FGA magazine Issue 30, June 2023

From the Editor

As I write this column, the duck and quail hunting seasons are well and truly under way in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, and by all reports the hunting has been excellent so far.

Ducks are abundant in all directions, and hunters are making the most of the opportunities they have – which, in Victoria in particular, is not much thanks to a severely restricted season of just five weeks’ duration and a paltry bag limit of four birds per day.

Some of our members, no doubt, fear that the writing is on the wall and 2023 could be the final duck hunting season in South Australia and Victoria; political pressure has been growing for a ban on duck hunting, and there are parliamentary inquiries currently under way in both states that are looking into the recreational native game bird hunting arrangements.

Regardless of these pressures, Field & Game Australia is committed to the fight to save duck hunting. You, our members, have also stepped up to the plate and delivered your submissions to the inquiries, and donated generously to the Field & Game Fighting Fund.

We all share in this fight; we all seek to preserve the traditions and culture that have sustained us physically, mentally and socially for countless generations. We received the following poem from John Peek of the Riverland (SA) branch, who has captured well the sentiments of duck hunters:

So, on native bird hunting you’re having a review, Are you seriously telling me I can’t eat duck stew? Since the dawn of time, they have kept us well fed, Would you have us eat carrots, tofu, and lettuce instead?

You have your lifestyle and I have mine, You cannot judge me, you’re not Divine. I do not tell you how to spend your days, What right have you to mend my ways?

You say that I am cruel, and I don’t give a thought, To the creatures I kill, or the ones that you bought. I know where my food comes from, not from a bowl, The wild duck feeds me, my heart, and my soul.

You get your meat from a butcher from down at the store, While dawn breaks in the swamp I stand in awe. You drain a swamp to make more bread, I dig out channels and fill them instead. They shoot them as pests to grow your rice, Just so you get it at the very best price, I see them as brothers, high in the sky. One day I’ll join them, when it’s my time to fly.

Thanks John, we appreciate you taking the time to put pen to paper. Thanks must also go to those members who have been sending in their photos from duck hunts around the state – it’s fantastic to see the evidence of good times spent with family and friends while providing free-range (and tasty!) food for our tables.

As always, feel free to contact us – we welcome your ideas, your stories and your photos.

Hope to see you around the traps soon!

Wendy Russell

Editor – Field & Game Australia

If you have feedback of any sort or would like to contribute to Field & Game magazine in any way, drop us a line at Editor@Fieldandgame.com.au Or, you can give us a call on (03) 5799 0960.

Field & Game Australia

Lucas Cooke – Chief Executive Officer

Glenn Falla – Conservation & Hunting Manager

Kathryn Rohde – Administrative and Membership Officer

Wendy Russell – Editor & Media Co-ordinator

FGA Board

Danny Ryan – Chairman

David Anderson – Vice-Chairman

Adam Carson

Trent Leen

Vicki Norris

Magazine Production Team

Jacqui Maskell – Graphic Designer

Wendy Russell – Editor & Media Co-ordinator

Lucas Cooke – CEO

Glenn Falla – Conservation & Hunting Manager

External Contributors

Emma Cox

Karen Davies

Jason Flesch

Bart Irwin

Michael Kruger-Davis

Trevor Stow

Bart Turgoose

Chris Wardrop

Rod Watt

Grace Wilson

Sam Wilson

Print Production

Deb Shields – General Manager

Deanne Martin – Account Manager

Tammie Jones/Deepika Khadgi – Customer Co-ordinator

Craig Jennings – Estimating and Sales manager

Trent Small – Prepress Manager

Andy Shayler - Production Manager

Gary Chaplin – Warehouse/Mailing Supervisor

Peter Fletcher – Despatch Supervisor

Alex D’Ambrosio – Warehouse/Dispatch Manager

Field & Game (ISSN: 2206-0707) is published and printed by McPhersons Printing (76 Nelson St, Maryborough VIC 3465) under licence from Field & Game Australia Inc www.fieldandgame.com.au

Copyright 2022 Field & Game Australia Inc.

Contents

June – August 2023 Issue 30

Page 6

FGA Chairman: Danny Ryan

Page 8

FGA Chief Executive Officer: Lucas Cooke

Page 10

Conservation: Hunter conservationists continue their work at Gaynor Swamp

Page 12

Firearms: We take a look inside the workshop of stock maker Lewis Carpenter

Page 18

Ask an expert: Rod Watt answers your gundog questions

Page 19

Gundogs: Scurry held as part of retrieving trials at Sale

Page 20

Review: CEO Lucas Cooke takes the Beretta BRX1 on a hunt

Page 24

Gundogs: Gippsland Retrieving Club puts pooches through their paces

Page 26

Review: Michael Kruger-Davis tries out NSI’s shotgun shell range

Page 29

Hunting: Emily overjoyed to join in the family tradition

Page 30

Firearms: Global Weapons Systems aims to be your onestop shop

Page 34

Hunting: Duck opening 2023, state by state

Page 37

Hunting: SA hunters gather to celebrate the season

Hunting: Benalla fox crews donate to FGA Fighting Fund

Page 38

Hunting: Geelong FGA member Trent Leen takes us to the SA opening

Page 39

Hunting: From Super-Junior to fully fledged junior hunter

Page 40

Hunting: American visitor enjoys hunting in two states

Page 43

Study: Quail wing study offers insights

Page 44

Hunting: Season opening a double celebration for Don Peters

Page 45

Hunting: Sarah Kennedy and her GWP enjoy their first hunt

Page 46

Conservation: Youngsters get hands-on during Bug Blitz education day at Connewarre

Page 48

Clay target: Northern Territory FGA gears up for Festival of Clays

Page 54

Hunting: King Island offers a weekend to remember

Page 56

Food: Pheasant stir-fry on the menu

Page 58

Food: Salami-making tradition a celebration of culture and family

Page 62

Gundogs: Rod Watt’s tips for keeping your four-legged mate happy during the hunt

Page 64

Vet Talk: Healthy teeth help keep your gundog in good shape

Page 66

Know your species: Hardhead

Page 68

Psychology: Composure a key component when seeking consistent results

Page 70

Branch news: Poachers’ Weekend draws big numbers

Page 74

Branch news: Labour Day shoot at Natimuk

Page 76

Branch news: Donald scores new tractor through grant process

Page 77

Branch news: Year-long Moe Junior Championship decided

Page 78

Branch news: Port Phillip farewells a long-time member

Page 79

Branch news: Ararat & Stawell FGA awards new Life Member; Grampians gets technology boost

Lewis Carpenter’s workshop

Page 80

Branch news: Ballarat shoot raises funds for men’s mental health

Page 82

Back page musings: with Field & Game Australia CEO Lucas Cooke

Cover Photo: Emily Bullock, 15, with her very first game bird, a grey teal. Turn to page 29 for more on Emily’s first ever duck harvest.

Ben Vaughn hunts in Australia 58

Salami making 48

NT Festival of Clays

Beretta BRX1 review

Pheasant stir-fry

United in fighting for our traditions

Hello members,

As I write my column in mid May, we are faced with an unprecedented set of circumstances; an unusual state of play where we face immense threat and opportunity at the same time.

Instead of reporting and writing about the exceptional hunting results in all southern states, we have been engaged and battling a set of unexpected political outcomes in Victoria and South Australia.

The hunting and shooting organisations have banded together and the membership has also risen to fight this challenge, and collectively we must continue to fight for the future of hunting not only in Victoria and South Australia but in all states and territories.

Politics is indeed a strange game. In spite of consistent and stable policy from various state governments in power, a new and invisible wave of thought has taken hold among junior backbenchers and a change of narrative has taken place in the corners of parties, with support for constant and stable policy now ignored.

We saw an incredibly adverse outcome in the Victorian duck hunting season arrangements especially, and all key hunting end users were blindsided by the ‘new’ Minister for Outdoor Recreation who simply ignored all rational science presented to her by the Victorian Game Management Authority. South Australia, where a restricted season was also announced, fared much better with only a shortened front of the season and a rational daily bag limit – conditions which saw many Victorian hunters trek west and spend thousands of dollars in regional SA during what would normally have been the Victorian season opening.

To rub a little more salt into the wound, the Victorian Minister for Outdoor Recreation also announced a highly restricted number of days for the quail season despite a massive population increase of these birds.

Field & Game Australia has written several times to this minister and received a

simple form letter in reply; FGA was not consulted or informed of any additional changes to the season and has generally been ignored, as has the Victorian GMA. It’s been a tough month or two to be a duck hunter, with the exception of those hunting in Tasmania and those looking forward to the season in the Northern Territory.

Select Committee inquiries

Both Victoria and South Australia announced a Select Committee process to evaluate “Native Bird Hunting” (they missed “game”) in each state, with reports due to be made to the government later in the year – August 31 in Victoria, and in SA when the report is ready.

The opportunity with this process is to present all of the science and data plus the combined knowledge and experience of our membership, which is substantial and should never be underestimated. The risk is that the committees are loaded with a pre-determined political and or ideological outcome and we won’t get a true hearing.

It’s been a mammoth task to draw together all of our hunting history combined with the science and data behind it, and there may have been a few weeks where we have been a little quiet – that’s because the team led by your FGA board and operations staff along with our specialist consultants have been very diligently assembling and putting together a great submission on our members’ behalf.

Our members have also acted to present submissions to both select committees –and it is so important to carry the weight of numbers in this instance, as we know the average community member is not engaged in hunting.

Unfortunately, as is often the case when action is called for, not enough of our members made a submission – and to see only 7-8,000 Victorian submissions when there are more than 26,000 duck and quail hunters in Victoria is disappointing. The submission process took less than five

minutes, and calling or writing to your local MP would take a similar time – yet the consistent feedback we get from politicians is that our voice is outnumbered dramatically. We MUST change this.

Submissions to the SA inquiry close within the week as I write this, and we are currently presenting all information to members via email, newsletter, and social media channels – as we did on a regular basis when seeking submissions to the Victorian inquiry.

Nevertheless, some members have informed us that they did not know how to make a submission to the Victorian inquiry. If you have not been receiving the weekly newsletters, please check your email addresses on your membership; and if you have been receiving the newsletters, please read them – and check that your hunting mates and shooting networks know about our important messaging as well.

We also ran a Fighting Fund campaign, to which members and branches generously donated, and we also have commitments from branches to further fund the cause. I thank all members for their donations. We have used this fighting fund for:

• King’s Council for revision of the Victorian duck hunting season arrangements;

• A consultant engaged for a six-week block to compile submissions to the Victorian and South Australian inquiries into game bird hunting;

• Hotline number and staff for submissions process;

• Videos and promotional package;

• Consulting with Australian and international experts;

• Additional administrative consultants;

• SA committee representation;

• PR consultant;

• Advertising; and

• A few more confidential things we can’t mention just yet!

The next steps in the Select Committee process are presentations to the committee, public hearings and then final reporting. FGA is well positioned and will be leading the process for its members.

ORAG

A key point of our fight in Victoria has seen us form strategic alliances and become a founding member of the Outdoor Recreation Advocacy Group (ORAG). This group is an alliance between some of the major Victorian Unions – ETU, AMWU, CFMEU, PPTEU, TWU –and there are also other key organisations alongside us such as SSAA Victoria, VRFISH, Victorian Rock Climbing Association, PMAV, FGA Working Gundog Group, WAGA, ADA, Hound hunters, BUGU and more …

Hunting is only one component of this group’s objectives, as it’s formed to defend all outdoor recreational use. ORAG is working hard to represent a very wide range of stakeholders, and the charter is soon to be released. This group now represents some 400-450,000 members if we include every licensed recreational angler in the count. The group is continuing to grow, is forming some strong policies and is a very exciting group to be part of.

Council meeting

We pulled forward the council meeting from late May and conducted it at Connewarre Wetland Centre over the weekend of April 15 and 16.

There was a stable turnout of branches represented, however given some of the important topics that were to be discussed, representation from a few more branches

would have been appropriate. A great many topics were discussed, and a full brief and breakdown of all FGA activities was presented.

Nationals

The program for the 2023 Field & Game Australia ASF National Carnival will soon be announced, sponsors will be listed and preparations will get under way.

The host venue is Clunes, and the format will remain similar to last year’s very successful event: Friday will be a practice and vendors’ day with some new activities, Saturday will be the first day of the ASF nationals, Sunday will be the second day and conclusion of the ASF nationals. The event will again be 150 targets, with 100 on Saturday and 50 on Sunday, with both OTG and HCP events. Sunday will see the top 10 shootout return in a pacier format prior to presentations.

Monday will see a re-jig and repositioning of the grounds and there will be a 100-target English Sporting Nationals event conducted off the gun. The entries for this event will be capped at 360 competitors.

Dates are Friday, November 3 to Monday, November 6.

Our target setters will once again be Peter Hall and Simon Hore, with both very excited to put on six grounds of ASF and the ESP on the marvellous terrain available at Clunes.

The Field & Game Australia SxS Nationals are also on this year in Darwin during the annual Festival of Clays in August, and this

is a great event to pencil into your calendar. The clay target committee has come up with a revised set of rules around ATV use which is in the process of revision by the insurer and board; it will be forwarded in draft format to all branches shortly.

Other points for consideration are rules revision, in particular the management of Novelty events, MCMS updates and functionality.

Board news

Board nominations are due to open on June 1 and will stay open until July 31.

This year two positions are available and candidates are invited to apply across this timeframe. Inquires can be directed to the returning officer, CEO Lucas Cooke, at the FGA national office; there will be further advice on this in newsletters and via direct email.

Serving on the board is rewarding, enlightening and important to plan, strategise and advance the causes of FGA for branches and members.

Take action

To finish my column and loop back to the start, it’s vital that every member makes a call and lobbies their local politician. We do a good job at parliamentary level but your contact with your local MP is very important to keep them engaged and up to date with your concerns as a constituent. This is especially important if your local politician is anti-hunting.

We also need you as members to report back on these matters so we can assess and educate those MPs. It’s also important to remember and point out that although we know our arguments – sometimes your local MP won’t. FGA has many resources to utilise and is creating more and more for that purpose. It’s also important to recognize we must present our argument in a rational and respectful manner.

As always, I impress upon all members and branches that being a member of this great organisation is meant to be enjoyable and fun. Help grow our membership; we are at our best when united and spending time with likeminded people.

Don’t let the current political fight wear you down; we have the knowledge, expertise and science on our side.

It’s our heritage, our culture, our tradition and we will protect it. We can and will win.

Danny Ryan Chairman Field & Game Australia

Taking the fight up to the antis

Dear FGA members, I hope this update finds you all well. As we continue to navigate through what can only be described as an “unprecedented” year in 2023, I wanted to take a moment to provide you with an update from the operations team.

Politics

First of all, let’s get past the elephant in the room. The South Australian and Victorian Parliamentary inquiries into those states’ recreational native bird hunting arrangements have added a huge amount of work to the organisation – and at the time of writing we are not done yet.

I must say though, that the response from members overall has been hugely positive. There are people who have stepped up in voluntary roles and have done so much that

it really is hard to say thank you enough. You know who you are – and thank you! Hunting, shooting, and indeed eventually all outdoor recreational activities are in the firing line thanks to those who oppose us. We face an uphill battle to maintain our cultural pastimes, but I want to assure all members that we are not going down without a fight.

Those opposed to us will accept only one outcome – outright bans on everything we value! But we will oppose them every inch of the way and will not give any concessions with any misguided or delusional notion that we can appease those groups.

