Australian Hunter

Australia’s favorite hunting magazine

Australian Hunter1 min read
Australian Hunter
CEO & Chief Editor Tim Bannister Editor Thomas Cook Assistant Editor Dave Rose Art Director Mike Barr Production Coordinator & Graphic Designer Alex Heptinstall Graphic Designer Natalie Kuhlmann Webmaster Mark Fieldhouse Advertising & Promotions Karo
Australian Hunter2 min read
From the Editor
In the field Matthew Cameron fondly recollects hunting various species across the Wide Brown Land, Ben Smith tackles the frost and other factors for freezer-filler deer, Perry Magowan rides the roller-coaster that is the red deer roar, Brad Allen eag
Australian Hunter3 min read
The Drover
Like most hunters, I am on a never-ending quest to simplify and minimise the gear I carry when stalking game. When Australian Hunter was given the opportunity to review the Spika Drover Bino Pack I had been looking into binoculars harnesses and packs
Australian Hunter7 min read
Nearest And Deerest
Trying to get two people to line their work/life schedules up is like trying to win Lotto sometimes, especially when both own businesses. This is what happens most times when I try to hunt with my mate Warrick. We grew up as teenagers together in Vic
Australian Hunter3 min readDiet & Nutrition
Venison With A French Twist
During a lengthy drive home from a successful hunt, ample time gave rise to some thoughts on how to prepare and cook some of the venison that filled the car fridge freezer. It had been quite a bit of time since I was last able to hunt deer, due to CO
Australian Hunter6 min read
Looking Back
Sometimes we come across issues in life that have a permanent effect on our lifestyle, although it may not be evident at the time. The year was 1980, when me and a mate were looking for an Outback property to shoot on, so nothing unusual about that.
Australian Hunter7 min read
Being A Bowhunter
Starting at the beginning is always good. Hopefully you will have read how to get started in issue 81 of Australian Hunter and have a bow, tight target groups, sharpened broadheads to shaving status and now figure it’s time to think seriously about h
Australian Hunter2 min read
Landmark for Federal Ammunition
Federal Ammunition recently celebrated their centenary. The company was established in 1922 in Anoka, Minnesota. Since then, the group has grown and innovated to become one of the world’s largest manufacturers of sporting ammunition. Federal produces
Australian Hunter6 min read
It’s Tenacious
Some say you can never have enough knives. I wholeheartedly agree, albeit with a little voice in the back of my head asking me when I expect to use them all. This rings particularly true for a number of the specialised meat processing and hunting kni
Australian Hunter6 min read
Light It Up
Who does not love the smell of their hard-earned game meat cooking on a barbecue plate placed on top of a campfire? But the realities are that most likely we opt for the easy way out and cook a quick meal on a camp stove. There is also the factor tha
Australian Hunter6 min read
On Ya Bike!
Sometimes my projects take a while to see the light of day. This one had been in the back of my mind for about 30 years, so it was about time that I did something. Like all good projects, I did not rush into it but decided to start with a proof-of-co
Australian Hunter5 min read
Rugged Arapawa rams
The global pandemic threw travel plans out of the window for many hunters. But for me, out of the blue, my mate Scottie Dempster phoned. He had been in contact with an outfitter who could arrange a hunt for red deer stags across the ditch in the Land
Australian Hunter5 min read
An Indistinct Endeavour
Well, it had been a reasonably good period, with plenty of tall green grass, but not a lot of water in dams or through gully systems. That being the case, I thought I would put my trail camera out on my favourite cattle dam to see if there were many
Australian Hunter7 min read
Time For A Trophy Bull
For those in the know, 0800 – ‘Oh eight hundred’ - is a 24-hour time call, meaning 8am, but it’s also the postcode for Darwin. To backtrack, I recently celebrated a birthday and my wife asked me what I’d like to do. “Just a family dinner,” I replied.
Australian Hunter3 min read
All Clear!
A misting of rain droplets, or a haze of fine dust, can ruin your hunting opportunity by blurring your optics at the critical moment. An obvious solution is to fit flip-back scope covers to the objective and eyepiece ends of your riflescope. I was a
Australian Hunter8 min read
And The Eyes Have It
