.” There are probably as many reasons to hunt as there are hunters, up to a point. Everyone has their own reason for what they do, but if you looked at it objectively, you may just be a bit surprised. A hunter is not by definition a killer. Anyone who hunts and doesn’t at some point feel some sorrow…