All posts

All posts

An archive of all of the posts, articles, tutorials and videos available on I Am Hunter. They are ordered by date with the most recent at the top of the page. You can navigate to specific categories using the links in the sidebar.

All posts
Hunting in QLD
Hot topics

How to apply for a firearms licence in QLD

Getting your firearms license in Australia might seem quite a daunting task at first, especially as the rules and processes can differ so dramatically from state to state. We have created a series on How to Apply For a Firearms License in Australia, with NSW, Victoria and Tasmania already published. Over the coming months, we will add in all states and territories of Australia, but in the article, we’ll check out how to apply for a firearms license in QLD.

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hunt camp cooking
Hunting tips

7 tips for better hunt camp cooking

Hunting is an active sport that involves plenty of walking, hill climbing, carrying gear in, and packing meat out. To be successful, hunters need to maintain peak physical fitness and that means eating properly before, during, and after the hunt. But the very nature of the hunting lifestyle also offers unique challenges when it comes to meal preparation, as it often takes place a long way from a fully stocked residential kitchen. In this article, we provide 7 tips for better hunt camp cooking, as well as a few simple recipes you can cook up in the field with ease.

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Fake photo
Hot topics

A picture tells 1000 lies – how a fake image was shared more than 20 million times

There was a time when photography was considered the ultimate truth; when a simple image was capable of telling 1000 words. Unfortunately, in an age where digital manipulation has become commonplace, it is much more common for a picture to tell 1000 lies than a single truth. In this article, learn how fake photography is being used to manipulate the public to believe radical ideologies.

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Burris Oracle 2
Bowhunting

Unboxing the Burris Oracle Range Finding Bow Sight

We unboxed Burris’ new rangefinding bow sight – the Burris Oracle 2. This is a bow sight that has a built in range finder. You draw your bow, press a button and it gives you an exact aim point for that distance and angle of shot. Sounds pretty cool and we’re gonna chuck it on a bow to see how it fairs.

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Deb Crow
Hot topics

How to apply for a firearms licence in NSW

Getting your firearms license in Australia might seem quite a daunting task at first, especially as the rules and processes can differ so dramatically from state to state. We have created a series on How to Apply For a Firearms License in Australia, with Victoria and Tasmania already published. Over the coming months, we will add in all states and territories of Australia, but in the article, we’ll check out how to apply for a firearms license in NSW.

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Reviews

The new Burris Thermal is a real rip snorter

Earlier this year, we had an opportunity to test out the brand new Burris Thermal Handheld (BTH 35). What we discovered was a rip snorting thermal optic device that turns up the heat on night shooting and lets you own the night. Or as we like to say, it helps you hunt when you can’t see shit!

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Hunting is cruel
Advocate

Is hunting under attack?

If you have ever doubted that hunting is under attack, you only have to take a quick look back over our social media posts from the last two months that show numerous examples of inflammatory media headlines, onerous government legislation and discriminatory acts by commercial businesses all aimed at recreational hunting and shooting.

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deflesh a deer hide
Into the wild

How to de-flesh a deer hide

Do you enjoy tanning a deer hide but hate getting all that flesh off? In this tutorial, we show you a simple way to deflesh a hide using a pressure washer.

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Scotch Eggs
Into the wild

Scotch Eggs with Rabbit

Do you love scotch eggs? Ever tried to make them using game meats? In this recipe, we show how to make scotch eggs with rabbit meat.

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Crop protection
Episodes

Episode 13, Season 1

In this episode of I Am Hunter, we explore the different styles of crop protection hunting and the purposes they play in protecting food sources.

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Hunting in NZ
Episodes

Episode 12, Season 1

In this episode of I Am Hunter, we are back in New Zealand where Jess hunts a beautiful free range fallow buck, and Hayden, a farmer from Victoria, hunts his first red stag.

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Hunting with kids
Episodes

Episode 11, Season 1

In this episode of I Am Hunter, it’s all about hunting with kids. From Jess taking her 7 year old out to teach him tracking skills to 4 year old Lily seeing deer for the first time.

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Fly fishing
Episodes

Episode 10, Season 1

In this episode of I Am Hunter, we show the link between hunting and fishing by using possum hunt to tie flies for fly fishing.

