Australian Hunting Backcountry

Hi all, I have the honour of speaking with two legends in this episode; Rob Herbert (R & N Blades) plus Jason (@liquidantler). I chat with Rob about his legendary knife making talents and about his own mental health journey and suicide prevention - for which Rob is a massive advocate for. I also sit down with Jason and we discuss why mental health is so important to him and our fundraising efforts in 'Mullets For Mental Health'...

Hi all, I'm joined by Jason (@liquidantler) in this two part chat with my mate, Blake (@the_venture_folk), as a pre and post breakdown from our Victoria trip in September 2024. Blake has never really done a multi-day backpacking trip so I wanted to get his perspectives on all the work that he has done, gear and the advice that Jason and I have been giving him over the previous year or so. Blake shares his experiences and confirms h...

In this episode I connect with Fergus Bailey @rifletuner a competitive long range shooter and hunter, and we talk around what he feels is actually needed for reloading and load testing at a competitive level in 'long range' distances and the transition of that to hunting.

I did have some minor technical issues to overcome in this episode so bear with me on the audio...

I will invite Fergus back for another one or two recordings (if h...

In September 2024 I travel to Victoria highcountry with Jason from @liquidantler and Blake from @the_venture_folk for a multi-day backpack hunt. We packraft, avoid snakes, try to find water and have an amazing adventure.

Check out the video of the hunt on Liquid Antler YouTube channel.

For 2025 I am proud to partner with;

Natures Perks -naturesperks.com.au

@natures_perks_aus

Gun Traders Australia -guntraders.com.au

@guntradersaustralia

On this episode I chat with Henk from Crispi Australia/New Zealand and my friend, and previous guest, Chris Burns about the range of @crispi_aus boots available to Australian/NZ hunters. They dive in and share a wealth of knowledge about the individual models and what goes into making Crispi a leader in the hunting boot industry. Being a backcountry hunter himself, Chris, outlines where each model sits, their best application in hu...

In May 2024 I was able to spend an incredible 3 weeks hunting in New Zealand. For the second part of my trip I decided not to take any recording gear and just concentrate on hunting. I made a number of notes along the way so this is the recap from those. I hope my learnings help with anyone considering doing a hunt in NZ

On my trip to NZ I used products from my podcast partners and highly recommend these;

Skeleton Optics - @skelet...

In May 2024 I was able to spend an incredible 3 weeks hunting in New Zealand and in between hunts, I was very fortunate to be able to meet up with the two young lads from @theweekendmish. Raz and Gabe are absolutely knocking it out of the park with their hunting and success in this world. We had a really fun chat and I would loved to have stayed longer but their schedule was tight so I slipped in for as long as I could and then mov...

In May 2024 I was able to spend nearly 3 weeks in New Zealand chasing Tahr and Chamois on my own. This is from my first hunt which was up the Copland River on the west coast. The recordings are done in the field and after the hunt so the audio is reflective of my surroundings. Spoiler alert - I didn't get any animals on the ground but I did see a couple of beautiful Tahr bulls.

I wanted to be able to pass on my learnings along the...

With the potential ban on lead core projectiles being a hot topic at the moment, I speak with Nathan & Steph Morris from 'Terminal Ballistics Research' and pick his bran stemming from their extensive research. Nathan is considered a world leading expert in ballistics and published an article on his website titled "Homogenous copper bullets can be inhumane".

Nathan and Steph have an extensive knowledge base on ...

Mental health and firearm ownership is a complex topic to navigate and on this episode I chat with Glen who went through a mental health issue and lost his access to firearms. As a result, Glen made it a personal mission to change how the government treated people in this situation. I'm thankful for people like Glen and his team from Mental Hunts for bringing the focus on this topic in such a measured approach. While they are b...

The topic for this episode is backcountry communication and safety. I talk with Reiny from the Satphone Shop about all things to do with remote communication devices and options. What Reiny doesn't know I'm sure isn't worth knowing and we dive deep into satellite comms. The Satphone shop in Mulgrave, Victoria has a great range of products and supports our hunting community so reach out to them if you're needing some...

A Dall's sheep is a dream pinnacle hunt for many hunters. Well, Cait and Tonia from Alaska made it happen. Being residents of Alaska has advantages and in this case Cait drew a coveted tag and Tonia volunteered to go along and help out. The video is available on the YouTube channel of 'Semi Wild Alaska' and I strongly suggest you watch that after listening to the podcast - as well as some of the other amazing hunting an...

Rick is a NSW based Sambar hunter but had not undertaken a multi-day backpack hunt - until now. Rick and I chatted about gear and prep before the hunt and then caught up after the hunt to break down what worked and what he might change for the next one. Rick is also prepping for a NZ trip later this year.

Rick is also heavily involved in mental health first aid in his workplace and we chat a bit about the benefits of hunting and &#...

Lucy and Ben are a unique backcountry hunting duo being father and daughter hunters. Based in New Zealand, they go on some amazing hunting adventures together and Lucy captures a lot of this for her YouTube channel.

Lucy and Ben were in the planning for a Fiordland trip when we recorded this and they would have just returned at the time this episode was released. Follow along at Instagram @lucynilson or YouTube @lucynilson

In the F...

I talk with Josh from Alpine Accuracy around long range shooting and shooting deer from distance - specifically Sambar deer in Vic Alpine Park. Josh is a keen backpack hunter but also produces some lightweight products for the long range hunters.

Contact him via Instagram if you're interested in knowing more or getting hold of some gear; @alpine_accuracy

In the Friends of the Podcast segment, I meet Nick from Bigham Forge. Nick...

This episode is a chat with James Lathrop around the services that Lathrop and Sons offer to customise your hunting boots. If you suffer pain with your feet, boot related problems, not sure what boots to get or want something more suited to your hunting then this may be of interest to you. Lathrop and Sons have their own range of boots but also access to many other reliable brands.

Check them out on Instagram @lathropandsonsboots

o...

Backcountry fitness and food tips with Ben from 'The Game Dietitian'. Ben is a hunter, fisher and academic with a keen interest in seeing people achieve their best in the backcountry.

Check out his programmes on offer; ⁠https://www.thegamedietitian.com.au/

or on Instagram; @thegamedietitian

In the Friends of the Podcast segment, I chat with Mick from 'The Deer School' about the courses he runs to assist anyone in su...

On this episode I speak with Luke, dedicated bow hunter, firefighter and part-owner of Braken Wear about the business and the clothing that had been designed and adapted for hunting conditions.

Check out what they have to offer; https://brakenwear.com/

or on Instagram; @brakenwear

In the Friends of the Podcast segment, I answer some questions about On Track Meals products and break down some of the weights in comparison to popular ...

Chris Boon has been backpack hunting for many years and details his learnings, experiences and some personal challenges that he overcame to get back into the Vic high country in 2023. For those of you old enough to remember having to read hunting magazines to get your content fix, Chris wrote a number of articles and is probably best remembered for hunts with his infant son in his backpack. Chris has successfully hunted all 6 speci...