Hunting

With that said, we still have an organisation to run; the Field & Game Australia flag must continue to fly, and other things must go on.

As I write this, we are in the middle of a ridiculously restricted Victorian duck season, while more normal seasons have been under way in South Australia and Tasmania for some time with little controversy. I hope all members in those states have taken the time to get out and enjoy a hunt with family and friends.

Nationals

We will have an ASF national carnival in November. Clunes branch and FGA head office will be working hard on this in coming months, and we expect nominations to open in August.

We have big shoes to fill to top last year’s event, but we are confident we can again present a carnival with something for everyone, and we hope to see you all there. Get your holidays booked, your accommodation sorted, and if you haven’t

already start practising!

Membership

Renewals have been steady and are still flowing in. It’s great to see plenty of new faces joining up, too. At time of writing, we had about 300 members who have not renewed from last year though. If you, a friend or relative have had any difficulties with the renewal process, please give head office a call. We acknowledge that during the peak renewal season some people might have been missed. If that was you –get in touch.

All of those who have previously been issued a green and white hard card – keep this card

it will remain active and the expiry date accessible through the QR code will update digitally. You don’t need a new card.

For those yet to receive a hard card – stay

tuned, they will be issuing out in batches, and you should receive yours soon.

Staff

We have bid farewell to administration/ membership assistant Gabby Stute. Many of you will have spoken to Gabby in the past 15 months or so. She came onboard for three months in 2022 and stayed for 15 – but recently decided it was time to head back into semi-retirement, so we wish her well.

We are still looking to recruit to various roles within the organisation, so if you have a passion for things FGA, administration, business or accounting skills, and would like to pursue a career with FGA, please get in touch.

I’d like to close by thanking members for their patience. The national office is comprised of a small team that achieves

a lot, but we couldn’t do it without the support of our branches, and our members. That said – I’d like to encourage everyone to reach out and engage with us. We are here to serve our membership. If there is something you need, or something that would help your branch and/or our organisation to grow, please let us know.

I encourage all of you to stay connected, share your ideas, and collaborate as we continue to work towards our shared goals.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me or the leadership team. Let's make Field & Game Australia even more successful in the days ahead!

Best regards,

Lucas Cooke, CEO Field & Game Australia

Hunters are facing an uphill battle to maintain our traditional pastimes – but we will not give up on our efforts to preserve our culture and our heritage.

A huge gain for Gaynor Swamp

Hunter conservationists from Shepparton and Rushworth Field & Game branches delayed their duck season preparation to pick up their tools and successfully complete stage two of a threestage project at Gaynor Swamp Wildlife Reserve near Corop in north-east Victoria.

To celebrate World Wetlands Day, the volunteers took part in the planned working bee under Parks Victoria’s ParkConnect program.

On the day, 10 nesting boxes were installed that were made by students from Berry Street School with materials supplied by the Lighthouse Project, along with 10 hen houses built by Field & Game volunteers at the manufacturing area in Nagambie.

“It is really exciting to see the students’ hard work pay off. I am really looking forward to sharing with these kids the

data we collect during stage three of the project,” Shepparton branch’s conservation co-ordinator David Cox said.

“What is even better, is that the Lighthouse Project and Berry Street School can see the benefits this project has had on these students.

“The school has received another $3000 grant to construct more nesting boxes later in the year to be used for future projects,” he said.

Emma Cox, a teacher from the area and member of Shepparton Field & Game,

also took part in the day.

“The most rewarding part of this project is that students who are disengaged from mainstream schooling are being provided an engaging and real-life conservation project that is going to make a difference to waterfowl in our area,” Emma said.

“This project has been so powerful for building a sense of community in the Greater Shepparton Region. Shepparton Field & Game are growing significant connections with other organisations including Berry Street School, the

Rick Bertoli, Emma Cox, Riley Cox and Gary Wythe with a newly installed hen house.

Lighthouse Project and Parks Victoria. We can’t wait to continue these partnerships.”

On the day, Rushworth Field & Game members also cleaned up a trailer load of broken bricks and rubble that had been dumped along the main access track.

“In a perfect world, we would not have a need for clean-up days such as this one,” David said.

“However, I am grateful for our trusted volunteers who are helping look after our wetlands. Of course, it is also an excuse for a chat and a barbeque! We have formed

quite a social little group.”

Two weeks after the completion of the working bee, Emma and fellow Shepparton branch member Gary Wythe returned to Gaynor Swamp to complete the Field & Game Annual Waterfowl Count.

“Gaynor Swamp has a lot of grass around the edge, and it was quite hot out, so I was pretty mindful of snakes,” Emma said.

“But once in the actual wetland it was quite relaxing to get back out on the water and do our part for the count. We counted close to 1500 ducks, mainly grey teal as

well as a whole range of other waterbirds.

“We had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that day to see a mother brolga and her chick feeding around one of our hen houses. Half an hour Gary and I just sat in our skiffs and watched, taking her in. I’ll never forget that. Being a hunter conservationist isn’t just all about the hunting, or the ducks. I don’t think many people our age would have seen a brolga up close, let alone a mother and her chick checking out our organisation’s hen houses!”

Shepparton Field and Game members ferry the new hen houses to their location.

Rushworth Field and Game members installing a nesting box.

Rushworth Field and Game members cleaning up dumped rubble.

Shepparton Field & Game volunteers prepare the hen houses for installation.

Riley Cox and Gary Wythe installing a hen house.

Putting strong stock in fine craftsmanship

Lewis Carpenter’s passion for stockmaking began six years ago when he first began shooting at a local gun club. With an interest in woodworking, Lewis was taught how to fit and cut combs, and his natural talent for the craft grew from there.

Taking the next step in his stock-making journey, Lewis travelled through the United Kingdom in 2019, working and learning valuable lessons and time-tested trade secrets from some of London’s leading gunmakers, including Andy Duncan and Luke Bromley of John Manton & Son. On his return, Lewis started L. J. Carpenter Stockmaker from a farm shed, before moving into a permanent commercial space in Geelong, Victoria.

It is there, in his extensive workshop, that Lewis spends his days utilising a showcase of traditional woodworking techniques while also embracing emerging technologies. His latest pieces of work feature state-of-the-art materials and innovative manufacturing processes, reflecting his commitment to staying on the cutting edge of stock making in Australia.

The stock is an integral part of any firearm and is responsible for providing stability, comfort and accuracy for the shooter – and L. J. Carpenter Stockmaker offers a comprehensive service that provides an extensive range of solutions for both shotguns and rifles. This includes adjustments and restorations, repairs and refinishing. Such work can help to breathe new life into a firearm, allowing the customer to get more use out of it and potentially even improve the firearm’s performance. In particular, refinishing work can help give a new lease on life to old family heirlooms with sentimental value, allowing them to be passed down in top condition for generations to come.

Lewis is dedicated to producing shotgun and rifle stocks that strike the perfect balance between style and practicality. The rifle stocks are highly regarded for their ergonomic design, machine fit and stylish contours, all of which elevate both accuracy and comfort while enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal.

The art of stock making is an age-old tradition – a craft that requires patience, skill, and attention to detail.

Hand finishing a house design rifle stock.

Shotgun blank ready for dimensions and stocking.

House-shaped rifle stock ready to begin hand finishing.

A factory Sako rifle stock in the oil refinishing process.

Beginning the finishing stage, hand buffing base coats of oil.

A grip cap duplicated in buffalo horn as part of a restocking project.

When crafting a custom stock, the process begins with the selection of the finest walnut. The wood is then shaped into the desired form using a combination of hand and power tools. Throughout this process, every detail is meticulously attended to, with careful consideration given to aesthetics and functionality, ensuring that the lines remain sleek.

Once the gunstock is shaped and finely sanded, Lewis applies a finish to protect the wood from moisture and give the gun a timeless, polished look. He uses a variety of finishes, including oil, lacquer and varnish. Lewis’s attention to detail is evident in every aspect of his work, from the wood selection to the final finish. In addition to its aesthetic qualities, the finish on a gunstock also plays an important role in its function and longevity.

The next step is to work on achieving the perfect fit. Achieving a well-fitted gun is crucial for any shooter, and understanding the dimensions that contribute to a proper fit is essential. It is necessary to work with a skilled gun fitter who can consider a shooter’s individual physical attributes and preferences, and this is where Lewis's expertise in gun-fit comes in. He understands the importance of a gun that is not only beautifully crafted and finished, but also tailored to the shooter’s needs.

Lewis primarily concentrates on creating products that are specific to timber, but also designs and develops stock performance products. This includes various adjustable comb kits for different applications, adjustable butt plates for competition guns and several custom gun products, such as sling swivels, grip caps and cross bolts.

Lewis's passion for making well-fitted guns stems from his desire to help people enjoy the sport of shooting. With his dedication to quality and attention to detail, there's no doubt that he'll continue to do just that for years to come. If you have any further enquiries, please free to reach out to Lewis on his website or social media channels.

Contact:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ ljcarpenterstockmaker

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ ljcarpenterstockmaker

Website: https://ljcarpenterstockmaker.com/

Email: lewis.j.carpenter@gmail.com

Phone: 0438 471 798

Lewis Carpenter, stock maker, in his Geelong workshop.

ASK AN EXPERT DOG TRAINING

Duck dog fits the bill

Question

AJ, from Mt Barker in South Australia, asks: “I’m a duck hunter who hunts the odd rabbit around my uncle’s farm. I have recently lost my old hunting dog and would like to know what breed of gundog I should replace her with.”

Answer:

The first thing I would ask you regarding which breed of gundog you might consider, is what type of game do you hunt – as in my opinion the answer lies there.

You have already said you’re a duck hunter predominately, so I believe you must go for a breed which is bred for retrieving.

While almost all the gundog breeds will retrieve with the right training, some are bred specifically for that purpose, hence the names golden retriever, flat coat retriever, Labrador retriever and so on. Then you have the all-rounders – German shorthaired pointer, Hungarian Vizsla and the Brittany – which will all retrieve, and of course there are springer spaniels and the little working cocker spaniels that can make excellent retrievers.

In my opinion, the gundog that is well proven in water for retrieving ducks is the Labrador retriever. Having said that, AJ, I would recommend you do some homework and find a breeder with proven stock, meaning they can show you dogs on the ground that are fine retrievers both on land and in water.

I always look for line bred dogs with natural ability and good temperament. Natural ability is bred into dogs, not trained. Natural ability means the dog has working instincts bred into it from generations past, and this will make your dog easier to train – so ask to see the parents and grandparents if possible, working at least on dummies.

Ask the breeder about dogs they have bred previously, and make sure they can show you that their dogs have been tested for hip displacement along with hereditary diseases.

I know many other breeds will make excellent retrievers too, but I believe the Lab is best for your situation, AJ.

Good luck with your choice of breed and training your new gundog; and whatever dog you end up with, look after your best mate and enjoy your hunting adventures together.

– Rod Watt

with Rod Watt

If you’re in need of a good duck dog, Rod Watt says it’s hard to go past a Labrador retriever.

Scurry draws interest at trial

When Gippsland Retrieving Club held its annual three-day trial at Heart Morass, Sale, during the Easter weekend, there was a special offering on the program alongside the usual more seriously contested events.

In conjunction with Field & Game Australia, the club ran a Scurry event, attracting interest from many competitors. These events have proven popular at other venues – and so it proved to be at Sale.

A scurry is simply a timed retrieve within a defined course containing a few obstacles (hay bales, usually), and the dog need not retrieve to hand. The

winner is the dog that returns with the dummy in the fastest time.

Field & Game scurries are a great way to encourage your dog’s retrieving skills and for spectators to watch them doing what they were bred for. Next time you see a scurry advertised, we encourage you to head along and give your fourlegged friend a run!

Beretta – but not as you know it!

Iwas recently given the opportunity by Beretta Australia to try out its BRX1 rifle. While readers of Field & Game magazine will be well accustomed to Beretta’s shotguns and aware of the vast history the marque has in producing quality firearms, they may not have seen this offering –Beretta’s entry into the rifle market.

Given that Beretta has been producing firearms for so long, and noting that the company owns renowned rifle makers Tikka and Sako, it’s hardly fair to suggest Beretta is in any way a newcomer to producing centrefire rifles – but it is a deviation from what most people think of as being under the Beretta banner.

The Beretta BRX1 is presented as a stateof-the-art rifle that exemplifies the perfect blend of precision engineering, innovation,

and durability. This technical review delves into the features and performance of the Beretta BRX1, shedding light on its potential as a reliable companion for avid hunters.

Design and build quality

At first glance the black-on-black synthetic stock and blued barrel is certainly a departure from the walnut stocks and dazzling engraving routinely featured on Beretta shotguns, but nevertheless he BRX1 has its own striking aesthetic appeal thanks to its sleek and modern design. Crafted with Beretta’s trademark attention to detail, this rifle boasts a lightweight yet robust construction.

The ergonomic stock design, which is intended for comfort during prolonged hunting sessions, may need to be “tried on”

to ensure it suits. The rifle does come with a removable length of pull spacer; but as a shooter with larger than average hands, I would have preferred slightly more palm swell. The textured grip did however offer a firm hold in various weather conditions. The rifle's overall finish and attention to fit are exemplary, further contributing to its premium appeal.

Action and trigger

The action of the BRX1 is where this rifle really starts to depart from the norm.

The BRX1 is built entirely by computercontrolled machinery – and Beretta is so confident of the consistency of the fit and finish that the rifle undergoes no hand finishing of components.

The action has significant

interchangeability of components, allowing for simple switching of barrels and bolt heads.

It also has some unique features. You can switch the bolt to operate either left- or right-handed, and – unusually – you can independently change the bolt head to eject out the left or right of the rifle as well.

As someone who re-loads, and has previously done significant pest mitigation work shooting out of the driver’s side of a vehicle, I was probably somewhat overexcited by the opportunity to change the platform to eject my valued brass into the vehicle – instead of out the window!

For left-handers, not needing to pay the “leftie premium” for a southpaw action has got to be a bonus. >>

This was my first chance to spend any significant time using a straight pull action, and I must say I was surprised by just how intuitive and smooth the action was to operate under pressure. I wasn’t completely convinced while operating the rifle over a bench rest on the range, but while field trialling the BRX1 I managed almost by accident to find myself in the middle of a mob of goats. In the ensuing chaos I was able to flawlessly ambush and dispatch four individuals in a very short window of opportunity before the mob moved out of sight.

The bolt cycled flawlessly, and the lock-up is solid, providing a feeling of utmost confidence which allows the shooter to concentrate on the targets, not the firearm.

The rifle's trigger system allows hunters to select from three options for pull weight (I didn’t feel the need to adjust from the factory setting of around 1000g) ensuring a crisp and clean break, thus enhancing accuracy. The trigger's consistency and predictability make it ideal for precise long-range shooting, either on a range or in the field.

Barrel and accuracy

With experience gained through Tikka and Sako, it would be hard to see Beretta producing anything short of a top-quality barrel. Equipped with a precisionengineered, cold-hammer-forged barrel, the BRX1 showcases Beretta's commitment to exceptional accuracy.

The test rifle displayed the consistent performance one would expect straight out of the box. On inspection the rifling was clean and neat, and showed very little fouling after testing.

Calibres

The review rifle was a .308, but its initial offerings also include 243, 30.06, 300 win mag and 6.5CM.