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zebra
Episodes

Episode 8, Season 1

In this episode of I Am Hunter, we look at hunting controversial species like the mountain zebra in Africa or the Sulfur-crested cockatoo in Australia.

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Difference between hunting and poaching
Advocate

The difference between hunting and poaching

Hunting and poaching. They are two words that have somehow become synonymous with each other. But are they the same thing, or are they wildly different? In this article, we will look at the main differences between hunting and poaching, and show how one gives back to wildlife while the other takes indiscriminately.

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Plains Zebra
Advocate

Do people really hunt zebra?

There’s no denying zebra are iconic to the African continent. It’s hard to think about Africa without imagining a herd of black and white striped zebra grazing across the open plains. Maybe that’s why some find it so hard to imagine why anyone could want to kill one. After all, why would anyone want to hunt a zebra? In this article, we’ll explore some of the common questions people have about hunting zebra and look at how hunting and conservation often go hand-in-hand. 

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culling cockies
Advocate

Culling cockies

Cockatoos are not only synonymous with the Australian bush, they are a much-favoured addition to aviaries around the world. Despite being protected, they can still be killed under crop protection permits. In this article, we explore why cockatoos are culled, and why anyone would want to kill such an iconic bird.

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Always clearly identify your target
Hot topics

Game species of Australia

As a new hunter, navigating the complex rules of hunting can be quite a challenge, especially when it comes to figuring out what species can be legally hunted in Australia. This is compounded by the fact that every state and territory seems to have different rules and regulations surrounding wildlife classifications. One state’s feral pest is another state’s partly protected game species. Add native wildlife to the mix and things get even more complicated. In this article, we provide some information on the different game species of Australia, as well as where and how they can be hunted.

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driven wallaby hunt Tasmania
Episodes

Episode 7, Season 1

In this episode of I Am Hunter, you will see Rod, Jess and Tash taking part in a driven hunt for wallabies in Tasmania using dogs.

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Nyala
Bowhunting

Episode 5, Season 1

In this episode of I Am Hunter, Tash spends four days in Limpopo Province in South Africa, hunting a nyala with her bow.

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bow hunt fallow deer
Bowhunting

Episode 3, Season 1

In this episode, Tash hunts a fallow deer with her bow back when there was still a loop hole that allowed bow hunting in Tasmania.

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Panang Curry Rabbit
Recipes

Slow cooked Panang rabbit curry

This slow cooked Panang rabbit curry is perfect for a cold winter night to warm the whole family. It’s not too spicy but has so much flavour. We used the leg meat from both rabbit and hares and slow cooked it to make sure the meat was super soft.

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Spot and Stalk hunt
Hunting tips

How to spot and stalk hunt

Spot and stalk hunting is an important element in ethical, fair chase hunting. Animals are perfectly adapted to their environment. They blend in and have much better senses that humans, which can make it a challenge getting in close. In this article, I want to show you how to spot and stalk hunt using a few simple techniques I use when I’m hunting wild game. 

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Bowhunting

How to choose your arrows

There is a lot of information that goes into choosing the right arrows for bow hunting. In this article, we try to simplify the process to help you get it right.

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How to field dress a goat
In the field

How to field dress a goat without gutting it

The most obvious way to field dress a goat for meat would be to gut it and then break it down into the cuts of meat, like we did for a kangaroo in this video.

Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to do that though and if you’re new to hunting, having to gut an animal can be messy and a little confronting – which is totally understandable.

Here is a method that we filmed while attending the Game Hunters Association of Australia Hunter Education course.

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Advocate

Can hunting aid Kenya’s economy post Covid?

In 1977, Kenya banned trophy hunting and pinned its economic hopes on tourism, believing photographic tourism to be more sustainable in the long run than hunting tourism. Enter 2020 and a global pandemic that hasn’t just impacted the health of millions of people around the world; it has also decimated the tourism industry. Kenyan based conservation scientist Dennis Ombaki believes there should be a place for well regulated hunting to help Kenya rebuild and provide much-needed economic aid to Africa post Covid-19. 

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Hunter education in schools
Advocate

3 reasons hunter education should be taught in schools

There are 3 main reasons why hunter education should be taught to children in schools. 1. Children learn a healthy respect for firearms that will help them as they get older. 2. Children learn where food comes from. 3. Children learn how to source food for themselves.

