On October 28, the branch welcomed ADA life member Bob Gough over to share some of his wealth of knowledge during a hunter education campout down at Glenbog State Forest. A good mix of experienced members, new members and future members came along to share in some information that would hopefully help them become both better educated in the ways of deer and, in turn, better hunters. As it turned out, there was also some people in attendance who were interested in hunting with a camera more than a rifle.
The night started off with us all checking into our accommodation at the Federal Hotel in Nimmitabel, where our host Kelvin treated us to some quality pub food and some rather tasty beverages. Each attendee checked in with several folks sharing rooms to cut costs. I highly recommend the hotel, as Kelvin has indicated he is very keen to support branch hunters … not to mention that staying in a warm bed when it's cold out is exceptionally inviting!
For the next few hours Bob gave presentations on the ecology of deer hunting, with some focus on the mighty sambar. There’s not much that Bob doesn't know when it comes to this incredible animal and he had all the attendees paying close attention.
Following a magnificent night’s sleep (with me sharing a room with a rather poorly tuned chainsaw), we were all up at early o'clock to grab breakfast at the Nimmitabel bakery. The banoffee turnover comes highly recommended.
Then it was on to Glenbog where a suitable area was selected for the attendees. A quick bullring was set up where we were welcomed by Branch President David Carter, and then we were once again enthralled in Bob’s presentations. To break these up there were a couple of field trips where we went for a walk looking for deer sign. At some point Bob picked up, and ate, some rather fresh-looking deer scat. Following some dry retching and laughing from the kids, he came clean and admitted they were black jellybeans. Nathan and Luca were still skeptical and couldn't be tempted to try them out.
We were fortunate enough to see some quality, fresh deer sign on the road leading in, which gave some insight into their direction of travel and where there might be some potential opportunities later in the day.
After a lunch fit for such a fine group, Shane gave a brief chat on 4WD set up and vehicle safety when out in the bush.
This then brought us to the end of the day where a small raffle was held, and David thanked Bob for his time and presentations. We really are lucky to have such a highly respected and knowledgeable man who is so passionate about hunter education. He is a strong role model to a lot of deer hunters, myself included.
After a quick photo in front of the ADA banner the pack up began. New member Ivan and his son Luca remained behind to camp the night and test out their newfound knowledge. As it turned out, they put everything learned into practice and, as though scripted, a young doe stepped out of the bush exactly where it should have. They now have taken their first deer and have a freezer packed full of quality venison.
A big thank you to all who helped out with running the weekend. We look forward to planning another weekend like this sometime after the rut in 2023. Keep an eye out for dates.
Cheers and straight barrels!
Do you want to get the last Australian Deer news, events, updates & competitions directly to your inbox?
Enter your name & email below and we'll make sure you're the first to know!