More options are expected to be added. Magazine capacity is five rounds in all calibres.

Optics and mounting system

The rifle is equipped with a Picatinny rail on top of the receiver, providing ample space for attaching various optics and scopes. The proven mounting system ensures that the optics remain in place even during intense recoil, allowing hunters to rely on their chosen sight for accurate target acquisition. This flexibility enables users to tailor the BRX1 to their specific hunting needs, be it close-range shooting or longrange precision.

Reliability and maintenance

Beretta's reputation for manufacturing reliable firearms is upheld in the BRX1.

The rifle has undergone rigorous testing to ensure it performs flawlessly even in challenging conditions. Its corrosionresistant materials and coatings enhance

longevity and protect the rifle from the elements, while maintenance is straightforward with easily accessible components and a user-friendly disassembly process.

The BRX1's reliability and ease of maintenance make it an excellent choice for hunters seeking a rifle they can depend on, regardless of the hunting environment.

Price

Perhaps one of the most surprising features of this package is the price. The BRX1 has a current RRP of $2859 including GST; but shop around, there are some deals to be had.

Conclusion

The Beretta BRX1 stands as a testament to Beretta's commitment to excellence in firearm design. You can expect consistent accuracy and robust build quality, while the BRX1’s flexibility of configurations makes it superbly user-friendly and allows an almost ‘custom’ rifle fit.

Whether you are an experienced marksman or an enthusiast looking to elevate your hunting game, the BRX1's precision, reliability, and versatility make it a compelling choice.

The range of calibres and barrel options is expected to continue to grow, which is only going to make this versatile package even more inviting.

Legends at Easter trial

Early April this year saw the running of Australia’s biggest ever retrieving dog trial (other than state and national championship events) with competitors travelling from across five states to test their skills at Gippsland Retrieving Club’s Easter trial held at Heart Morass, Sale.

The club has been running the Easter trial for some years, with each year’s event progressively becoming bigger and better. This year, the club hosted three days of trialling which comprised 27 runs, 12 judges and 257 entries – an increase in entries of 20 per cent on the 2022 event.

In honour of three people to whom the sport is deeply indebted – Bob Tawton, Noel Eltringham and Margaret Hall –the club named this year’s event “The Legends” Easter trial. As a further honour to these dedicated people who have made outstanding contributions to the sport over many decades, each of the three had an event named after them that was contested during the course of the weekend, and they were also presented with a plaque in recognition of their efforts.

The trial itself featured three divisions – Novice, Restricted, and All Age – and attracted nearly all the best retrieving dogs in Australia. As well as the present-day crop, Russell Whitechurch brought along his 13-year-old Labrador, Chief. Chief is one of the most highly decorated retrieving dogs in Australian history. She was bred by Julie Cramond and won five National Championships, a number of state titles and too many All Age events to count. Another Legend at our trial!

Many of the trial judges were experienced championship judges who set challenging runs for the competitors. On the first day, Brad Leggett had the dogs watch as two marks were thrown. The first mark was thrown about 150 metres straight in front of the dog, the second mark went to the

right of the dog at about 80 metres. The dog had to run through heavy cover and pick up the long mark before returning to the handler and being sent for the second short mark.

A run such as this takes a lot of skill and teamwork from both the dog and its handler. The dog needs to remember the location of the second mark and if the dog scents the short bird and brings it back by mistake while retrieving the first mark, it is eliminated from the event.

The dogs completed three runs over the first day, with 41 competitors starting the day and only eight finishing all three.

In conjunction with Field & Game Australia, the club ran a Scurry event (see photos

Mark Stockdale takes delivery of the game.

on page 19). These events have proven popular at other venues and this was also the case at Sale.

Many of the competitive dogs ran, including the retired Chief over a modified course. When you are a 13-year-old champion Labrador, you make your own rules!

The highlight was seeing the president of CRC, Greg Pleydon, line up to run his young dog. Instead of heading over the hurdles, the pup turned and ran straight back to his bed in Greg’s car!

Winners over the weekend included Jackie Hargraves, Leanne O’Sullivan and Bo Curtis in Novice; Lionel Light and Sandra Hodges Winkelman in Restricted; and Mark

Stockdale, Ray Ashendon and Richard Carr in All Age.

Jackie Hargreaves was competing at her first trial but has a long and successful family history in the sport, with her father Jim being a very successful All Age competitor and judge.

Lionel Light, competing on his home turf, won Restricted on the first two days and could easily have taken home the trifecta except for a mistake late on the third day. It will not be long before he is seen in All Age with his very good young Labrador.

Bo Curtis is an “old” competitor who has returned to the sport. His young Labrador is only 11 months old and has already won two Novice events this year.

Sandra Hodges Winkelman drove from Sydney to compete in Restricted and took home the lollies (Easter eggs) on Sunday.

Mark Stockdale has two very fine Labradors and is always hard to beat, being consistently among the winners.

“Old hand” Richard Carr turned the clock back with a very good All Age win on the final day.

Ray Ashendon drove from South Australia. His dog, Gus, has had a great start to the retrieving year, having already won several events before taking out All Age on Friday.

The club will be running its next trial during the last weekend of July. It will also be held at Sale, at a location yet to be determined. Details will be available online.

All Age winners on the Friday: Ray Ashenden, Brad Leggett (judge) and Russell Best.

Karl and Leslie Brittan discuss tactics.

All Age judges Greg Pleydon and Noel Eltringham set up the thrower, which can cast game up to 30 meters.

All Age competitors Dale Marshall and Noel Eltringham have a chat with the judge prior to running their dogs, while steward Allison Hargreaves prepares the paperwork.

Novice winners with judge Tony Palmer.

Confidence in your ammo is essential

REVIEW by Michael Kruger-Davis

It’s been more than six months since the Field & Game Australia National Carnival was held at the Wodonga-Albury FGA range.

Most of us by now have forgotten the heavy rain and the mud we trudged through to get to the next station or through the carpark. What we remember now are the interesting and varied targets, the excellent use of the topography by the range setters and the dedicated sponsors who set up trade sites to show us the next offerings of traps, apparel, firearms, accessories, and ammunition.

One major sponsor – Bronzewing/NSI –offered a ‘special deal’ for all entrants: buy two packets of any of their shells for $5 a packet. Basically, shells for less than half their cost. The idea behind this was to give shooters the opportunity to experience for themselves some of the Bronzewing/ NSI range that they may not yet have tried. This also brought shooters to the trade site, where they could look at the other merchandise and see what other shells were on offer.

Like nearly everyone else, I took advantage of this offer and bought a packet of Quattro Fluo and Quattro Premium in 7.5s to take to the practice range to see how they performed.

Bronzewing/NSI general manager Anna Shedrina then offered some other shells from their range for me to try, including Desert Rat 8s (1250 fps), Due Europe (1295 fps), Multitarget (1328 fps), Quattro Fluo (1345 fps), Quattro Compak (1378 fps) and Exclusiva (1378 fps).

Unfortunately for me at the time of the national carnival, I was evacuated from my property due to the Murrumbidgee River flooding, and did not return home until the second week in December. The flood meant that I had a big clean-up task to perform, so I wasn’t able to spend the time setting up a pattern board and ‘testing the patterns’ of any of these shells. I also wasn’t able to set up my traps to have a shot and try them out, as the paddocks were still waterlogged.

I like to use a variety of shells of different shot sizes and speeds to help me out –so to speak – when I am shooting ASF, five-stand or sport trap (Compak). I find it less of a worry if I use the same chokes

and just vary the shells: 1200/1250 9s for anything close resembling a skeet target; 1250/1300 8s for longer crossers, battues and teals; and 1250 7.5s for close going away targets, or faster 7.5s 1300/1350/1375s for long rabbits, long range targets going away or from a tower.

So, armed with Anna’s shells and some Bronzewing 9s and Stingrays in 8s I had at home, I ventured off to a 50-target fivestand event and a 50-target sport trap event. I was using a KM4 Kemen with 32” barrels with bore diameters of 18.7 and Teague chokes: 3/8 and 1/2.

Shooting impressions

Wow! On the first 50-target sport trap, I came in with 49/50; while on the 50-target five-stand I shot 46/50. But this was not about me.

The shells hit hard and hit well. There was never any doubt that the targets were hit. It appears that the pattern and shot string remained stable time and time again. Regardless of the speed of the shell or the distance of the target, the shells broke the targets consistently and cleanly.

There was very little felt recoil even with the fastest shell – Exclusiva. >>

The bore of the gun stayed reasonably clean. I chose to keep using the shells until I ran out, and I was happy with the results both out from the trap and my scores. I used some of the Quattro Fluo in the first barrel and Exclusiva in the second barrel from 24 metres DTL, and again was pleased with the results: the number of targets hit, how they broke, and the fact that gun didn’t kick or the barrel unduly flip when I had to use the second barrel.

At the ACTA Skeet Nationals I managed to win some of the new Bronzewing Mach 1 Bantamweight and Super Bantamweight skeet shells thanks to Bronzewing/NSI’s sponsorship of that event, which I am looking forward to trying out.

I have little doubt there will be any problems because, in my mind, I have full confidence in any of the Bronzewing/ NSI shells: and as we know, confidence in your equipment is a big factor in shooting well. Selecting the right shell and having confidence that it will perform the same way, over and over again, is one variable that you can be in control of. You cannot control the weather, the light, the background conditions or the behaviour of other shooters, but having confidence in your shells is one less thing to worry about when you go out to shoot.

My conclusions

Bronzewing/NSI provided the shells, at no cost, for me to try and review and I have no other association with the company, other than I have known Anna and her staff for some years now.

So, following my testing, do I have a preferred shell from the Bronzewing/NSI range? Not really, they all performed well for the targets that were presented.

The reason there is a range of shells with different speeds, weights and shot sizes, is so you can customize your shooting to meet the types of targets suitable to the discipline you are shooting.

Would I use these shells again? Most definitely, in fact I am looking forward to purchasing some when I need more ammunition.

Michael Kruger-Davis is the consulting psychologist and a member of Wagga Wagga Field & Game. Questions regarding psychological aspects of sport and shooting can be addressed to him at mjkrugerdavis@gmail.com

First time in the field –and loving it

Thrilled to be attending her first duck hunt this year was Emily Bullock.

The 15-year-old went to Big Lake Boort in Victoria with her dad Michael and enjoyed every minute of it.

“I loved my first shoot,” Emily said.

“Spending time with my family and friends doing something that has been a tradition in our family for generations – I finally got to be a part of it.

“Loved harvesting my first ducks, and hoping this will not be my first and last season in a sport I so desperately respect and love.”

Well done, Emily.

Emily Bullock with the spoils of the hunt. Emily was overjoyed to be part of her family’s duck hunting tradition for the first time this season.

Aiming for Global dominance

Peter Kilfoyle is a man on a mission. He spent 10 years in the army and six years in the SAS – but those are not the kind of sorties that now galvanise him into action.

After leaving the armed services, Peter opened an agency of German weapons company Heckler & Koch and – thanks to his background and extensive knowledge in the field – began troubleshooting (pardon the pun) for them all over the world.

“I know my weapons of war,” Peter said with a wry look.

With those days now behind him, Peter has a new mission: to build the biggest gun shop in the Southern Hemisphere. He’s well on the way, having recently opened the doors of Global Weapons Systems in Sydney Rd, Campbellfield – a huge two-storey paradise for those with an interest in anything to do with recreational shooting.

Peter says his shop will target everyone –although with a focus on sporting shooters to begin with. He plans to cover all price points, from the more basic offerings up to higher-end stock. He says he’ll be guided by what his customers want – and if they want to spend $100,000 on a shotgun, he’ll be happy to oblige.

As a throwback to his military days, he first wants to “ascertain what the mission statement is” – what does his customer want to shoot, and where? And from there, he’ll advise them on the best product to achieve their aims. “I’m here to help you buy something, not sell you something,” Peter says.

With no allegiance to any company, brand or manufacturer, Peter is importing all his stock himself rather than go through a middleman. In doing this, Peter feels he will be able to offer his clientele the best deals possible, and in the shortest timeframe.

“We’re going to do it my way,” he said. “I want to bring decent prices, where I’m making a dollar and they’re getting a bargain … everyone’s happy.”

Peter reckons Turkey holds good value for him as an importer, with many excellent products still to be found at reasonable prices – but he’ll look anywhere there’s a good deal to be had with a quality outcome. >>

Although Global Weapons Systems had only been trading for four weeks and had not yet held a grand opening when I visited in mid-April, Peter said business was already going very well despite him not having even advertised the store’s existence. He said word of mouth was keeping a steady flow of customers coming through the door.

As we talked, Peter’s website developer was hard at work, and his task, too, is large – with some 50,000 images already uploaded to the GWS website and likely countless more still to come. Once that’s done, Peter plans to move heavily and comprehensively into the social media scene.

With the ground floor of the business up and running, the upstairs space is still very much a work in progress – but among the plans for that level are a three-bay range and a dedicated space from which Peter will shoot weekly segments for YouTube. It doesn’t stop there, though; Global Weapons Systems’ social media presence will also extend to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, bringing Peter’s vision to the masses.

Speaking of the masses, Peter recognises

the importance of the numbers game politically and says joining a shooting organisation, applying for a shooter’s licence and obtaining a game permit is the only way to make the government sit up and take notice of shooters as a large group of voters it should not be seeking to alienate.

Peter is passionate about encouraging responsible firearm ownership and is already holding a weekly education session for those who are looking to obtain a firearms licence. He is encouraging membership of shooting organisations as a legitimate reason for firearm ownership and is walking prospective licence holders through the process so that they understand what is required and how to go about it. He is also hoping to offer the Waterfowl Identification Test in the near future.

Speaking of his shotgun-owning clients, Peter has another project that may interest them, with plans to build an indoor shotgun range on the outskirts of the city –the first of its kind in Australia.

Back on the product scene, it’s not just firearms and their accessories that GWS offers. Peter also stocks hunting apparel,

gun safes, scopes, ammunition and knives. There is a dedicated section for the fishing enthusiast – “I know nothing about fishing,” Peter says, but he has a guy lined up to handle that side of things – and plans are also afoot to offer bowhunting gear as well.

A keen deer and duck hunter himself, Peter rarely gets the chance to head out for a hunt these days – and with Global Weapons Systems consuming so much of his time, it’s not difficult to see why. Although by the time he’s finished hiring the dozen or so staff he’s planning on having, perhaps the opportunity will present itself more often.

But even if he can’t get out there himself, Peter is more than happy to educate his customers on where they can hunt. It’s all part of the wider plan, and part of the service customers can expect from Global Weapons Systems.

Global Weapons Systems is located at 1523 Sydney Rd, Campbellfield, on Melbourne’s northern edge. It’s currently open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm; and Saturdays from 9am until about 3pm. Phone (03) 9357 1146, or visit www. globalweaponssystems.com/

Productive start in two of three

South Australia

The South Australian duck season began extremely well in the south-east of the state, with fantastic reports from the likes of Tolderol State Game Reserve where the eight-bird daily bag limit was achieved by many hunters on the opening weekend.

Several Victorians made their way over to join the locals, and by all reports it was worth their effort.

The Narrows at Narrung produced a similar story, with the best results achieved by those who did the hard work and scouted heavily beforehand. Pacific black duck were plentiful and grey teal also made up a lot of the numbers.

