Table of contents for Edition 95 in Australian Hunter

Summer hunting in Australia can be demanding, but it also brings some of the best opportunities of the year. Long daylight hours, shifting winds and plenty of game make the season ideal for those prepared to start early and finish late. Feral pigs, goats and foxes are most active around first and last light, when cooler air and soft light create perfect stalking conditions. For hunters who don’t mind the heat, summer delivers hard-earned rewards and those striking early-morning moments that stay with you. Our cover story captures this exactly - a scorcher of an Outback hunt for feral pigs that pushed a trio of hunters to the limit by rifle and bow. It’s a reminder that even in the toughest conditions, persistence pays off. Still, long days afield come…

Being born into a hunting family, it was little surprise to anyone that I took up the tradition too. I’ve hunted with a rifle, shotgun and bow for much of my life, served in the infantry for 31 years and completed survival courses in both Australia and overseas. I am also delighted to be the ‘Bushcraft and Survival’ columnist for Australian Shooter. Over the years, I’ve sat around many a campfire listening to people’s Plan B in an emergency. “It won’t happen to me” is the most common reply, followed closely by “I’ll be right, I’ll hunt for food.” While I hate to shoot holes in such selfconfidence, the art of survival is asking the question: “What If?” Focusing first on the plan to hunt for sustenance, there are studies…

Modern human beings belong to a species identified by science as Homo sapiens, a Latin term meaning ‘wise man’. We are the only surviving species of the genus Homo, which evolved in Africa more than 315,000 years ago. Interestingly, the term not only reflects our advanced intellectual capabilities compared to all other species on the planet but also encapsulates the great advantage that we have over them - namely, our ability to problem-solve. This unique trait allows us to shape the world around us to our benefit. Much of this ability is manifested in the myriad of tools which we conceptualise, manufacture and employ to manage our environment while extracting maximum return and benefit from our efforts. Hunting is an activity that clearly illustrates how human intellect has, over centuries,…

After decades behind the trigger, here’s my quick rundown on how I keep my gear in check. Pressure-pack cleaners Pressure‑pack bore cleaners work, but they can be messy - I once ended up with foam in the receiver. A neater trick: have old cartridge cases bored out (or carefully modify one) to fit the muzzle, use clear office tape to build up the diameter if needed, then fit the pressure pack nozzle to the case. Let the foam sit 15-30 minutes, then patch it out - a single application will remove most of the black gunk. I follow with a standard copper cleaner, then leave the bore coated between trips with a 50/50 mix of Penetrene (rust prevention) and Hoppe’s No. 9 (residual copper removal). Ultrasonic cleaners Ultrasonics are excellent…

Very few places in the world offer the hunter such a wide variety of hunting opportunities as Africa. Huntable species range all the way from the hare-sized dik-dik to the eland, a prime example of which can easily weigh more than a tonne, and a whole variety of animals in between. With such a wide variety of animals potentially on a hunter’s menu, the choice of a rifle is not always as easy as it might seem at first glance. In addition to the potential array of animals, the terrain differs dramatically from one region to another. In South Africa and Namibia, for instance, you may find yourself hunting in terrain commonly called ‘bushveld’ by the locals. Bushveld regions are generally quite flat, dotted by the odd hill (called ‘koppies’…

Disclaimer: This article is written as a general overview for hunters and property owners and not intended as specific legal advice. Much has been written about survival kits and what to include in them. Less advice is offered about how to avoid using them in the first place and deflect any legal consequences that may arise from an incident in the outdoors. Frank Borman, test pilot and commander of Apollo 8, offered this gem of wisdom: ‘A superior pilot uses his superior judgment to avoid situations which require the use of his superior skill.’ It’s the same with the outdoors. Hunters venture into the bush with a basic survival kit, intent on avoiding circumstances where hard-earned knowledge and experience will be tested in a life-threatening situation. However, the unexpected can…

We all know how difficult it can be to successfully control wild dogs. We rarely see them with our own eyes, but the destruction they wreak upon livestock and native fauna is hard to miss. This is why a mate, Bob, and I used some tech to outsmart these wily predators and thin their numbers on a farmer’s property in North Queensland. The property is mainly cane paddocks that gently slope up to a firebreak trail at the base of a heavily timbered hill. The dogs were using the trail as their access through the property, which also took them near a small creek with consistent water supply. The dogs had been killing calves and, to a lesser extent, bandicoots and koalas. Our first point of call was setting up…

As both a qualified scientist as well as a passionate hunter and conservationist, Mike Arnold is well positioned to share his thoughts on the role of hunting in conservation in Bringing Back the Wild. Mike’s day job is as a college professor and head of the Department of Genetics at the University of Georgia, and this, along with a passion for hunting and the outdoors, firmly lays the foundation for this book. Bringing Back the Wild deals extensively with the role of hunting in modernday conservations efforts. It explains the contribution of ethical and well-managed hunting in a world where the practice is not only widely misunderstood but under attack. Mike very effectively puts many of the accusations levelled against hunting to bed, instead placing the focus on the many…

