Ponchos, Umbrellas or Raincoats? That is the question. What’s the best way to stay dry in the rain and enjoy yourself in the outdoors while doing so? I have been soaking wet, all over, every ‘warm’ layer down to my skin, more times than I can count. Mostly of course it was when I was …
Originally posted 2/08/2011: ‘Back early from three days’ hunting/hiking in Wonnangatta-Moroka NP due to sore toes (Have to do more research into boots) and accidentally taking the three-quarter length Neoair mat which was a bit harsh on my bad back. However saw lots of deer, some of whom visited me during the night.’ (This is …
Sambar deer do not have a voice. When they are wantonly murdered en masse with no regard to ethics or the law, the survivors cannot speak out. We have to be their voice. Understand this, I am not some namby-pamby greenie do-gooder. I have hunted deer in the Gippsland mountains for nigh on forty years, …
A couple of days roaming the wilds looking at deer makes a pleasant break from farm fencing. My back and knee are still giving me trouble but the Meniers which has plagued me for the last fortnight seemed to have taken a holiday, so I wanted to get away. I may need another back operation …
An infallible weather forecast, if a change of weather is coming up: ‘Wind then rain. No pain. Rain then wind, stay in!’ In plain words this says that when rain comes first without wind then expect a long period of bad weather with high winds and heavy rain. But when wind comes first and …
Ken & Marg Tustin have been hunting these beasts in Fiordland’s forests since the 1970’s. The creatures are enormously elusive. Of course there are lots of browse, prints, droppings but so far they have managed to come up with a single cast antler, two positive DNA samples and a couple of (unfortunately) poor quality photos …
I know lots of you have seen this photo before as I have used it as a signature image for some time. Unsurprisingly a number have asked, ‘There must be a story behind that stag, Steve. Tell us about it’. Well, here goes…You can no doubt tell by how much I have aged that it …
Thumbtack reflectors such as ‘Fire Tacks’ are a great way to mark any route you may need to travel after dark – eg after sitting up over a wallow or game trail for a sambar deer until the light fades and then wanting to get back safely and quickly to your camp. NB the Stealth …
Score: 312 3/8: This will take some beating. Clearly the deer are very well fed in Tennessee: http://althouse.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/stephen-tucker-27-year-old-farmer-in.html
Despite having a cold developing, I decided to take a couple of days off from my weed spraying, fencing, tree planting, sheep husbandry etc and head back to the ‘Mystery River’. While I live I can yet journey on, one step after another – unlike my schoolboy friend, news of whose unpleasant death reached me …
Hunting sambar with spears/knives has been illegal in Victoria for a long time but was once the normal preferred ethical way of hunting them. Of course most such hunters used dogs as well (coursers/hounds), but such a method of hunting comes closest to how the animal evolved to be hunted, or would be hunted in …
I have been a hunter for over 60 years. I still feel much more thought needs to be given to the ethics of the hunt. It never ceases to amaze me (for example) that Rene Descartes, one of the West’s pre-eminent thinkers (and someone I also recognise as an outstandingly bright hombre cf his contribution …
So, Spot and I headed back to the ‘Mystery River’ for another look-see. I have become more vague about naming such places as I see lazier folk wanting to track me there – someone had visited only the day before, though last time I was there clearly no-one had been there for YEARS. (I will …
It is incredibly difficult country. Some ‘easier’ areas (eg along the South Coast Track) are flatter and safer. There are both pigs and deer there. In NZ they have these excellent DOC (‘Dept of Conservation’) huts all over the place (roughly a solid day’s walk apart with a pack; all have a helipad) which …
Having mastered the art of lighting a fire in terrible conditions (I hope you have: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-light-a-fire-in-the-wet/), and making a passable comfy shelter so you can enjoy your time in the bush, the next big step is mastering the art of walking. Too many men take overlong strides and land on their heels. I don’t know …
Some people have quizzed me about this scope which fits in a 35mm film canister. Old hunting friends probably still have one of these from me courtesy of Xmases long ago, but alas they have not been available for a number of years. Keep looking though. They are great! As you can see, it is …
Most everyone carries too much gear (whether multi-day hiking, or just as a day pack). After my first solo hike of the Dusky Track Fiordland in 2006 (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-adventures-1/), the first thing I did when I came home was throw mout my old expensive hunting daypack. I had spent some time working out how to carry …
I have hunted sambar deer for over 40 years in the Gippsland mountains (and elsewhere). Mostly I did it because it was fun and an excuse for a day out in the bush which I love. I still prefer lamb, and having been a sheep farmer for just as long, I always had plenty on …
That’s a map of the Mitchell on Matt’s phone, the (white) Tyvek tent between me and Spot, the Brasslite stove sitting on an upturned plastic bowl (a 19 gram leveling aid I am trying out) next to the box of Kiwifruit, my camo vest on the back of the chair, two magnifying glasses we have …
It is now common to encounter deer sign on our evening walks though when we moved here a quarter century ago it was exceeding rare: you could search all day for sign and yet be in doubt. Now FOUR species of deer inhabit the forests behind us: red, sambar, fallow and hog deer. During WW1 …