Lake George was loaded with grey teal and a few Pacific black ducks, while

chestnut teal were a little less common. Hunting was pretty successful on the opening weekend, and a novelty for many hunters was the multiple groups of photographers/videographers on the lake filming every move in the hope of finding something to pin on our law-abiding hunters out enjoying their historic pastime.

RSPCA apparently has nothing better to spend its money on than paying Victorians and South Australians to spy on hunters in the hope that they might capture footage that could be interpreted as evidence of wrongdoing.

The further north you went in South Australia for the opening weekend, the slower the action was. Lake Loveday provided only reasonable numbers of birds in the bag – although at least one well

established Victorian hunter managed to find a flight path used by the local Pacific black ducks and with exceptional calling skills he managed to upset the locals. When asked how he managed so many PBD, he said it was all about using a duck call and knowing how to entice them into your spread.

Water Valley started okay, with a split of six and teal making up the majority of bags.

As the season has progressed, our established hunters are picking Pacific black ducks off the known places, and many teal including chestnut have moved in. Even our international VIPs have managed full bags on greenheads, and things are going to plan.

So, it’s looking like business as usual in South Australia.

Springer spaniel Si looks rather pleased with his day’s work at Lake Tolderol in South Australia.

Brian Hiller with a brace of chestnut teal at Lake George in South Australia.

Tasmania

Tassie started strong and continues to hunt well, according to our members.

Lots of maned geese (wood duck) and Australasian shelduck are making up the numbers, however those who are prepared to do their homework are filling the freezer with quality Pacific black duck and teal as well.

Tasmania is often overlooked by Victorians as a hunting destination as it has limited public access to wetlands, and also because many mainlanders are scared of transporting firearms. This needn’t be the case though, as travelling from the Port of Geelong these days on the Spirit of Tasmania is an easy method of transport and the process of declaring a gun is straightforward.

Don’t overlook the opportunity if you have a contact in the Apple Isle; get around it and purchase another state permit to boost numbers.

Victoria

With the severely curtailed Victorian season not yet having begun at the time of writing, there really are no words to describe how incredibly robbed Victorian permit holders feel currently, due to ideology having interfered with a legislated hunting season that was looking like being one of the best since 2012.

The bear has been awoken, the battle has begun, and Field & Game Australia can guarantee one thing for certain: no stone will be left unturned in the effort to secure hunting into the future.

By the time this magazine is printed and delivered, the seasons will be coming to a close and the Select Committee reviews of game bird hunting in both Victoria and South Australia will be well progressed.

We sincerely hope our members enjoyed every opportunity to hunt, contributed to a submission, and continue to support those who fight for our future.

Looking forward to a positive outcome and plans for a bigger and brighter 2024.

Duck meat is prepared, ready for the home chef to work his magic. Photo: Plinio Taurian

Brian Hiller from Minnesota crouches down as another mob dive-bombs the traditional carved and hand painted decoy spread created and used by him and Paul Sharp.

A trio of fat Pacific black ducks. Photo: Plinio Taurian

Hunters celebrate the season

Back in March, more than 50 local members of the hunting community gathered at the Bridge Hotel in Langhorne Creek, South Australia, to celebrate the opening of the 2023 duck hunting season.

Hunters from far and wide gathered to meet old friends and share their stories of great dogs, great friends and great shots.

Thanks to three years of La Niña weather patterns, duck numbers have boomed and they flocked to the region in huge numbers as the floods receded.

Most hunters secured a limit of eight ducks which will be prepared with much anticipation for special family dinners.

“There is just nothing like a roast teal and gravy. The meat just falls off the bone and the flavour is nothing like domestic duck. The only way to get them is to get out there,” said Jason West, one of the hunters who organised the gathering.

The hunting community has organised previous events in Langhorne Creek supported by the wider local community. These events have helped raise money for waterbird habitat at Tolderol Game Reserve, and so far the hunting community has contributed about $40,000 to help provide habitat for migratory waders in that reserve.

“The generosity in time and produce of the Langhorne Creek community in supporting us to achieve our conservation goals has been phenomenal,” said Conservation and Hunting Alliance South Australia president Graham Stopp.

“The Langhorne Creek Football Club, netball club, local wineries such as Kimbolton, Howlin’ Gale and Lake Breeze and, of course, the Bridge Hotel have all been extremely generous in assisting us to put back into the local environment for hunters and birdwatchers alike.”

Bridge Hotel publicans Steven and Michelle Wade welcomed the hunting community to the venue and were looking forward to a similar event to mark the end of the 2023 season in June.

Dad’s Army donates to Fighting Fund

Benalla Field & Game’s fox shooting crews have donated $1520 from their fox scalp bounty fund to Field & Game Australia’s Fighting Fund, to help with the battle to retain duck and quail hunting in Victoria.

The Benalla branch’s efforts have on average accounted for more than 100 foxes each year thanks to its

Sunday and midweek fox hunt crews, colloquially known as ‘Dad’s Army’.

This photo of Benalla’s Sunday crew was taken back in June 2013 and is of their best effort from a single drive, during which 16 foxes were shot. The tally for this particular day was 32 foxes, seven hares and five rabbits.

Great work!

Langhorne Creek locals celebrate the start of the South Australian duck hunting season.

Success at SA opening

For many years, Geelong Field & Game Branch members have traditionally hunted at Narrung in South Australia for that state’s duck season opening weekend.

This year there was a group of 12 of us who travelled across the border, including two new hunters from Victoria who were joining us for the first time.

Tony had been over and scouted from the Wednesday until Friday prior to the opening, covering more than 200km of Lake Albert, the narrows at Narrung, and Lake Alexandrina – so we were well informed about where our best chances for an effective hunt might be.

On opening eve, we enjoyed our traditional duck season dinner of pasta and Osso Bucco – but with one notable absence.

Nat Caruso, who has always been the

camp cook, is currently fighting cancer and unfortunately could not be there.

On the opening morning Luke Mifsud and I shot together; and, with the wind swinging as predicted, the Pacific black ducks were decoying very well first up. This allowed us to take effective and ethical shots and made for quick retrieves by our dogs Harry and Larney. Such efficiency on the dogs’ part meant we could quickly regain our composure and continue adding to the bag until the eight-bird limit was achieved.

With a full bag each of fat black ducks, it was then time for a cup of tea and a chance to sit back and enjoy the moment.

The remainder of the crew managed good

numbers of birds over the days we hunted. You can’t beat good preparation, extensive scouting and a spread of decoys complemented by great realistic calling –all of which combine to ensure birds are coming into the kill zone.

The camaraderie between hunters, great food and tall stories always makes a fun weekend away, and the state of South Australia benefits greatly from the economic boost of hundreds of hunters turning up with an intent to purchase local products where possible.

Hunter behaviour was exemplary as usual, and we cannot wait for a return trip.

The traditions continue each year, but it’s not all about the hunting. South Australian duck opening for the Geelong Field & Game mob means a meal of Osso Bucco, good company, new friends –and glasses raised to a mate who could not be there, Nat Caruso.

Tony Leen takes the Caruso boys scouting prior to the SA duck opening. Many hours were invested and lots of dollars spent on fuel to feed the thirsty jet boat.

Two full bag limits of eight Pacific black ducks on the SA opening morning, destined for the table soon after.

From super-junior to fully-fledged hunter

It was with much excitement that Roy Davis, 12, headed to the Donald area in Victoria’s west for his first duck opening.

As a junior member of Field & Game Australia since he was five years old, it’s been a long wait for Roy to be able to join the hunt – but the look of delight on his face tells us that the wait was worth it.

Enjoying a two-day hunt with a party that included his dad Matt, Roy was happy to bag two birds each day, in both instances a teal and a woody – and couldn’t wait to ring his mum and share his success.

Roy also had a go at another essential part of the hunt – helping to clean the birds afterwards.

Matt said Roy was already pestering him to be allowed to try clay target shooting as well.

Looks like we have a junior who’s already hooked on two of the three pillars of Field & Game! Now, we just have to lead him in the direction of conservation as well…

Helping to clean and prepare the birds for the table.

Roy Davis and his dad Matt enjoyed being able to hunt together this year.

Roy tucks in and enjoys wild duck from his first harvest.

Roy Davis, as pleased as punch with one of his ducks, harvested on his very first outing as a junior hunter.

US visitor revels in Aussie hunts

Field & Game Australia’s conservation and hunting

manager Glenn Falla and chief executive officer Lucas Cooke were pleased to have the company of Ben Vaughn from the United States on a couple of hunts recently.

Ben is the Southern Minnesota regional director for Ducks Unlimited – a non-profit American organisation that is dedicated to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for waterfowl and other wildlife.

Ben visited Australia for a couple of weeks in May, during which time he liased with fellow hunters and Field & Game Australia staff to get a feel for what’s happening in our country with regard to hunting in general and duck hunting in particular.

Ben’s visit to Australia was put in motion through social media, when Ben and Field & Game Australia member Paul Sharp got to know each other through their mutual friend Christian Lilley, who is a Scottish goose guide. Paul and Ben’s friendship grew to the point that Ben began planning a visit to hunt in Australia; Paul made contact with Glenn Falla some months ago to see what could be arranged – and the rest is history.

Within hours of his arrival, Ben was sitting his Waterfowl Identification Test in the centre of Melbourne. Upon promptly achieving an AA pass due to all the study and pre-work, he was then swiftly transported to a wetland for a hunt, and from there the journey continued.

While he was in Australia, Ben was able to participate in a fair bit of hunting, including going after ducks at Victorian locations including Connewarre Wetland and Reedy Lake (near Geelong), Wally Allen Swamp, the marshes at Kerang, Lyndger (near Boort), and also Lake George in South Australia.

When asked how he’d enjoyed the trip, Ben responded: “I never thought we could cram so much into two weeks, and I was overwhelmed by the distances travelled and the variation in wetland habitat

Ben with a nice Pacific black duck, destined for the table.

Ben declared that Pacific black ducks were his favourite bird to hunt in the timber.

During his hunting trip to Australia, Ben covered about 2000km and was impressed by what he saw.

American hunter Ben Vaughn spent a fantastic two weeks in Victoria and South Australia recently.

from region to region. From the moonscapes of Lake George, dead stick swamps in central Victoria to the red gum swamps and cumbungi wetlands in the southwest of Victoria, it’s been a blast.”

Not restricting himself to just the ducks while in SA, Ben also enjoyed a fallow deer hunt, netted mullet, and did a spot of beach fishing for salmon and gummy shark. He also relished the chance to do some camping and partake of the campfire discussions that are such a cherished part of our hunting traditions in this country.

Not so popular was the Vegemite taste test, and Ben agreed that it must be an acquired taste. He far preferred and venison ragu prepared by Paul, declaring it to be his favourite meal of the trip, closely followed by the roast duck prepared on his final night in Victoria.

Regarding other highlights, Pacific black duck was Ben’s favourite bird to hunt in the timber, while Winchester Australia’s Duck Load was his preferred ammunition to do the job – and an empty packet was promptly flat-packed in the return luggage for the man cave back home.

After covering almost 2000km on his travels within Australia, Ben said he was amazed by the beauty of our wetlands and impressed by the dedication of hunters to pursuing and preserving the pastime we all enjoy so much.

Thanks goes to the many hunters who shared experiences, camps and stories with Ben during his visit, and we wish Ben a safe return home and hope to see him again soon.

The pink-ear decoy did its job perfectly.

Roast duck was one of Ben’s favourite meals while he was in Australia.

Amazed by the beauty of our wetlands, Ben was also impressed with the dedication of hunters when it comes to preserving them.

Seeking better understanding of stubble quail

During the 2022 stubble quail season, the Victorian Game Management Authority piloted a new research project investigating the age and sex (demographics) of stubble quail harvested by licensed hunters in Victoria.

Licensed stubble quail hunters mailed wing samples of harvested stubble quail to the GMA for analysis. The wing samples were then assessed by expert wildlife biologists who examined the plumage characteristics of each wing to determine the age of the birds.

Results from the 2022 stubble quail wing collection program show that approximately 60 per cent of the quail harvested were adults and 40 per cent were immature. There was no difference in the sex ratio of stubble quail harvested and assessed from the 2022 season.

Further data collected through the program showed that an average of 8.7 stubble quail were harvested per day, per hunter, during the 2022 season. Approximately 40 per cent of stubble quail were harvested on improved pasture and 60 per cent on stubble. All of the stubble quail assessed were harvested on private property and were hunted with the aid of gundogs.

In time, this annual data will contribute to a better understanding of the demographics and reproductive rates of harvested stubble quail and will assist in the development of sustainable management practices in Victoria.

Similar demographic research projects on game species are conducted around the world, including in the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Denmark.

How can hunters get involved?

During the 2023 Victorian stubble quail season, the GMA continued its research into the age and sex (demographics) of stubble quail harvested by licensed hunters in Victoria.

Hunters were invited to contribute to this important research by sending harvested stubble quail wings to the GMA for analysis.

To help hunters take part in the program, the GMA sent each participant a package with

Hunters who participated in the GMA’s 2023 stubble quail wing collection program were mailed a package containing instructions on how to participate, including information on how to remove the wings.

instructions on how to visually identify the male and female birds and how to remove the wings. They were also provided with reply-paid envelopes to enable them to send the wings back to the GMA free of charge.

Celebrating at duck opening

Kyabram’s Don Peters had double cause to enjoy getting out for a hunt on the first day of the Victorian duck season this year – it was also his 91st birthday.

Now a life member of the Kyabram branch, Don joined Field & Game more than 50 years ago and was at first a member of the Rushworth branch.

Hunting has been part of Don’s life for nearly 80 years. He started hunting rabbits and ducks as a teenager with his brother George, and Neil and Stan Walsh of Nathalia.

Riding their pushbikes to their chosen hunting spots for the first couple of years, later they graduated to travelling in a horse and gig to visit the creeks and dams of the Nathalia area.

After he married in 1957 and moved to Rushworth, Don’s preferred duck hunting locations included Wallenjoe Swamp, Mansfield Swamp, One Tree Swamp and around the Rushworth area.

Although Don moved his family to Kyabram in 1968, he continued to hunt around Rushworth for some years. Later, with a group of 10 or more hunters which included his brother-in-law, Don would venture up to Lake Cowal, West Wyalong,

for duck opening every year while it was still allowed in NSW. Some of Don’s wife’s family lived in West Wyalong, so this was also an opportunity for him to catch up with them – and, while they were not hunters themselves, they would visit the camp specifically for this social purpose.

When duck hunting was banned in NSW, Don returned to shooting on the Broken Creek near Nathalia – and that is where he still hunts today, along with members of the Kyabram FGA branch.

“To my knowledge he has never missed a duck season,” Don’s daughter Vicki said.

“He has taught myself and my brother, Brenton, to both hunt and fish and to this day we still go out hunting as a family.”

As a keen hunter conservationist, back in the 1990s Don was instrumental in the initiatives undertaken by the Kyabram branch at Brays Swamp, Merrigum; Mansfield Swamp; and in the Carag Carag area.

“Dad was one of the driving forces behind

the conservation work conducted and was the conservation officer for Kyabram branch at the time, winning the prestigious FGA Blue Wing award in 1999 for conservation work,” Vicki said.

Pest control was another of the conservation duties that Don performed. During the winter months he was among a group of retired FGA members who would go out on a Wednesday every week, hunting foxes in and around the Kyabram area on farming properties. Don was also one of the organisers of the Great Northern Fox Drives which were conducted over two days annually for several years.

