Innholdsfortegnelse for Edition 72 i Australian Hunter

It is time to come out from living under a rock if you haven’t noticed the new technology in bow sights that appeared on the market a little more than a year ago. I’m talking about the Burris Oracle bow sight, that calculates the distance while at full draw with the press of a button. You draw your bow, line up your target using the 20-yard pin then hit the switch. Instantly the Oracle estimates the target and the sight displays the correct light-emitting diode (LED) to shoot that distance. Fixed pin shooters are all too familiar with ‘gap’ shooting or holding over or under when distances don’t suit their practice marks. This means evenly splitting a set 30- and 40-yard pin to shoot a distance of 35 yards. The…

If you have ever hunted game in the Northern Territory such as feral pigs, scrub bulls and in particular our big-bodied Asiatic water buffaloes, it’s on the cards you will want to go again, at least one more time. It’s just different in every way - with the wildlife, scenery, culture and untouched land. That’s why we often refer to it as the Last Frontier, and it truly is, having experienced it myself on three separate guided hunts. The memories are everlasting. My good friends Alex, Ray and Bill recently returned from a three-day epic buffalo hunt in the Northern Territory with Shane, of Watts Safaris. This is the account of an extraordinary buffalo adventure. The three avid hunters had previously experienced successful Arnhem Land buffalo hunts at varying NT…

It would be a pretty fair assumption that every hunter has their own personal incentive to pursue his or her quest. That said, one of the main motivations apart from just being out in the country having a well-earned break from city life, would be to bring home quantities of game meat in one form or another for later consumption as a fabulous meal. There can be a great deal of effort involved to field dress the harvested animal and perhaps break it down into more manageable sized components for the return trip to your house. Once back, the next stage is how best to store the meat to maintain its freshness over time? Many people carefully further condense the meat into its respective pieces. Then place these into plastic…

My Macquarie dictionary defines quality as having a distinguishing feature or attribute with a degree of excellence. Within the cutlery industry and in the Australian military survival training group, it is accepted that this distinguishing feature in a knife is the ability to hold an edge. Additionally, the dictionary defines sharp as having a thin cutting edge or fine point, and blunt as having an obtuse, thick or dull edge. None of those definitions are helpful in deciding that a knife is a quality article. However, if we proceed to conduct a slicing test to produce a decision, we would need to elect the number of cuts needed before the knife changes from being sharp to being blunt. To reach unanimous agreement as to this change point would be difficult…

The sun was beginning to sink below the opposing ridgeline as we stalked to within comfortable shooting range of two goats. It was late autumn and Rob had invited me to join him on a reconnaissance of a property he had regular access to. He had been eager to take his teenage son out looking for deer sign. Within minutes of reaching the property the young man had accounted for a good size fox, but an hour or two later we had yet to spot any trace of deer. Rob was the first to observe two light shapes, sky-lining themselves, on a spur to our north. There was a moment of debate - were they sheep or goats? Once I had trained the binoculars on them it was plainly obvious,…

You’ve been deerstalking all day… The sun is nearly setting as you begin to check out the last heavily forested gully for the outing. Up ahead, you spot a few grazing deer. Ever so carefully, you close in for a shot. By the time you are in position and have waited for your chosen animal to give you an opportunity, the sun has gone down and dusk is rapidly settling on the landscape. You squeeze off the shot, confident that it is right on the point of the shoulder. You lose sight of the deer as the rifle recoils. The smack of a well-placed shot adds to your confidence. You take a few bearings on prominent trees then set off to cross the creek and find your prize. By the…

When it comes to hunting, where do drones enter the equation? Some say drones are the future of hunting. Drone capabilities have expanded exponentially over recent years yet their prices have never been more affordable. Now compact enough to throw in your backpack for a hunting trip, are they an asset or just an expensive toy? I’ll let you be the judge. Only 10 years ago the drone scene was very different. Battery flight time lasted just 10 minutes, a maximum flying distance of 300-500m with average quality cameras and basic potential. Yet today we enjoy a battery life which can exceed 30 minutes flight time, 4k high definition cameras (the Mavic 2 Pro carries a Hasselblad lens, the same used on the cameras for the Apollo 11 mission landing…

The shotgun shell as we know it today has evolved since its invention around the 1860s into a sophisticated and effective cartridge that covers a whole world of uses at relatively short range. Originally they looked much like a brass rifle or pistol case with straight walls and various methods of holding the overshot wad in place to keep the lead pellets securely in the cartridge. Somewhere around 1880 paper hulls started to replace full brass shotgun shells mainly because of economy, and this method of construction with a brass head to accommodate the primer was popular right up until the late 1960s worldwide. In the early days felt wads were used to separate the powder in the base of the shell from the lead shot payload. The shell was…

As long as shooters have been squeezing triggers there has been a desire to achieve a higher level of performance from their firearms. After World War Two and especially during the 1960s there was a great deal of work devoted to modifying cartridges largely in an effort to increase velocities. During that time many wildcat cartridges were developed, a few of which ultimately wound up being ‘legitimised’ by the ammo and firearms companies who adopted those designs for production. However, many other models didn’t achieve that same level of accreditation, but are in their own rights no less impressive. P.O. Ackley’s improved designs During that heyday of wildcatting the name P.O. Ackley became almost synonymous with the concept of improved cartridge designs. To create these new items it became necessary…

Hunters need patience for targeting any game. This is particularly true for those on the trail of wild dogs. A recent experience drove that point home clearly to me. Most times, when calling wild dogs, they seem to appear just as you are in the process of abandoning that position and moving to another. The number of times that wild dogs turn up almost immediately to a call is, unfortunately, in the minority. A nearby farmer phoned me to say that a few of his calves were missing and others had bite wounds. Son and hunting buddy Ryan was visiting, so this was a great opportunity for an outing together that would not interfere with a gathering of family for a special event. The property was only a few minutes…