I have been obsessed with camo since I was a youngster. To the point that, for a high school art project I made a camo t-shirt. Initially I dyed the shirt brown using onion skins as a base colour. Then I tie-dyed it with a light khaki derived from gr
Australian Hunter3 min read
Two BIG Beast
After catching up with our close friends at the homestead for a brew and a good chat, Neil and I rolled the mighty Honda Pioneer 700 off the trailer. We then conducted our usual quick inventory check - icebox, rifles, ammo, GPS, camera, tracking coll
Australian Hunter2 min readRegional & Ethnic
Great Balls Of FIRE
Following my recent once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Northern Territory chasing bull buffaloes, my freezer was packed with mince. I love mince as it is just so versatile. Buff mince is especially easy to work with as the taste could possibly best be de
Australian Hunter6 min read
Back To The .308
It’s doubtful whether there’s a better pig cartridge in a bolt-action rifle than the .308 Winchester. I used the .308 almost exclusively on pigs in the 1980s, before moving on to the longer legged .270. Recently, my interest in the .308 has been reki
Australian Hunter4 min read
On The Trail For Quail
A SSAA National-led wildlife survey involving more than 17,000 documented quail sightings from across South Australia has effectively proven quail hunting poses no risk to the future of the species. The grassroots effort to prove widespread and abund
Australian Hunter3 min read
SmartRest Double Down
After reviewing SmartRest’s inaugural Quad Rest, I was so impressed that I purchased a unit and mounted it on my quad. So, it should come as no surprise that I was super-excited when I received the Quad Rest II for review. The versatility and inbuilt
Australian Hunter4 min read
Campfire Quail
When I think back to memorable camping trips, a wide variety of places, friends and events come to mind. Yet, there is one thing many of these outings have in common. They involved great food, prepared over a campfire. These days, electric coolers, v
Australian Hunter6 min read
The Chital Challenge
For many trophy deer hunters around Australia, the thought of taking representative heads from all of our deer species crosses the mind at some point in our hunting career. Red, fallow, hog, chital, rusa and sambar deer are dispersed all over our cou
Australian Hunter4 min read
Jelinek Custom Blades
I like nice rifles. Really nice rifles. For instance, a Model 70 Winchester 7mm-08 with gorgeous custom timber for red deer work. Then there is a Brno ZG47 .30-06 with a 65-year-old story to tell which I carry for water buffaloes. Another Brno ZKW 46
Australian Hunter4 min read
The ginger Boar is No More
With pigs too plentiful on my hunting grounds, I had temporarily switched attention from wild dogs to feral porkers. The trail cameras were showing lots of daytime pig activity on a dead cow, so hunting buddy Pete and I decided to sit over the carcas
Australian Hunter11 min read
Game Bird Taxidermy 101
Any hunter has his or her reason to chase their animal of choice in conditions that are often far from comfortable. For me, the main reason is to put meat on the table, followed by a strong urge to be out in the bush, close to nature. The fact that I
Australian Hunter6 min read
A Case For Upgrading
It would be nice if you could have a singular rifle for each hunting situation irrespective of the game involved. Unfortunately, there is the small matter of finance which normally limits the number of rifles that you might own. However, I suggest th
Australian Hunter5 min read
Flying Farmyard ferals
With the wide distribution of both game and pest species across Australia, we as hunters are often spoilt for choice. Many opt to seek the pigs and goats of the red dirt plains and Pilliga Scrub or the big sambar deer of those rugged mountains high.
Australian Hunter3 min read
Around The Campfire With John Denman
As I write this, the rain is coming down in sheets. Rivers are rising all along the east coast, and a few further inland streams have experienced some minor flooding. Now, it’s no fun to be out camping in the bush and being rained on, but it happens.
Australian Hunter1 min readDiet & Nutrition
Best In The World Title For Field To Fork – Second Helpings
This latest accolade for the Field to Fork franchise was announced at the 27th Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Umea, Sweden in early June 2022. It marks the third time a Field to Fork publication has been recognised on the international stage. Fiel

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