Although his days of conservation work may be over, Don still enjoys the camaraderie of the duck hunt. He gets great satisfaction from watching his dog Bonnie retrieve the ducks that he and his children harvest, revels in being out in the great outdoors, and enjoys spending time with his son and daughter while participating in an activity they all love.

Long may your traditions continue, Don!

Pup leads owner to the hunt

The acquisition of a gundog was the catalyst for Sarah Kennedy to eventually join her first duck hunt this season.

Back when Sarah’s now five-year-old German wirehaired pointer Opal was just a pup, the common ground of a gundog led to conversations with hunters and shooters –and Sarah liked what she heard.

“Their stories inspired me to give it a go,” Sarah said. “I have learnt a lot and had a lot of support along the way.”

Sarah said she’d been keen to give duck hunting a go for a few years, and this season it was time.

“I went with a group of mates. It would have been better if my husband Greg could have joined us – but he was at work.

“We went to a private property in northern Victoria,” Sarah said. “It was a fantastic day weather-wise; sun was out with a brisk breeze.”

She said there were plenty of ducks in their chosen spot – “easily over 100 birds in one area” – and she was pleased to be able to bag a couple.

“I shot two black ducks,” Sarah said. “Wasn’t bad for my very first go, I think.”

It was also Opal’s first shoot, and she acquitted herself perfectly.

“She did really well, retrieving everything she was sent after,” Sarah said.

She said getting out in nature and being able to fill the freezer with meat was part of the attraction of the hunt, but it was also about spending time enjoying the company of – and learning from – experienced hunters and their families.

“The hunt means a lot to me,” Sarah said. “I enjoy watching and training my dog to do what she was bred to do.

“If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be pushing to buy another field gun or deer rifle (really want both!).”

Although this was her first duck hunt, Sarah hopes it will not be her last.

“Hopefully it will turn into a tradition.”

Sarah Kennedy and her German wirehaired pointer Opal on their successful first ever hunt.

Students get hands-on at field day

On March 10, Bug Blitz held an educational field day at Heart Morass, near Sale, which was attended by about 80 students from four rural schools.

The inquisitive youngsters enjoyed the chance to learn about the difference between native and introduced species, and the benefits of hunting as a method of pest control.

Field & Game Australia life member Gary Howard led the children on a wetland walk and explained how the once dry and degraded Heart Morass has been transformed by the efforts of volunteers into a thriving habitat that is teeming with life, while a Gunaikurnai community

member spoke to the students about sustainable hunting practices from the Traditional Owners’ perspective.

Another highlight of the day was a minimuseum workshop that was run by Sale Field & Game life member John Byers, during which the students could get up close to a variety of taxidermy animals which were provided with the assistance of Field & Game Australia.

The children also had the chance to collect

and view macroinvertebrates, and got the binoculars out for a spot of birdwatching.

Bug Blitz’s John Caldow said the day was a great success.

“We received good feedback from the schools involved,” he said.

“It is important to provide a range of environmental perspectives for students to consider topics like sustainable hunting and the role it plays in managing our environment.”

Head north for a top time in the Top End

NT Field and Game holds an annual sporting clay target shooting event, the Festival of Clays, for three days over the Northern Territory Picnic Day weekend, better known as the Darwin Cup weekend.

This year NTFGA has been selected to also hold and incorporate the Field & Game Australia Side by Side ASF National Championship. This will be a 75-target event that attracts shooters who enjoy the opportunity to shoot the SxS double barrel shotguns that in many cases their parents grew up hunting with.

The two days prior will see the 50-target 5-stand Sporting NT Championship contested on the Friday, followed on the Saturday by the 100-target ASF NT Championship.

The Festival of Clays usually attracts

more than 100 shooters, but with the SxS National Championship thrown into the mix it is hoped the numbers will swell to around 200 competitors and their families attending this year.

The NT Field and Game branch was founded in 2001 as a hunting lobby and wetland conservation group, not heading down the clay target path until 2013. We started shooting on stations set around two Atlas traps in an old sand pit until the local police threatened to charge us with the Terrorism Act for gathering and shooting practice on an area not classed as a registered range.

The Darwin branch of SSAA came to our rescue that year and allowed us to hold monthly shoots on its range while we secured our present range at Mickett Creek Shooting Complex in 2015.

The Festival of Clays was dreamt up between midnight and 2am in Graham Eames’ kitchen. We needed a big signature tournament to complement the two local major ACTA shoots, rich in cash prizes, held over the preceding fortnight. Hence the Festival of Clays really encompasses two associations, three clubs and nine days of shooting over three weekends, incorporating two public holidays. The Top

Couples and families enjoy the friendly, welcoming atmosphere at NT Field and Game.

End Ironman 200 will be held on July 22 and 23, followed by Darwin Clay Target Club’s four-day shoot from July 27 to 30, culminating in our Festival of Clays from August 4 to 6.

The Festival of Clays has always included a SxS event, and we had sought to hold the SxS National Championship in 2019. Now, our wait is finally over to hold this prestigious event.

The club has always had a healthy stock of SxS enthusiasts. Many of these chaps shoot their SxS at our monthly events and hunt geese with them during the season,

and our first six club guns were side by side doubles donated by our most generous member, Peter Stokes.

We carved our range from bushland and it developed quickly thanks to our president of the day Steve Lees and Richard Norris’ building expertise. Grants supported by Natasha Griggs paved the foundations for our skeet ground, and then Senator Nigel Scullion helped us land the big one and

we received a $500,000 Aus Sport grant which consolidated our simulated field course. We were able to put in the Long Range Target Tag system, build shelters, plumb chilled water coolers in, locate 40’ containers as trap houses and clay target storage, construct a shower block, >>

A regular at our branch, Marie-Clare Boothby MLA will be again supporting the Festival of Clays in 2023.

The winners of the guided hunt raffle prize will get used to this sight.

Young Billy Burke grew up at NT Field and Game.

erect light towers for night shooting and pave one kilometre of bitumen road around the course. This has created one of the best-appointed sporting clay grounds in the country, closely modelled on North American offerings.

At the Festival of Clays, competitors will enjoy 225 targets over three consecutive days in the balmy tropics and vie for the much sought-after handmade trophies created by renowned artist Paul Manners. Anyone who has seen one of these grand trophies aspires to win one.

Visitors are welcome to bring their caravans and camp at the range. We have expanded the camping area and provided water points, but not power or open fires. Camping is free, but in-kind assistance

is welcome and kicking in for rubbish collection costs would be appreciated. Visitors can arrive weeks early and stay into the goose season if they wish. Clay target practice occurs every Friday arvo and Sunday morning. Long-term visitors will be issued with a Target Tag so they can practice any day of their stay, other than the week leading up to the big event.

The Top End is a wonderful playground through July and August. The Darwin racing carnival is in full swing, culminating with the Darwin Cup on the day after the SxS National Championship.

The NT waterfowl hunting season will commence just a couple of weeks after the festival on private land, with the season

Glenn Giffen, safari hunting guide, used sporting clays as exercise to recover from being gored through the leg and forearm by a buffalo.

Wayne Pickard is another new arrival who looks like putting down roots in Darwin and continuing to enjoy the clay targets and the reliable hunting opportunities.

Generous member Peter Stokes uses his SxS at every opportunity, whether it be in the field or on the range.

proper opening on hunting reserves in mid-September.

On the Tuesday morning following the Festival of Clays weekend, I will be taking visitors and locals alike on a swamp rally, touring all four hunting reserves and imparting my knowledge of entry points, hunting spots and when and how these spots hunt best. Additionally, there will be a raffle prize of two mornings of guided goose hunting with me on special crop protection hunts for the winner and their best mate as part of the prize pool on the final day of the festival.

Blue water fishing is pumping offshore during July through August and charters can be taken to catch Spanish mackerel, black jewfish, golden snapper, giant trevally and queenfish.

Just as the goose season fires up, so will barra fishing in the rivers.

The Northern Territory goose season is something to behold and makes keen hunters wish they lived in the Top End. Ample daily bag limits of seven geese and 10 ducks are expected following a very good wet season.

Those who win the guided hunt with me will experience mobs of geese numbering 20 or more spiralling down into decoys, and when the shot is called geese will drop like flies. A dawn hunt like this is something to be remembered for life.

Other attractions for visitors include the Litchfield and Kakadu national parks, Crocodylus Park, Aviation Heritage Museum, Museum and Art Gallery of the NT, East Point Military Museum, pubs like the Howard Springs, Berry Springs and Rum Jungle hotels, close to local (croc-free) swimming holes.

NT Field and Game couldn’t even dream to do this without the help of Coolalinga Guns and Ammo, which has been the major

How many whistle duck can you see? One shot, two birds, two species. Picture supplied by Graham Eames

Local member and recent permanent arrival Jason Farrugia with a black jewfish, prolific in Darwin waters.

Picture supplied by Jason Farrugia

The highly prized Spanish mackerel is a speedster of the sea.

sponsor of this event for years and attracts much of the prize pool from its generous suppliers. These include RayTrade for Yildiz and Fabarm shotguns, SJS Trading for Dickinson shotguns, Outdoor Sporting Agency for Miroku and Blaser shotguns, NIOA for Akkar and ATA shotguns, Beretta, Spika gunsafes and accessories, and CR Kennedy for Pilla shooting glasses. Our other local sponsors who are there for us month-in, month-out include: Murray Oakley Retravision, Beta Coolalinga Butcher, Pedders Darwin, Hireworks, Darwin Camping World, Territory Tyres,

Sponsors

Outback Batteries, Fishing and Outdoor World, Total Tools Darwin, Northern Tile Gallery, Carpet One, and Crocodylus Park.

My Clubs My Scores will be available for online nominations, and we encourage people to opt in early as it will allow us to know how many shooters to cater for with clays, ammo, camping and food.

Payments for single events can be made on the day for those who are not shooting the entire program.

So, what are you waiting for? You’ll never, never know, if you never, never go.

A good dog and a fan make life comfortable in the tropics.

Island’s pheasants lure mainlanders

In the middle of Bass Strait between Victoria and Tasmania's north-west sits an island known for its fishing, fresh seafood, award-winning cheeses, handcrafted spirits, beers and ciders, and golf with a view.

But there’s something else it’s famous for: Once a year, on the June long weekend, King Island also becomes a mecca for those seeking to hunt – and hopefully bag – a pheasant.

Pheasant Weekend has been a fixture of the King Island calendar for almost 100 years, after the birds were introduced to the island about 1910 and released into the wild, where they continue to breed and thrive despite some pressure from feral cats.

James Humphries, a member of Coleraine Field & Game, has been part of the King Island pheasant hunt for almost 30 years, and has only missed attending on a handful of occasions.

“I first went there in ’94,” James said. “I’ve missed about three times, I think; once to COVID, and twice because of weather – we couldn’t fly.”

James first landed on King Island – which is just a couple of hundred kilometres as the crow flies from his home in Victoria –via a rather remote route: Canada.

“In ’92 I’d done an ag exchange, an

international ag experience, and I’d worked on farms in Canada – and ended up meeting a guy from King Island … we’ve been mates ever since.”

When James was subsequently invited to visit King Island for the pheasant hunt, it set in motion a yearly pilgrimage that still continues to this day.

He usually tries to fly in on the Thursday and spend a bit of time enjoying the island before the hunt.

“I normally get a fish in too while I’m down there,” James said. “Doesn’t matter which way the wind blows, you just go to the other side of the island!”

The Pheasant Weekend hunt is authorised and licensed by the Tasmanian Government, with a bag limit of three male pheasants per day; and, while the birds are wild, there is no hunting allowed on public property.

Permission to hunt must be sought from private landowners – which James said could be tricky if the hunter was previously unknown to anyone on the island.

When the hunt begins, James said the tactics used to target foxes were useful when in pursuit of pheasants.

“If you’ve got someone at the end of hedgerows, and you walk the thickets … the birds are cunning – they’ll run … I’ve seen them running 200m in front of us. If they hear you, they’re off,” he said. “A little bit like a quail.”

Adding to the challenge for a hunter of having a wily pheasant as his quarry, is the possibility of inclement weather. This is Tasmania in winter, after all, and James said the weather could be expected to be similar to that of England.

“We have quit at lunchtime – I will admit that,” James said. “Due to the rain, it was beyond a joke!”

James always hunts with a dog, and for him the chance to see one of his German Shorthaired Pointers – Ally and Lola – at work is a big drawcard.

“Ninety per cent of the reason I go (now) is to work the dog – I’m not so much worried about the pheasants anymore,” he said.

Lola is 12 now though, and James reckons this might be her last year on the pheasants.

As such, regardless of the challenges of the hunt and the vagaries of the weather, James plans to return to King Island again this June.

“I hope so,” he said.

If you go:

• A game hunting permit is required to hunt pheasant. Apply for your permit through the Service Tasmania website at https://www.service.tas.gov.au/

• Hunting is only possible on private land. For those who don’t have a contact on the island, it is recommended to take out a classified advertisement in the island newspaper seeking properties on which to hunt, or try the King Island Community Noticeboard page on Facebook.

Long-held ambition realised

Pheasant hunting has always fascinated me – likely a result of reading Roald Dahl’s Danny the Champion of the World as a young boy –but having spent most of my adult life in northern Australia it had not been something I’d had the opportunity to pursue. At least, not until February this year, when a fortunate series of events saw me in the United States and invited to participate in a unique pheasant hunt in Maryland.

The outfitter, whom I had met through gun dog circles, had space for an additional shooter at an event designed to replicate a European-style driven pheasant shoot, and while this was a far cry from my longheld desire to hunt the wild birds of King

Island it was quite simply an opportunity too good to pass up.

So, that’s how I found myself atop a hill on the Maryland-Pennsylvania border, Beretta in hand and dog by my side one Saturday morning in February. To say the morning was crisp is a gross understatement –around 10 o’clock the shooters were liberally dusted in snow. The conditions didn’t bother the dogs, the locals, or the birds and I pretended may hands and feet weren’t biting cold to the bone.

Over the course of the morning the shooters rotated around each ‘peg’, while the outfitter released pheasant in either singles or pairs. At the end of the day the shot birds were divided equally amongst

the guns, and the missed birds were left to chance their luck in the woods.

Most of the birds were ‘breasted out’ by the outfitter’s crew while we were still in the field. As a result, I left the hunting clubhouse that afternoon with several kilos of skin-free breast meat, and not the number of whole birds I had expected. On one hand this greatly reduced the amount of labour required of me, but on the other it impacted my culinary ambitions.

So, it was with a relative abundance of pheasant breast meat and a serious hankering for quality Asian flavours –which should naturally suit ring-necked pheasant – I hit on the idea of a Thai-style pheasant stir-fry.

Angus, a two-year-old Labrador, with his first pheasant which had fallen in a harvested cornfield.

Pheasant stir-fry

Ingredients:

• 4 pheasant breasts, approximately 500 grams

• 1/3 cup of cornflour

• 1 brown onion

• 1 red capsicum

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 4 shallots

• ¼ cup cashews (optional)

• Oil, high smoke point oil like peanut, sunflower, canola, etc.