I know it’s probably pretty much commonsense, but a hunting rifle needs to be sighted properly before you take it into the bush. There have been plenty of well-planned hunting trips ruined simply due to the rifle not being correctly sighted in before leaving home. Even if you have sighted the rifle well previously, it’s worth checking again. It’s a busy world we live in and many people may only have time to hunt once or twice a year. All your other preparation can be undone by having a rifle that doesn’t shoot where you need it to. Then that long-awaited hunt is off to a very bad start. To begin with I’d suggest that many of the stories you hear about people doing a running shot at 700m successfully…

As I stepped from the dock onto the float plane, my Alaskan brown bear hunt had begun. An hour later the Alaska Peninsula greeted us with towering sea cliffs and a snow-capped volcano. Soon we were on a lake, in the middle of nowhere, unloading our gear. We weren’t long into our first full day of hunting when Jeff spotted a big bear about two miles out, on the side of a mountain. Jeff reckoned that it was a boar and definitely worth climbing for. I agreed but before we could pack up, we saw another bear making its way over a snow patch towards our animal. This bear turned out to be a sow and she was soon socialising with the boar. We waited and watched. Eventually both bears…

As regular readers will be aware, I like my Leathermans. Here’s why. . . I recall receiving a Swiss Army-type ‘thing’ for Christmas of about 1987 and even at my young age (at the time) I remember thinking what an overloaded contraption it was. Too much stuff. Way too much. And all of it almost too small to be of practical use. Sure, it was a cool novelty because I was a kid, but it was still just that - a novelty. For use around the farm or on overnight boating trips with my father to Rainbow Beach or on Moreton Bay, it proved to be less than useful. Fiddly, thin little blades which could barely gut a guppy, let alone process the hares I’d frequently despatch with my Brno…

Founded in Australia, Bush Edge offer high-quality universal outdoor products that are built tough for our conditions. Specifically for the hunter, the all-weather Bush Edge Ultimate rifle cover has been designed to allow quick access thanks to the slimline elastic soft shell. The cover accommodates just about any rifle or shotgun and is compatible with rifle scopes, muzzle brakes and bipods. The durable brushed fabric, lined coating and end guards mean your firearm is well protected at all times from damage and elements like water and dust. Suitable for the range and when out hunting, it’s appropriate with quad and motorbikes and folds down nicely when not in use. Specifications Length: Fits rifles scoped or unscoped 101cm to 139cm (40" to 55") Weight: 330 grams (11.64oz) Fabric: Brushed tricot with…

The electronic caller wailed loudly in the valley above the river, the rabbit distress call echoed around the hills. My new Howa .223 was ready with the bipod legs fully extended in the sitting position. On its second cycle I spotted a flash of red to my left, as I swivelled my body and rifle to face the incoming Reynard. It saw me, then turned and bolted - was it going to do a ‘look back’? I was at my cabin on the banks of the Snowy River. As a family we are here once every 18 months as it is 2100km from home. The cabin has no neighbours, rainwater tanks and a generator for night-time lighting, plus a fuel stove to warm the cabin as we regularly suffer -6…

Opinions differ but the combination rifle/shotgun was born in 1938 or 1939, created by the then Stevens Company, which was later purchased by Savage. It then became the Savage Model 24 in 1950. Originally chambered in .22 Long Rifle over .410 Shotshell with a barrel length of 24" (61cm), it opened with a top lever and sported an exposed hammer with a barrel selector comprising a button that was pushed up or down on the right side of the frame. It was adopted by the US Air Force in the 1950s in .22 Hornet over .410 with a shortened barrel and this design is still in existence today (with a legal length barrel) as the Springfield Armory M6 Scout. In 1950 the little Stevens .22-410 disappeared and became the Savage…

You have finished hunting or fishing for the day and it’s time to relax around the campfire. The sun is dropping towards the horizon and the air is beginning to chill. It’s comfortable next to the flames and you just don’t want to move away from that radiating heat. Certainly not for the length of time necessary to cook a hearty meal. Welcome to a new era of campsite cooking in the RotaBBQ. You can sit and enjoy the warmth and comradery of the fire with your mates while cooking up your day’s quarry. Offering a versatile stainless steel grill, the RotaBBQ works well over any campfire type or location. Be it on the beach, next to the river or even on uneven ground. The simple yet flexible design allows…

Stalking slowly through long grass beside a river channel, the foxes launched themselves from under a log. One went left and the other to the right. The first touch of the Brno’s rear trigger delivered a load of SG towards the first. The same trigger caught the second with a 7mm bullet as it hesitated on the edge of the channel. The Brno combination performed as intended, snap shooting feral game in thick cover. While I respect the abilities of feral game, their environmental impact must be controlled. Hunting provides an effective management strategy without the ethical issues of trapping and poisoning. Understanding the abilities of feral game helps give the hunter an edge. It can also explain why particular hunting tactics have proved effective over time. Foxes are superb…

The .270 Winchester has certainly stood the test of time. It’s one of our most popular big game rounds and with good reason. Coming out in 1925 at a time when the .30-06 was generally considered the best all-round big game cartridge, the .270 was off to a slow start. Popularity increased in the 1940s after Monroe Goode, of Sports Afield, Townsend Whelen, writing for Guns and Ammo and then Jack O’Connor, writing for Outdoor Life, started to praise it. They argued that it allowed most hunters to place their shots at distant game better than the .30-06 because of a milder recoil and flatter trajectory. The .270 Winchester hasn’t been without controversy. Other gunwriters such as Elmer Keith derided the .270. He found that the projectiles of the time…