When the good ship HMS Endeavour, under the command of (then) Lt James Cook, limped into a large river estuary back in 1770, it changed history. The cutter had grounded on a reef to the south and suffered severe damage, resulting in a seven-week stay in what is now Cooktown on the Endeavour River. They caught many strange fish and saw animals that hopped instead of walked, three of which were shot. The natives called them gangurru - a marsupial we now know as the (grey) kangaroo, though those that Cook’s crew saw were agile wallabies, who thrive in coastal environments. When the pioneers settled in Botany Bay, the kangaroo kept many alive. It was easy to hunt, tasty and the skin made fine leather - a fact that was…

Simply 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 95 PO Box 2520, Unley, SA 5061 Competitions close February 28, 2026. Check out ssaa.org.au/win for competition winners. *T&Cs ssaa.org.au/terms-and-conditions …or enter online at ssaa.org.au/win RMK Leather Works Includes: • Leather Butt Stock Wrap 5.0 * Made to suit the rifle or shotgun stock of winner • RMK Standard Adjustable Ammo Pouch RRP $303 Kindly donated by RMK Leather Works rmkleatherworks.com Beretta $100 Gift Voucher Kindly donated by Beretta Australia berettaaustralia.com.au RRP $100 GAME-BAR CARBON+ Bundle Kindly donated by Walk'N'Stalk walknstalkstore.com RRP $485…

I live in Mareeba - the gateway to Cape York - and during the dry season I see a daily parade of clean, trickedout 4WDs heading north and returning covered in red dust and sometimes mud. Some travel unhitched, but most tow a box/camper trailer or a fully equipped caravan. Fishers haul tinnies and the odd fibreglass boat north to match it with the titans of the Coral Sea and the barramundi of the tidal streams. Most carry more gear than they will use on the trip. Hunters are included in this group, many towing quad bikes, buggies, campers and more. The Cape and the Gulf Country are my backyard, and they have lost none of their magical wilderness attractions. These include rugged hills, monsoon and rainforests, sand dunes and…

With shades of Crocodile Dundee, “That’s a knife” were my first words when opening a parcel of four D'Avila knives. I’ve tested and reviewed fishing, hunting and camping knives for 60-odd years, and my first impression was that these Brazilianmade blades are the sturdiest I’ve seen. The company has its roots in southern Brazil, an area known as the Pampas Guacho - a wild unbridled land of ranches, cattle and horses, and a region known for its hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation. This is the land of legends, populated by a proud people who use knives as everyday tools. Some 16 years ago, Marco and Christiano D'Avila started a modest cottage knife industry, now the largest handcrafted knife company in Brazil, employing 150 artisans well-versed in the traditions of forging…

Those who have hunted the Dangerous Seven of Africa (elephant, lion, buffalo, rhino, leopard, crocodile and hippopotamus) tend to develop a preference for one or two of those species. The two that interest me most are buffalo and crocodile. I successfully hunted Cape buffalo in Zambia some years ago, so turned my attention to the Nile crocodile. Unlike the way crocodiles are often hunted - by shooting perhaps an antelope, relocating the carcass near the water’s edge, building a blind and waiting for a crocodile - I wanted to hunt them by spot and stalk. This method is most challenging because the wary big old crocodiles have acute hearing, vibration sense, smell and sight. They lay in locations they know are secure for them and where they can quickly scurry…

In an era of dwindling local manufacture, I feel a sense of pride whenever I learn of a new home-grown product. This sentiment is equally shared whenever I discover or see a product that displays the motif ‘Made in New Zealand’. Australia and NZ have had a close bond, forged in battle and tied by trade for a very long time and, after my own experiences with our Anzac brethren through service and hunting, I feel a deep sense of Kiwi patriotism. Needless to say, when Australian Hunter was invited to review new hunting gear by Twin Needle, it was gratefully accepted. After three previous trips to NZ and embarking on my fourth for a summer alpine hunt, I was in a perfect position to test and showcase some products…

If you’ve been involved with firearms, and in particular bush travel for any length of time, it’s a dead certainty that you’ll have built up a bit of a fund of yarns. These phenomena of memory usually only surface, or are at their best, as the title of this column says, around a campfire. The more experienced have an obligation to dispense wisdom, often at length. But someone once said that there is little point in having knowledge if you are not prepared to share it. Hunting is one of those activities that encompass a wide range of knowledge and experience. It cannot be avoided for this to happen unless you walk around with your eyes and ears closed. The end of the day is that time when the fire…