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Wildlife for meat
Advocate

Why African lives matter

African lives matter too. An open letter to British celebs has accused them of undermining human rights and putting animals over people by trying to ban hunting.

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wallaby hunting with hounds
Advocate

Wallaby hunting under fire

Wallaby hunting has come under fire in Tasmania. In this article, we look at why hunting remains one of the best methods for controlling wildlife numbers.

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Jess Byfield
The Armoury

Jess’ Favourite Gear

Good women’s camo gear used to be really hard to come by. It was all bright pink or didn’t fit properly at all. Over the last few years though, with more and more women getting into hunting, a lot of brands have made huge improvements to their product lines.

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Game Reserve
Advocate

South Africa’s game reserves provide meat to struggling communities

In South Africa, privately owned game reserves and safari parks have long provided the lion’s share of employment in rural areas but with Covid-19 bringing tourism to a standstill and causing historic unemployment, South Africa’s game reserves now provide the lion’s share of meat to those same struggling local communities.

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Slow cooked curry with venison neck
Recipes

Venison neck slow cooked curry

This slow cooked venison neck curry is perfect for a cold winter night to warm the whole family. It’s not too spicy but has so much flavour. Using the neck of the deer for this makes for the most tender, juicy, fall-apart meat.

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Advocate

Just another head on the wall?

Trophy hunting is often seen as an egotistical activity where the hunter just wants another head on the wall. But there is more to taking a head than pride, as Jess explains in this short article.

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T1x TACT A1 Coyote Brown
Hot topics

Beretta Australia announces 9 new Tikka rifles

Have you been climbing the walls during isolation, itching to get back out hunting? Beretta Australia has just the thing to scratch that itchy trigger finger, announcing the release of nine new Tikka rifles. This release coincides perfectly with the resumption of hunting activities in many Australian states. The new models are for the Tikka T3x and Tikka T1x platforms and will be available in early August.

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Fresh game meats
Hunting tips

8 reasons why deer meat tastes bad

Have you ever wondered why venison tastes bad? Do you find the meat too tough? Is the flavour too gamey? Chances are that you’re making one of these 8 mistakes when processing your venison.

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farmers
Hot topics

Free Burris scope offer for farmers

We always love a good freebie, but a freebie for a good cause… that’s even better! Beretta Australia has Aussie farmers in their sights with their free scope offer for farmers with selected rifle purchases.

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Pulled venison with sliders
Recipes

BBQ Pulled Venison Neck

Forget the pork. Get some venison on your fork with this BBQ pulled venison recipe. We serve it with a side of coleslaw and homemade sliders.

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Venison in black bean sauce
Recipes

Venison in black bean sauce with fried rice

We thought that you really couldn’t beat a good beef in black bean sauce from the local Chinese restaurant. It turns out you can. If you can get your hands on some prime venison backstrap (AKA back steaks if you’re a kiwi or eye fillet if you bought it from a shop), we promise you that you’ll struggle to justify ordering it with beef ever again.

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social distancing for hunters
Hunting stories

Social distancing for hunters

The whole world is talking social distancing like it’s a new thing. But social distancing for hunters is something we have been actively practicing for years. Forget 1.5m distance; when I head out bush, I prefer to keep at least 1.5kms between me and the nearest person. There’s no better feeling than being alone out there with nature, far away from the maddening crowds. 

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learn to hunt
Hot topics

5 steps to learn to hunt

All hunters start at the beginning and must learn to hunt. In this article, we provide 5 practical tips for those who want to learn to hunt.

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Trophy hunting a zebra
Advocate

Why hunters smile

Have you ever wondered why hunters smile in photos with dead animals? Find out why hunters smile after killing an animal and why it is not a bad thing.

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Fallow deer meat
Hot topics

Understanding changes to fallow deer hunting in Tasmania

From the start of the 2020 Tasmanian deer season, recreational hunters will no longer require tags for antlerless deer. But this has led to some confusion from hunters who aren’t quite sure if the requirements around processing deer have also changed. We find out the answers.

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Hunting is cruel
Advocate

6 common myths about hunting

In this article, we look at 6 common myths about hunting such as hunters hate animals, we don’t need to hunt, hunting is cruel, only humans kill for fun, humans have an unfair advantage, hunting kills endangered animals.