Marinade:

• 1 egg white

• 1 tsp of soy sauce

• 1 splash of lime juice

Sauce:

• 4 tbsp oyster sauce

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp tomato sauce

• 3 tbsp lime juice

• 1 tbsp mirin

• 1 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)

• 1 tbsp ginger paste (I like to use ‘Gourmet Garden’ which can be found in tubes near the fresh herbs at your supermarket)

• 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)

Method:

Assuming you will serve this with rice, it would be best to start by preparing the rice. While the rice is cooking:

1. Slice the pheasant breasts into bitesize portions, discarding any badly blood-shot pieces.

2. Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a large bowl, and add the pheasant meat to the marinade. Strictly speaking, we aren’t really marinating the meat, but instead employing a Chinese stir-fry technique called ‘velveting’ to produce meat that is both crisp on the outside and tender inside. Let the meat rest in the marinade while you prepare the vegetables and sauce.

3. Slice the onion, capsicum, garlic and shallots.

4. Combine all of the sauce ingredients and mix well.

5. Over a medium-high heat, heat 2-3cm of oil in the bottom of a wok.

6. While the oil heats, add 1/3 cup of cornflour to a plate or bowl and toss the meat through the cornflour until it is evenly coated.

7. Once the oil has reached around 175-180 deg C, cook the meat in small batches without overcrowding the wok. If you don’t have a suitable thermometer, you can test the oil by adding a small piece of the meat; if the oil immediately bubbles, it is hot enough.

8. Once all of the meat is cooked, carefully drain most of the hot oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon of oil in the bottom of the wok.

9. Add the onion to the hot wok and continually stir for sixty seconds, then

add the capsicum, garlic, and ¾ of the shallots. Continue to stir fry until the vegetables are cooked but still retain some crunch. Add the cashews (if using them).

10. Add all of the sauce and heat through. Once the sauce is heated, return the meat to the wok and toss or stir everything together until it is evenly coated. Remove from the heat and serve on a bed of rice. Garnish with the remaining shallots.

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Chris Wardrop is a fisher, hunter, father and enthusiastic home cook. “I take great satisfaction in feeding my family ethically harvested meat and creating delicious meals,” Chris says on his website https://wildgamecook.net You can also find Chris’s page Wild Game Cook on Facebook.

Slice across the breast to ensure the meat is tender and not chewy. Then, mix all the meat with the marinade ingredients and let them sit while preparing the rest of the meal.

Cutting the vegetables to this size ensures even cooking.

All of the sauce ingredients thoroughly mixed.

The finished product ready to serve. Cook this dish correctly and it should remind you of a good meal at a Thai restaurant.

SALAMI-MAKING a delicious tradition

For many an Australian family with European roots – particularly Italian – the time-honoured tradition of salami-making is one that is looked forward to with great anticipation; when the secret recipes handed down through the years make an appearance once more, and generations of family members and friends gather to contribute to the process and the inevitable celebration that goes hand in hand with it – for not only does salami-making preserve meat, it also preserves a rich culture.

Every winter, a family tradition is repeated in Mandy and Rick Bilney’s shed.

For this Shepparton couple and their extended family, the art of salami-making has been passed down through the generations on Mandy’s side in a nod to her heritage – with her grandparents on both sides having been born in Italy.

Rick took over the head salami-maker’s role after Mandy’s dad, Matt Rendina, passed away. It was important to the family to keep up the practice as a way to connect to the past.

“Dad’s been gone 14 years now, and Rick’s taken on that tradition and kept the family tradition upheld,” Mandy said.

“Back in the day when Dad used to do it, there would have been about four or five families us, my grandfather, my dad, his two brothers.”

It was a man’s domain, mostly.

“Predominantly it was always the men that did it, and the girls would make sure the boys were fed and got plenty of liquids –by about lunchtime it used to be, you know, a bit of the old home-made vino or beer or whatever!”

Nowadays, the line-up of the salamimaking group has added a new generation in the form of the couple’s son, Tom, 21.

“Now, Rick makes it with Tom, my uncle, his (Rick’s) cousin Mark,” Mandy said.

As time has rolled on, not only have the salami-makers changed, but also the method.

“Back then, everything was done by hand. You’d fill the skins manually,” Mandy said.

There was also the hand-grinding of the meat – up to 100kg of it in the mouli –which of course has become less of a chore over the years thanks to more modern meat processing options.

One thing that has not changed, however, is the basic recipe.

“It was very plain and simple when my grandparents made salami,” Mandy said.

“It was pretty much pork mince, salt and fennel seeds.

“The actual meat to salt ratio doesn’t change – because they know that works.”

But alongside the batches of salami that follow the traditional recipe, more exotic combinations are now produced as well.

“As people’s tastes have evolved there’s now those extra things that you can put in it to make it a bit more flavoursome,” Mandy said.

She said friends of her family liked to add capsicum sauce, for example, while Rick loves hot chilli – so there’s always likely to be a batch containing that fiery ingredient. But it’s not just the extra ingredients that are changing the offerings produced by some home charcutiers – they’re also using different meats. Game meats, in fact.

Tongala’s Mick Keirl is one of a growing number of home charcuterie-makers who use not only venison, but also duck. For Mick, there is no family tradition of his own involved – rather it was that of a colleague which started Mick down the salami-making path.

“My old boss used to make it with his dad,” Mick said.

“The old man passed away, and the boss thought maybe he should have paid more attention.

“He had no-one who was interested, so I said, well, I’ll do it with you.”

Thus, a yearly tradition was born.

Mick likes to use venison in his salami, and also makes an excellent kabana with duck. Although the salami-making is a once-ayear winter project, Mick says he makes the kabana up to eight times a year as it’s a smoked product with no requirement for curing in cool temperatures.

A keen hunter, Mick usually harvests the meat himself. The lower wild duck bag limits of recent years have made his kabana-making tradition more difficult, however. With the meat from about 50 or 60 ducks required to make beginning his kabana-making process worthwhile, time simply doesn’t usually permit such a harvest these days.

When he does have enough duck to make a batch, Mick first bathes the meat in salty water to draw out some of the blood, then creates a mince mixture that >>

>> includes about 20 per cent pork fat. When the casings are filled, Mick – a boilermaker by trade – fires up his own homemade smoker unit and smokes the kabana until it reaches 70 degrees Celsius in the centre. Then, it’s just a matter of waiting for it to cool, and the process is complete.

When it comes to Mick’s salami-making, it’s usually done on the weekend following the June long weekend.

“Normally you should have a frost first,” Mick says. He said the ambient temperature should be no more than 16 degrees Celsius for optimum curing of the product.

The salami ingredients are fairly simple; Mick uses a mixture of venison and pork, combined with three per cent salt, and pepper.

“It’s the salt that cures the meat,” he says. Mick reckons he usually ends up with about 60kg of salami each winter, while in optimum hunting years he’s made as much as 160kg of kabana over the course of 12 months – which is then generously shared with friends and family, “probably 30 or 40 different people.”

“I could take 20 sticks into work – they wouldn’t last two days,” Mick says.

“I make it, but don’t actually keep a lot of it. I’d rather make more and eat it fresh.”

Back at the Bilneys’ shed, with the making done, the salami is hung to cure for various lengths of time, depending on the size of the product. Smaller sausage-sized salamis may only hang for two to three weeks, while the larger salamis could hang for up to a couple of months.

With about five families involved in the salami-making tradition each year and roughly 20kg of meat used per family, Mandy said the amount they produced should last about a year – but often didn’t if they were unable to resist the temptation to steadily consume it!

Make sure your dog has a good time too

When it comes to hunting with your four-legged friend, there are some steps you can take beforehand to ensure that you – and your dog – are able to enjoy the hunt day ahead. A little bit of preparation and thought can make all the difference.

Gather your gear

Make sure you have a lead, a whistle and enough water to last your time out hunting.

When your dog is out of the car it should be put straight on a lead, as often we are near traffic when first arriving at the hunting site. A lead on your dog, no matter how well it is trained, will help to prevent accidents –which can and do happen even to the most well-trained of dogs.

Fuel up Fido

Remember your dog could be working for some hours on the day, so a good feed the night before is essential. I feed an hour or so early the night before a hunt, this is so that the dog will empty out early the next day, meaning we are not stopping and starting first up in the paddock.

I like to feed a meal that can give energy, so it’s raw meat and raw vegetables laced

with pure honey; I don’t believe a dog will get much out of cooked meat, because cooking takes all the goodness and energy out of the meat.

Water is a must

One of the most important ingredients a dog needs while hunting is water, so take plenty of water and give it to your dog freely. I lace my water with pure honey while hunting, as this gives my dog extra

energy and stamina, helping him work a little longer.

I don’t let my dog drink out of dirty puddles around a farm, as the water may be contaminated with poison sprays or farm machinery oils.

Prepare for the worst

Always carry the phone number of the local vet, but if you forget, the property owner where you’re hunting will have the local vet’s number.

Those of you who have been hunting with gundogs for a while will know that there are dangers out there for our dogs.

Some years ago I had a dog break his front leg while hunting. This was in the day of car phones, so I carried him back to the car and rang the vet to tell him what had happened so that the clinic was ready when we arrived.

As we all know, we always have the fear of snakes because we are hunting in their territory – and don’t think you won’t run into the odd one in winter; I have.

Be vigilant

Try to stay aware of the issues your dog could face in the field. One in particular is barbed wire fences. I have seen dogs rip themselves open on these fences, and that means off to the vet.

Other hazards to be aware of are mine shafts and cliffs along rivers and creeks, which can be hidden in long grass so you won’t know that they are there until you’re right on them.

It doesn’t hurt to have a tube of eye ointment in your pocket; remember, our dogs are working low to the ground where their eyes are susceptible to grass, twigs, insects and pollen – so they will sleep a lot better on the trip home with a dab of ointment in each eye.

Soundproof beforehand

If you’re taking your gundog to a shoot for the first time, it’s very important that they have been introduced to and are familiar with gunshot beforehand. Without this preparation, your dog will be frightened and could be set back months or ruined for life.

There is a difference between gun-shy and gun nervousness. I have fixed dogs with gun nervousness, however it’s a slow, careful process. Gun-shy dogs are quite often ruined for life and are probably best left as pets.

Don’t overwork

If your intention is to go out hunting in the early months before winter sets in, be aware of the climate: it could reach 20 to 25 degrees Celsius. It’s important not to overwork your dog in these conditions, because it’s the start of the season and your dog’s fitness won’t be high.

Take plenty of water, and don’t work them for long periods without finding a river or dam to swim in and rest for 10 minutes or so.

If your dog becomes dehydrated you could end up with vital organ failure.

Take age into account

Your dog’s age needs to be considered before going out to hunt. A young dog hasn’t learnt the art of restraint, whereas an experienced dog will understand that it could be a long day and therefore will pace itself. It is therefore up to you to control the amount of work the young dog does, by stopping it for periods and perhaps heeling while you watch another dog work. These breaks in the day for the young dog will teach it to pace itself.

Remember, too, that while a very old gundog has learnt to pace itself, it still needs to be watched for fatigue, especially on warmer days. It’s about caring for your hunting companion.

Stay close

Make sure you can control where your dog is working. If your dog is pulling out, getting too far away, or working in long heavy cover and you can’t see it, and it can’t see you, this is where trouble begins and game-chasing may start.

Try keeping your dog in close, as this is where you will have more control. Once a dog starts chasing game, the thrill of the chase overpowers everything else and the average hunter will never gain control of their dog again.

I have stopped dogs from chasing game, but it does take time and understanding dog psychology, so I will quote one of my regular sayings: “Prevention is better than cure” – don’t let it happen and that will be the difference between having a good day out hunting or a bad day you’d rather forget.

Check for problems

Once your day in the field has ended, you have dressed your game and put it in the fridge, then take the time to go over your dog for foreign bodies while he’s tired, such as grass seeds in between and around the toes, thorns around the eyes, or anything else that their coat could have picked up during the day.

My working gundogs have long hair, so it’s a must that I check all over. Grass seeds, in particular, can cause a lot of infection if they work their way under the skin, or into other parts of a dog’s body. So, be sure to check their coat thoroughly.

Good hunting to all – and take care of your faithful hunting mate.

A German shorthaired pointer working quail in the field. Preparation is key to an enjoyable day’s hunting with your dog.

Healthy advice to chew over

Maintaining good dental health for your dog is essential and is particularly important when it comes to the hunting breeds.

Right from when their first puppy teeth are coming through, to when they gain permanent adult teeth and then on throughout the rest of their life, good dental health for your dog is more important than you may realise.

Dogs have 42 permanent teeth. To not only chew their food but also to aid in retrieval of game (or even just a stick!) and ensure their optimal overall general health, your dog’s teeth should be kept in good order.

Unfortunately, dental disease is one of the most common conditions diagnosed in companion animals, and in fact 80 per cent of dogs over the age of three years show signs of gum disease.

Untreated dental problems can lead to serious illnesses such as dental infections and abscesses, along with internal systemic disease such as kidney disease and heart disease.

Common signs of a dental problem

The signs of dental problems can be quite obvious, and include:

• Bad breath

• Drooling

• Bleeding from the mouth

• Refusal to eat

• Pawing at the face

• Making noises when eating

• Red, inflamed gums

• Changes in eating habits

• Loose or missing teeth

• Refusal to retrieve decoys or quarry.

The common causes of bad breath include:

• Poor oral hygiene, plaque and dental build-up

• Infection

• Injury

• Periodontal (gum) disease

• Diabetes

• Kidney disease

• Liver disease

• Gastrointestinal disease

• Poor diet, eating foul-smelling foods, rotten meats, and faeces

• Foreign objects stuck in the mouth.

Puppy teeth and misalignments

It is important to check you pup’s teeth in the first few weeks after weaning. It can be common for the pup to have a short lower jaw, this in turn can lead to the lower canines sticking into the upper palate causing pain and prevent the lower jaw from growing to the proper length and an undershot jaw. Early intervention using "ball therapy" or removing the lower canines can limit the defect.

Prevention is first step

Preventative maintenance of your dog’s teeth and gums is essential.

Tooth brushing is considered the "gold standard". You can do this by brushing your dog’s teeth daily with a silicon finger brush and toothpaste made for dogs. If your dog will not tolerate brushing, try an old face washer over a couple of fingers and massage the teeth and gums to get them used to the idea. Always use a circular sweeping motion, pushing the brush away from the gumline.

I know you will likely say "there is Buckley’s to no chance of me doing that"; or perhaps you are running a team of hounds and have too many mouths to clean.

There are alternatives to brushing – they are just less effective. If your dog will not tolerate brushing, there are dental chews and kibble, sprays, and water

additives that can help reduce plaque and tartar build-up. Regular visits to your veterinarian for dental cleanings and check-ups are also key in preventing dental problems.

When using toothpaste, it is important to use a veterinary one as they are flavoured for pets, have low levels of fluoride, and do not foam. Note: human toothpaste can cause stomach irritation if ingested.

Avoid using the bigger bones for your dog to chew on; and, once the meat is gone, put the bones into the bin. When dogs chew on hard limb bones, this can cause stress fractures of the tooth, fracture off the tips of the crowns and result in the loss of the teeth. If in doubt, watch a David Attenborough video of the African plains. You will see them littered with skeletons; granted, they are stripped clean, but the bones have been left behind.

Once the teeth are worn, or, even worse, fractured or gone, not even the best lion can pull down its prey.

To maintain your dog's dental health, you need to keep their teeth clean and intact. Nothing is 100 per cent effective though. Like us, your pet will still require regular dental check-ups and professional cleaning procedures.

What to expect at the vet’s

When it’s time for your dog to visit the vet for its dental check-up, you can expect the following to occur during the veterinary dental procedure:

• General anaesthesia

• Oral examination

• Radiographs (depending on outcomes of assessment), most dental disease in dogs happens below the gumline, resulting in bone loss

• Teeth scaling to remove tartar and plaque

• Teeth polish

• Gum irrigation to remove debris and remaining polishing paste

• Application of an anti-plaque system such as an oral sealant

• Assessment of abnormal gum pockets

• Tooth and gum procedures depending on findings of the examination

• Administration of pain relief and antibiotics where required

• Unfortunately, sometimes there may also need to be some extractions.

Now, before you consider some unscrupulous and usually untrained individuals out there offering anaesthetic-free dentals, please don't. Not only do they not address the underlying cause of disease, which is below the gumlines, they are painful and intimidating for your dog.

Remember, there is no point in having a nice shiny paint job on your car if the motor is seized.

Specialists can also offer root canals and crowns, and, just like with your teeth, this is a costly exercise – so prevention is key.

Taking preventive steps to ensure your dog’s dental health can help to reduce the chances of developing more serious diseases. Proper diet and nutrition, along with daily dental care, will help to ensure your dog’s dental health and overall wellbeing – keeping them out on the lakes, in the field and tracking through the bush for as long as possible.

For more information on dental health, please visit your vet or read more on our website www.directvetservices.com.au

Happy hunting, from Dr Karen and Darci the GSP.

Keep an eye out for the signs of dental problems in your dog – but remember that prevention is better than a cure.

Distinctive diver has many monikers

The hardhead (Aythya australis) – also known as white-eyed duck, barwing or brownhead – is a medium-sized diving duck found widely throughout Australia in deep freshwater swamps and wetlands – particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin and southeast South Australia.

Apart from one easily-noticed difference – males have a distinct white eye, while the females have brown eyes – both sexes are otherwise similar in appearance. They are a reddishdark-brown colour with white feathers under the tail and a white patch below the breast which is obvious in flight or when the birds are standing, although this white patch may be less distinct on the female birds. They have a dark bill which has a wide pale blue band across the tip.

In flight, the hardhead is fairly easy to identify, even at some distance, thanks to a broad white band across the trailing edge of its entire upper wing, while the white underwings have a brown edge. The wings are set back on the body, and the duck’s style of flight is swift with short and rapid wing beats.

Immature birds are very similar in size and colouring to the adult female but are a little paler, especially on the throat and chin.

Hardheads are rarely seen on land. On the water, the birds have a rather distinct profile from other ducks, and tend to sit quite low. As diving ducks, they can stay underwater for some time in search of food, with aquatic plants and small aquatic animals their target.

For breeding, the birds tend to prefer low, thick vegetation near or in water sources as diverse as rivers, channels, dams, billabongs and wetlands, where the female builds a nest from the various types of available vegetation, sticks and down and proceeds to incubate the eggs herself without help from the male.

Michael Kruger-Davis

Composure a key component for consistent results

To shoot consistently well, competitors need to be mentally tough. Mental toughness can be defined as the set of behaviours, attitudes and beliefs about yourself, your work, your sport, and how you interact. The seven characteristics of being ‘mentally tough’ are competitive, confident, controlled, committed, composed, courageous and consistent. In this article I want to focus on composure.

What is composure? Patrick Cohn of Peak Performance Sports believes that composure in athletes includes the following elements:

• The ability to think calmly and rationally when under stress.

• The ability to react calmly and rationally to errors during competition.

• The ability to rise to the challenge with confidence when called upon or as needed.

• The ability to identify and quickly extinguish mental barriers that undermine composure and cheat you from achieving peak performance.

• The ability to believe that there is no better person to win than you.

To develop these elements, what internal characteristics do we need to possess? We need to be calm, patient and poised. We need to have a relaxed but confident disposition, and we need to be able to

give ourselves positive self-talk and reassuring affirmations. We also need to be able to stay focused on the present, enjoy the performance or process, have a desire to compete and perform well, be a consistent performer, play to win and be a strong finisher.

Knowing these are the elements for composure, and what the internal characteristics are, why can’t we be winners all the time? The short answer is: because we are human. Being human, means we think too much about what we are doing or why we are doing it. The long answer is that there are several roadblocks that get in our way.

Cohn believes that the following things can get in the way to us being composed:

• Perfectionism. It is an irrational belief to think that you can be perfect or that your world should be perfect. Being human means that we make mistakes, misread the situation or make faulty assumptions that get in the way of us achieving our best.

• Worry. If we judge our performance by what we think others believe, then we will always fall short.

• Irrational beliefs. The following irrational beliefs are unhealthy and will stifle your effort and limit your potential: “I must be perfect all the time”; “I’m only as good as the quality of my performance”; “Others are watching and judging me”; “I think past events dictate how I perform in the present”; “I label myself with ineffective names”; “I must either succeed or fail: there is no middle ground, such as achieving a personal best”. Believing that you must be the one who wins, that your world will only be perfect if you’re on top, or that people will only like and admire you

if you are the champion, will prevent you from having the necessary level of composure to win consistently.

• Fear of failure. This is the main fear that confronts any athlete and can be extended to “fear of losing the match”, “fear of being embarrassed by a poor score or performance”, “fear of letting others down”, “fear of not performing to one’s potential”, “fear of not meeting the expectations of others”, “fear of not achieving anything for all the hard work involved”, “fear of negative social evaluation” and “fear of not gaining approval”.

• Self-doubt. This is probably the most important aspect of poor performance. It is probably what cause us to miss targets more than anything else. Selfdoubt stems from a number of causes, but the result is the same: it causes our muscles to tighten and tense up. This stops us from being able to move in a fluid and easy manner and, as a result, we can’t execute the swing and follow through as we would like – and we miss. The same thing happens to golfers but instead of missing, they miss-hit the ball.

• Comfort zones. This means that when you are playing with a lead, you play safe. This prevents you from taking the necessary risks to maintain or even widen your lead. Trying to play safe will lead to you tensing up and starting to

doubt your ability.

• Dwelling on errors. Because you focus on past mistakes, you are not able to stay in the present or stay focused on the process. Thinking about the past draws your attention to previously lost targets, trophies, glory, etc. Unless you are in the present you can’t shoot the target that is about to appear when you call “pull’’.

• Feeling intimidated or inferior because of the beliefs we have constructed around the ability of others.

Eight steps toward winning ways

Cohn has an eight-step plan for maximising composure:

1. Discard your expectations. Enjoy the game. Remember it is a sport and there are lots of benefits to be achieved even if you don’t win. This is not to say you should disregard your goals. Your goals and expectations are two different things.

2. Stop mind-reading. Don’t think about what others think about you. Focus on your goals rather than other people’s expectations. Remember, your competitors want you to fail so they can win.

3. Strive for success. Have a successdriven mindset that allows you to set

positive, growth-orientated goals.

4. Reinforce a positive self-image. View yourself as a composed athlete and visualise yourself performing with composure.

5. Disregard your preconceived ideas about your abilities.

6. Do not compare your skills with others. Achieve by focusing on the strategy for the competition, focus on the process and let the product look after itself.

7. Let go of judgements. Trust and let go.

8. Prepare coping strategies for dealing with mistakes and errors. One strategy is to look at how you think about your performance. Remember that it is a sport and that there will always be another competition.

References:

P. Cohn. 2006. The Composed Athlete. Peak Performance Sports.

Michael Kruger-Davis is a consulting psychologist and a member of Wagga Field and Game. He uses ammunition supplied by Hunts Shooting Supplies. Questions regarding psychological aspects of sport and shooting can be addressed to him at mjkrugerdavis@ gmail.com

Top weekend for Poachers

A large turnout of shooters rolled up at Donald F&G and Minyip & District F&G’s two-day Poachers’ Weekend in early March – and by all accounts an absolute blast was had by everyone.

While the number of competitors varied slightly on days one and two, there were 160 shooters who competed on both days, and 32 Field & Game branches were represented in total.

The winner of day one at Donald was Russell Chaplin, while day two at Minyip was won by Jarred Brown who also took the chocolates as the overall winner with a score of 130/150.

Possibles were shot by Gavin Pay (Sunraysia), Brett Jory (Benalla), and Michael Simpson (Timboon) on day one, while on day two the possibles went to Ross Matthews (Colac) and Brad Harris (Sunraysia).

Congratulations was also extended to Steven Krause, who was awarded Life Membership in recognition for his hard work and dedication to Minyip F&G.

Events such as this are only possible with the generous support of the sponsors. Outdoor Trading Company again stepped up to be the overall sponsor of the weekend, while for the individual events Donald F&G wishes to thank Buloke Firearms, Donald Hardware, Dunstan Wool, Donald Hotel, Customised Spreading, Brunt Truck Repairs, Spuds Cafe and Donald Auto Electrical, while Minyip F&G thanks Nutrien Ag (Murtoa & Rupanyup), Water Tech Solutions and C&R Sheet Metal. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes to make this weekend happen. A massive thank-you goes to all the volunteers who worked in the kitchen –they are an invaluable asset in running events such as these. Big thanks also to the office workers, the set-up crew, the number-crunchers and everyone else who helped make the weekend such a great success. Minyip president Bill McFarlane

was spot-on too when he thanked the competitors – because without them there is no shoot.

The lucky door prize on offer at Donald’s event was a Big Boy swag which was won by Gavin Krause (Minyip), while Minyip’s event offered a portable air conditioner which was won by Vicki Norris (Kyabram). The overall lucky door prize was a 45-litre Companion car fridge, with Kyabram’s Shane Norris the happy winner.

A spokesperson for both clubs said it was a “brilliant weekend of shooting … with an amazing bunch of people from all over the state”.

“There were lots of old and new faces supporting the sport of shooting, and both clubs hope to see you all again at Poachers in 2024 – and bring some extra shooting buddies as we’d love to hit 200!”

Donald president Jeremy Jardine (second from left) with Michael Simpson, Brett Jory and Gavin Pay who shot 25s at the Donald event.

It was a family affair for Donald’s Hayden Clark, Ben Clark and Lachlan Clark.

John Richards (sponsor), Jeremy Jardine and Donald event high gun Russell Chaplin.

Minyip president Bill McFarlane (left) presents Stephen Krause with his Life Membership award.

GB ammunition supplied by Outdoor Trading Company was the prize for the overall winners of Poachers’ Weekend.

Just some of the prizes up for grabs.

Results from day one at Donald (180 shooters):

High Gun: Russell Chaplin 66 (Deniliquin)

AA Grade

1st Kevin Jacobs 65 (Moe)

2nd Jason Smith 65 (Echuca-Moama)

3rd Leo McIntyre 63 (Echuca-Moama)

A Grade

1st Gavin Pay 66 (Sunraysia)

2nd Neil Campbell 62 (Benalla)

3rd Bill McFarlane 60 (Minyip)

B Grade

1st Ian Rhode 57 (Timboon)

2nd Marty Ware 54 (Benalla)

3rd Peter Bridley 54 (Sunraysia)

C Grade

1st Ross Tyben 40 (Bendigo)

2nd Andrew Pollock 40 (Grampians)

3rd Norm Martin 39 (Sunraysia)

Ladies

1st Brenda Murphy 49 (Swan Hill)

2nd Vicki Norris 46 (Kyabram)

3rd Michaela Shirley 46 (Clunes)

Veterans

1st Chris Charleson 64 (Swan Hill)

2nd Roger Kerslake 62 (Echuca-Moama)

3rd Ian Cooke 58 (Ballarat)

Under 18 (Juniors)

1st Tom Dixon 58 (Echuca-Moama)

2nd Dylan Boseley 52 (Sunraysia)

3rd James McNeil 45 (Grampians)

Under 15 (Sub-Juniors)

1st Abby Harris 38 (Sunraysia)

2nd Hayden Clark 35 (Donald)

3rd Kailie Krause 14 (Minyip)

Results from day two at Minyip (166 shooters): High Gun: Jarred Brown 68 (Donald)

AA Grade

1st Brad Harris 67 (Sunraysia)

2nd Brett Jory 67 (Benalla)

3rd Jono Archard 66 (Bar-rook)

A Grade

1st Ian Gill 66 (Colac)

2nd Ross Matthews 65 (Colac)

3rd Brock Ezard 61 (Deniliquin)

B Grade

1st Tyson Reid 59 (South Gippsland)

2nd Jason Dekoning 57 (Sunraysia)

3rd Raymond Freeman 57 (Grampians)

C Grade

1st Andrew Pollock 53 (Grampians)

2nd Kelvin Tyler 48 (Minyip)

3rd Norm Martin 45 (Sunraysia)

Ladies

1st Liana De Carli 55 (Kilmore)

2nd Brenda Murphy 52 (Swan Hill)

3rd Shannon Ware 49 (Benalla)

Veterans

1st Ian Cooke 65 (Ballarat)

2nd Chris Charleson 62 (Swan Hill)

3rd Bill Murray 53 (Geelong)

Under 18 (Juniors)

1st Dylan Boseley 57 (Sunraysia)

2nd Tom Dixon 53 (Echuca-Moama)

3rd Corey Longmuir 52 (Minyip)

Under 15 (Sub-Juniors)

1st Abby Harris 38 (Sunraysia)

2nd Kailie Krause 22 (Minyip)

Overall winners (combined scores over two days):

OTG High Gun: Jarred Brown (Donald)

All other winners include handicap on countback:

High Gun Hcp: Russell Chaplin (Deni)

AA Grade

1st Brett Jory (Benalla)

2nd Jason Smith (Echuca-Moama)

3rd Kevin Jacobs (Moe)

A Grade

1st Ian Gill (Colac)

2nd Ross Matthews (Colac)

3rd Matthew Lonie (Sunraysia)

B Grade

1st Marty Ware (Benalla),

2nd Joshua Martin (Sunraysia)

3rd Andrew Falla (Donald)

C Grade

1st Ben Purcell (Ballarat)

2nd Andrew Pollock (Grampians)

3rd Norm Martin (Sunraysia)

Ladies

1st Latisha Dekoning (Sunraysia)

2nd Brenda Murphy (Swan Hill)

3rd Kellie Richardson (Sunraysia)

Veterans

1st Ian Cooke (Ballarat)

2nd Chris Charleson (Swan Hill)

3rd Roger Kerslake (Echuca-Moama)

Under 18 (Juniors)

1st Corey Longmuir (Minyip)

2nd Gemma Boseley (Sunraysia)

3rd Tom Manifold (Donald)

Under 15 (Sun-Juniors)

1st Abby Harris (Sunraysia)

2nd Kailie Krause (Minyip)

The day two and overall Poachers’ Weekend winners: (back row) Kelvin Tyler, Bill McFarlane (Minyip president), Jason Dekoning, Abby Harris, Brad Harris, Brett Jory, Marty Ware, Chris Charleson, Ian Gill, Dylan Boseley, Gemma Boseley, Nathan Cassells (OTC Rep), Kailie Krause, Josh Martin, Ben Krause, Latisha Dekoning, Doug Longmuir (sponsor), Kevin Jacobs, Tyson Reid; (front) Corey Longmuir, Norm Martin, Andrew Pollock, Shannon Ware, Bill Murray, Ian Cooke and Raymond Freeman.

Shooters vie for the big bucks

Natimuk and District Field & Game’s biggest shoot for the year was held in March, with the J&A Shooting Supplies 100 Target Classic attracting 222 shooters to what was a fantastic day out for all involved.