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Rhinoceros
Advocate

Activists fail to save a rhinoceros and 10 giraffes

What happens when the world’s most vocal anti-hunting celebrities and animal activists are invited to save a rare rhinoceros and 10 Angolan giraffes from being hunted? Nothing. That’s right – they did not lift a finger and failed to save the wildlife.

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Venison lasagna
Recipes

Venison lasagne

Learn how to make a delicious Italian lasagne using minced game meats including venison, kangaroo and buffalo.

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biggest danger to hunters
Hunting tips

The biggest threat to hunter safety

The biggest danger to Australian hunters is not the gun, but wildlife. In this article, we look at four of the deadliest threats to hunters, and see that small sometimes packs the biggest punch.

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Fallow doe
Hot topics

Changes to Tassie deer season

The Liberal government in Tasmania yesterday announced an extended season for antlerless deer as well as the removal of bag limits. Here’s all the FAQs on the new changes.

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Charity Doane
Hunting tales

A divine whitetail hunt

Hunting connects us with family, with nature, with God. When Charity Doane bowhunted a whitetail buck for her dying dad, she had a little divine help.

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Tired of being censored
Advocate

6 ways hunters can fight negativity

There is a lot of negativity about hunting online, with many people trying to ban it altogether. In this article, we look at 6 simple ways hunters can fight back to defend our lifestyle.

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Lion close up
Advocate

Why scientists do not back a hunting ban

If hunting is so bad, why have 133 scientists written an open letter to the UK government urging them not to ban trophy hunting? Could it be they understand the negative impact it will have on conservation and animal populations?

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BBQ ribs
Recipes

Tender BBQ Deer Ribs

Do you tend to discard deer ribs? With this easy recipe, you’ll realise they can be just as juicy and tender as pork or beef ribs.

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Fishing rod holder
Into the wild

How to store fishing rods for travel

How many times have you thrown the fishing rods in the back of your car or truck only to find they’re all knotted and damaged by the time you get there. This simple storage solution uses PVC pipe and some cable ties to keep your fishing rods neat and tidy in the back of your car.

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Rendang Curry
Recipes

Rendang curry

Learn how to make a delicious rendang curry using game meat. In this recipe, we use wallaby, but it works just as well with venison or beef.

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Trophy hunting a zebra
Advocate

Is trophy hunting evil?

Trophy hunting has become a dirty word, with even some hunters joining in the demonisation of trophy hunters. But is trophy hunting evil? Or does it play a vital role in wildlife conservation? 

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Chris Pratt Hunting
Hot topics

6 celebrities that hunt

From the Royal family to Hollywood actors and musical legends, there’s plenty of celebrities that hunt and enjoy hunting as much as we do.

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Sambar Backstrap Steaks
Recipes

Easy Sambar Steaks

Sometimes simple is definitely the best when it comes to venison. In this recipe, we take sambar backstraps and create a mouthwatering meal in minutes.

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Jess walking with Bow on back
Hunting tips

Unusual hunting tips

1. Practice perfectly This may seem self explanatory but you often hear people saying practice makes perfect. In reality, only

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Wallaby biltong
Recipes

Wallaby biltong

Learn how to make delicious South African biltong with an Australian twist using wallaby legs and Vegemite.

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Chili venison recipe
Recipes

Chilli venison

With plenty of venison in our freezer, we’re always on the lookout for new recipes. This week, we created an awesome venison chilli using our wet aged, boned venison necks, chipotle chillies and jalapeños.

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De-boning a leg
Techniques

How to de-bone a leg

Learn how to remove the bone from a hind quarter while saving as much meat as possible. In this video, we are boning out wallaby legs. However, the technique applies whether you’re deboning any wild game or even store bought whole cuts.

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Pack of wolves
Advocate

You have enemies? Good.

Hunters have plenty of enemies in today’s PC, take-offense-at-everything culture. Anti-hunters, angry vegans, and opinionated celebrities, like Ricky Gervais, constantly

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Venison burritos
Recipes

Venison burritos

There’s two things our family loves – Mexican food and venison meat. So it’s only natural that we love to

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Markhor in Pakistan
Advocate

How trophy hunting is saving the markhor

We have all heard it said that trophy hunting is harmful to wildlife conservation. Tell that to the rare and endangered markhor, which is actually growing in number since Pakistan introduced trophy hunting as part of its wildlife conservation program. 

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