With the prize pool for the event worth over $20,000, including a whopping $9,000 for anyone who could shoot the program clean, there were many top-class shooters among the field vying for the big money.

The first shots were fired just after 8am, and J&A Shooting Supplies owner and Natimuk Field & Game vice-president Bill Jorgensen said it was fantastic to see so many shooters turning out for the event.

Jeremy Kent shot an impressive 95/100 targets, earning him the title of High Gun for the day. Robert Hall was a close second with 93/100.

The potential to win the jackpot is an exciting aspect of the J&A Shooting Supplies 100 Target Classic; and, while the $9,000 jackpot didn't go off this year, that means it will be up to a massive

$10,000 for the 2024 event! So, mark your calendars for the Labour Day weekend next year and come along for your chance to win this massive cash prize.

I'd like to extend a huge thank you to all the shooters who attended, as well as to Bill from J&A Shooting Supplies for his generous sponsorship. Without the support of sponsors and members, events like these would not be possible.

The J&A Shooting Supplies 100 Target Classic was a huge success, and the branch is already looking forward to next year's event.

Congratulations to all of the shooters who participated, and we hope to see even more of you out there next year.

As the secretary of Natimuk and District Field & Game, the committee and I couldn't

be more thrilled with the success of this year's event. It's always fantastic to see so many shooters come together for a day of competition, camaraderie, and fun. With the addition of such a substantial prize pool, it was an even more exciting event.

Natimuk and District Field & Game president Tom Hardman was pleased with the day and praised the sponsors who make events such as these possible.

“The J&A Shooting Supplies 100 Target Classic was a fantastic day for our club and the shooting community,” he said.

“We are grateful for sponsors like Bill from J&A Shooting Supplies, whose support enables us to host such successful events.”

Bart Turgoose Secretary, Natimuk and District Field & Game

The winners of Natimuk and District’s J&A Shooting Supplies 100 Target Classic, held on March 13.

Grant goodies delivered at Donald

Patience and persistence have paid off for Donald Field & Game’s Liz Russell and David Manifold, who over a period of many months satisfied all the criteria for a government grant which now sees the club as the proud owner of a new tractor –complete with slasher and wad sweeper.

The tractor/mower came with a price tag of more than $40,000 and, along with the

nearly $10,000 wad sweeper – which is actually a towable horse poo collector, but can be used to collect other debris such as shotgun cartridge wads and broken clay targets – the club is now better off equipment-wise to the tune of around $50,000 worth.

Donald Field & Game’s grant writer Liz Russell said the wad-collector was part of

the club’s efforts to be as environmentally friendly as possible, and along with the new tractor and slasher was “vital equipment for the better management of the ground”.

This is a fantastic example of what a couple of dedicated committee members can achieve by never giving up for their local branch.

David Manifold stands proudly in front of the recently delivered tractor supplied with a slasher and wad sweeper, acquired through a grant application.

Junior champion decided

The 75-target event at Moe Angling Field and Game on February 26 was the culmination of the club’s annual Junior Championship – an off-the-gun competition run over the course of 12 months, during which time any junior who shoots at Moe is automatically entered.

Generously supported by Jeromy White Agricultural Contracting and also the team from In Season Hunting and Fishing Warragul who sponsored all the prizes for the shoot plus a Ruger American .22 valued at $800 as a door prize for juniors on the day, the final event attracted six juniors and nine sub-juniors.

Across the year a total of 35 juniors and sub-juniors competed at Moe, with the year’s Junior Championship won by Julian Lieshout of Moe Field & Game who shot 451 targets out of 1025 despite missing four events – one due to illness, and a further three when he turned 18 in November and became ineligible for the remainder.

Congratulations on the day also went to Brianna Tangey of Traralgon Field & Game, who was delighted to win the door prize. Moe Angling Field & Game’s committee is keen to encourage the next generation of shooters and hunters and urges all young shooters to come along to the club and become involved. Moe’s June event is listed in the 2023 Shoot Book as being 75 ASF OTG on June 25 from 9am.

February 26, 75 targets:

Juniors

1st Matthew Watson 51

2nd Andy Daly 48

3rd Hayden Gourley 44

Sub-Juniors

1st Riley Schroeter 47

2nd Riley Richardson 43

3rd Mitchell Briscoe 43

Junior Championship winner

Julian Lieshout of Moe Angling Field & Game.

The winner of Juniors on the day, Matthew Watson.

Brianna Tangey was thrilled to win the door prize, a Ruger American .22 valued at $800.

Proud member will be missed

On January 11, Port Phillip Field & Game lost a longstanding and much-loved member when John Micallef passed away just short of his 83rd birthday.

John arrived in Australia in 1957 aged 17, and his passion for duck hunting began a few years later.

Along with his cousin Fred, John never missed a duck season and would head out every weekend, while in the off-season he shot on the rice.

John joined Port Phillip F&G in 1977, and son Paul believes his dad would have encouraged “at least” 200 hunters to join the club during his time, while Paul and his brother Rick were signed up as soon as they turned 12 and both have now been members for about 30 years.

Paul said John “absolutely loved the club”. “Dad joined Port Phillip and just stayed with them,” he said.

“I was going to get him to change to

Seymour years ago he didn't see the point as he said that it would be like choosing a favourite child as F&G is like a big family.”

Although a very proud member of the Port Phillip branch, Paul said his dad only shot clays a couple of times as ducks and pigs were his preferred targets.

“Dad always loved F&G and what they do for hunters,” Paul said.

“He would always make a point of encouraging others to join … most of the time he would talk them into it!

“Just before he passed away, we were talking about how good it would be if F&G would expand the club and include fishing and outdoor activities to make the club stronger.”

John Micallef with a full bag of ducks.

John Micallef (centre) with sons Paul and Rick.

Life Membership for Ian

Ararat & Stawell Field & Game has awarded Life Membership to Ian White as recognition for his efforts and leadership over many years in various roles.

Ian said he first came across Field & Game in 1990 while shooting inter-club smallbore.

“I then started to shoot Field & Game with my two children, up until 2000 when work commitments arose,” Ian said. He returned to shooting again in 2006.

“From then, I have been vice-president then president for 10 years,” Ian said.

“Being made a Life Member is the highlight of my shooting career.”

BRANCH NEWS Grampians

Grant allows technology boost

Field & Game Australia’s Grampians branch recently received a grant from local company Stawell Gold Mines that has enabled the club to upgrade its computer technology.

The very generous donation allowed the branch to upgrade its wi-fi booster, dongle and laptop.

Grampians’ office manager Joan Vines (pictured) is very pleased with the faster processing of shooters’ details onto My Clubs My Scores, and the competition results also load quickly and accurately.

The club said the support of Stawell Gold Mines was very much appreciated and the new technology helped immeasurably with the smooth running of the small and remote branch.

Ian White is presented with Life Membership of Ararat and Stawell Field & Game.

Ian in action on the shooting range.

Young club member Tyler Stebbing is instructed by Ian on how to compact the ground in preparation for the pouring of a concrete slab.

Charity shoot a huge success

Do you know a man – or maybe even more than one – who has ended their life by suicide? Maybe you’re a wife, mother, father, sister, brother, son or daughter who has been directly affected by the suicide of your loved one. Research suggests that up to 135 people can be affected by just one suicide alone.

So, in 2022 when the Ballarat Field & Game committee decided to dedicate a shoot in 2023 to a charity, it didn’t take long for mutual agreement to be reached on who the recipient would be; and when the branch held its first charity shoot on March 5, 2023, all profits were donated to Ballarat Men's Mental Health.

It’s no secret that men are challenging to engage on the most basic of health issues, let alone mental health. With this in mind, Ballarat F&G in partnership with Ballarat Men’s Mental Health aimed to create an event that raised awareness of mental health in general, and men’s mental health in particular.

The club approached as many local businesses and industry contacts as possible to support the cause, with the aim being to reduce the running cost of the shoot to a minimum so that all profits on

the day could be donated. It was fantastic to see more than 30 businesses come on board to create a prize pool worth more than $7000. Thanks goes to Laser Cut Fire Pits, Total Tools Ballarat, H. Rehfisch and Co, Jono and Johno Ballarat, Tyre Power Ballarat, Outdoor Trading Company, My Mates Outdoors, Hip Pocket Ballarat, Red Duck Brewery, Sinclair Meats, EE Day and Sons, Ballarat Mower Centre, Cheer Box, Field & Game Australia, Trade Mutt, Winchester Australia, Hewitt and Whitty, Baker’s Delight Bakery Hill, TJM Ballarat, Bunnings Warehouse Delacombe, Avalon Nursery, Weightmans’s Meats, Ballarat Combat Zone, Karon Farm Coffee, RF Scott and Co, Haddon General Store, The Athlete’s Foot Ballarat, Cubby Haus Brewery, Formosa Nursery, Wilson’s Fruit and Veg, Aussie Disposals Ballarat, Ballarat Bakery, Holland Transport, and A+J Auto Electrics.

With the sponsors locked in, the weather was looking good and four grounds of 25 targets were set for the big day. All that was needed were the participants – and they rocked up in droves, with just shy of 190 attending on the day.

The charity shoot offered prizes down to 5th place, lucky door prizes which included a custom firepit, and major raffle prizes thanks to the event’s generous supporters – with more than 700 tickets sold.

The event ran smoothly, and from all reports the participants were impressed with the day, the targets on offer, and spread of prizes up for grabs.

Ballarat being Ballarat, rain set in for the afternoon – but the event was all wrapped up before then which allowed everyone to stay dry.

The day could not have run so smoothly

Ballarat Field & Game members present a check for more than $11,000 to Ballarat Men’s Mental Health director Max Crawford.

without the committee that set and maintained the grounds, and the women and men in the club room who ensured all were fed, raffle tickets were sold, and squads were sent out promptly.

The event certainly would not have been such a huge a success without the support of the businesses that contributed so generously, and it was a pleasure to invite Ballarat Men’s Mental Health director Max Crawford back to the club to present our donation of $11,211.07.

Thank you to everyone who made the event such a success, and to the competitors who supported the day.

And remember, if you or someone you know needs help with mental health issues, it is only as far away as a phone call or a chat with mate. Never be ashamed to reach out and ask for help.

– Sam and Grace Wilson

The fully laden prize table at Ballarat’s charity shoot.

Raffle prizes included a Husqvarna chainsaw and a pair of Great White driving lights.

Ballarat Men’s Mental Health director Max Crawford having a shot for a cause.

High Gun winner, Shane O’Brien.

BACK PAGE YARNS with Lucas Cooke

Exploring the disconnect between humanity and the natural world

Recent events – especially in Victoria and South Australia – have caused our organisation and many hunters to reflect upon the values of society regarding hunting. It is often discussed that those opposed to hunting for ideological reasons are a tiny minority and are beyond reason as far as engaging in meaningful conversations surrounding this issue. However, there are estimates that as many as 85% of the population really don’t care either way about hunting. This phenomenon can be referred to as “hunter apathy”.

The anti-hunting movement that has emerged has seized on this phenomenon, drawing attention to a growing disinterest in hunting and its crucial role in maintaining ecological balance, and claiming it as a victory for their arguments to ban all hunting and animal husbandry practices.

As a reflection of broader societal shifts, this apathy towards hunting raises important questions about our relationship with the natural world and the consequences of our disconnection from it.

At the same time as it is argued there is growing concern with the animal welfare and cruelty aspects of hunting, there has been a notable trend towards reconnecting with responsible food sourcing. As individuals become more aware of the environmental and ethical implications of their dietary choices, they are seeking alternatives that align with their values. This has led to a resurgence in interest in practices such as hunting, fishing, foraging, and organic farming. People are actively seeking out locally sourced, sustainable, and organic produce, as well as participating in activities like communitysupported agriculture and farmers’ markets. This shift reflects a growing desire to have a closer relationship with the food we consume, understanding its origins, and supporting responsible and

regenerative agricultural practices. By reconnecting with responsible food sourcing, individuals are not only nourishing their bodies but also fostering a deeper connection with nature and promoting a more sustainable food system.

Hunting has been an integral part of human history, providing sustenance, clothing, and tools for survival. Our ancestors’ reliance on hunting fostered respect and understanding for the delicate balance of ecosystems. Hunting has traditionally been a deeply personal and meaningful experience for hunters. It fosters a profound connection to nature, wildlife, and the cycles of life and death.

Modern society’s disengagement from the deep spiritual aspects of hunting and the connection to the environment it fosters can be attributed to various factors. First and foremost is the abundance of easily accessible, mass-produced food. As supermarkets and restaurants offer a convenient alternative to acquiring meat, the necessity of hunting for sustenance has diminished. Furthermore, the increasing urbanization and disconnection from rural environments have contributed to the loss of any sense of connection or responsibility for the source of our food.

Society’s evolving attitudes towards hunting have also contributed to the phenomenon of hunter apathy. The rise of urbanization, animal rights activism, and a disconnection from rural traditions has led to a shift in cultural values. Hunting, once seen as a necessary means of survival, is now viewed by some as an unnecessary and even cruel pastime.

In today’s fast-paced, instant gratification culture, hunting often requires patience, dedication, and perseverance. The process of scouting, tracking, and finally harvesting game demands time and effort. However, the prevalence of quick-fix solutions and immediate gratification in various aspects

of life has eroded the willingness to invest in these pursuits.

To combat hunter apathy and rekindle the passion for hunting, several strategies can be considered. Firstly, fostering education and awareness about the benefits of responsible hunting can help counter negative perceptions and build a bridge of understanding with the wider public. By emphasizing the importance of conservation, wildlife management, and ethical hunting practices, hunters can regain their sense of purpose and pride in their pursuits.

Additionally, encouraging mentorship programs and passing down traditional knowledge can reignite the connection between generations and instil a sense of responsibility and appreciation for the hunt. By imparting wisdom, skills, and ethical values to younger hunters, the torch of passion can be carried forward, ensuring the preservation of hunting traditions and values. It’s up to all of us as hunters to take responsibility for this. The silver lining of the Parliamentary review process currently under way is that there is more attention on hunting now than there has been in some time. To some degree, people are being forced to pick a side. I am hopeful that many people will choose the side of supporting responsible, sustainable and well-regulated hunting, and the opportunity is present to get these people involved, excited, and keen to foster good hunting practices going forward.

Let’s be ready to harvest the next crop of eager new hunters and get back to a “common sense” approach to hunting by sensible people instead of letting ideological loons run the asylum!

828U BLACK

Available in 12GA, 26”|28”|30” barrel lengths

$3,599 RRP

828U SILVER

Available in 12GA & 20GA, 26“|28”|30“ barrel lengths

$4,199 RRP

828U SPORT

Available in 12GA, 30”|32” barrel lengths

$6,299 RRP

AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM OF DESIGN, COMFORT & TECHNOLOGY

Apart from the aesthetically blessed appearance, the 828U has a patented steel locking system and plate, an easily removable trigger group receiver, adjustable drop and cast, ergonomic opening lever, impulse activated ejection, it is extremely well balanced; it is everything you could ever want.

The 828U Sport edition offers even more with smart combination of technology and design to ensure high ballistic performance. Powerbore technology, the cryogenic treatment of barrels and chokes, and solder-free barrels combine to maximise precision, speed and patterning.

We invite you to experience the Benelli difference, and visit a Benelli dealer near you soon.