The sixth and seventh iterations of the National Hunting Camp were held during mid-August and September/October 2022. Both camps ran for the usual 12 days/11 nights and in total, brought together 32 ADA members from branches in Victoria, South Australia, NSW, Western Australia and the ACT.
Camp Six (August 12 ― August 23, 2022), attracted 11 hunters from five branches: Melbourne, Westernport (Vic), Western Australia, ACT and Snowy Mountains, and the Northern and Yorke Branch (SA). Although this was a numerically small camp in terms of the number of attendees, it was made up for by the enthusiasm of those present. Also, several of those attending had significant hunting experience that was put to good use.
For the first time, the camp hosted two ADA members from Western Australia. Jay Jamieson is a member of ADA’s Western Australia branch and incredibly drove his well-equipped 4WD for 3600km from Perth to Shelley. Meanwhile his mate, Matthew Scott, flew from Perth where he presently works but still maintains his affiliation with the Westernport branch (Vic). Their other mates Justin Dickinson and John Jeffree travelled from the Westernport district in southern Victoria. In total, these four men became the backbone of the camp, and every day during their long stay, hit the hunting blocks at or before first light; they hardly ever returned to camp before sunset. Their hunting focused on state forest flanking the eastern margins of Mount Lawson State Park (notably Blocks 9 and 10), but they mixed it up, occasionally hunting areas south of the Murray Valley Hwy, such as Block 14, where there are more open areas because the forest doubles as a grazing lease.
Together they saw a number of deer, including sambar stags at close range, yet their luck was bad. Jay was particularly unlucky, having hunted his guts out. One evening he walked back to his car along a road and got honked by a stag staring at him from no more than 15m away. Maybe the stag just knew his rifle was unloaded. Justin’s trail camera also showed there were large stags on his block, but they didn’t present themselves during daylight hours. Despite a huge effort from the Westernport and WA boys, they simply couldn’t bag a deer. I sincerely hope these men return to future camps, but with greater success.
Unfortunately, Camp Six’s only successful hunter was Oleg Kozlov from the Melbourne Branch. Oleg moved to Australia in December 2019, and once the worst of the COVID restrictions were history, he got licensed without delay. Since his first hunt in March 2022, he has really immersed himself in the sport, and has had much success in the field. A well-organised and energetic bushman, he has already taken three sambar in the Abbeyard area, 20km south of Mount Buffalo, and now has his first fallow deer from Block 18. This year, Oleg managed to get to three of the four National Hunting Camps, and never wastes too much time in camp. He was unlucky not to drop a large sambar stag during Camp Six, which escaped his 60-metre shot at last light. Oleg hunts with a 30/06 Springfield, fitted with a 2-10 x 50 ’scope, and shoots 170-grain Geco Plus ammo, a round ideally suited for the type of hunting undertaken at the National Hunting Camp. His choice of 170-grain projectiles is good for sambar and, if well-placed, doesn’t destroy too much fallow deer venison. During Camp Six, I happened to bump what was, almost certainly, Oleg’s stag, plus three hinds. That was not more than 400m from where the stag encountered Oleg a few days earlier; in my case they got my scent at 70m and crashed to safety, bulldozing though thick vegetation. Between camps six and seven, Oleg managed to photograph the same stag, and many hinds, using trail-cameras overlooking rub trees. The stag will be even bigger by mid-2023, and we intend to put him under a lot more “hunting pressure”.
As the camp’s organiser, it is disappointing to run a hunting camp and only tally a single deer, but there were reasons for this, namely the 24/7 logging of pine plantations, with accompanying 24/7 machinery noise, especially around Shelley and towards Berringama to the east. The immediate Koetong area remains essentially unaffected, but the character of the Shelley district has changed. Firstly, the mega-bushfire of early 2020, burnt everything east of Berringama and to the western boundary of the Wabba Wilderness, including significant areas of pine plantation north of Block 1, and east of Block 5; thousands of burnt trunks were the first to be harvested in the autumn and winter of 2020. Secondly, the country-wide scarcity of building timbers, has provided incentive to rapidly log areas of unburnt plantation; these have been harvested at a significant rate of knots. Drone imagery, courtesy of Alex von Hofmann (Melbourne Branch), shows well how huge tracts of mature plantations to the south and east of Shelley Forest Camp have been razed. One thing is certain, the camp and nearby plantation workers’ depot now have a magnificent firebreak that should serve it well, at least for a few years!
Camp Seven (September 21 ― October 4, 2022), attracted 21 hunters representing six branches: the Northern and Yorke Branch (SA), Melbourne Branch, Hunter Valley Branch, ACT and Snowy Mountains Branch, Westernport Branch (Vic), and for the first time the Riverina Branch (NSW).
Early during camp, I scouted the highway’s margins, in areas where pine plantations had been cleared; typically, there was still much green pine-branch debris upon the ground. What I saw was copious deer sign, especially fresh game trails leading across the Murray Valley Hwy, into the northern eucalypt forests and the few unharvested plantations still remaining. This is great news for Shelley hunters, deer have returned to the hunting blocks in significant numbers, and this is reflected in the numbers of deer taken during Camp Seven; five fallow deer and one sambar, a significant improvement on Camp Six.
Deer have moved through the clear-felled plantation blocks, entering from the unburned Cravensville area, and the forests around Tallangatta Valley, before crossing the Murray Valley Hwy heading north. Block 1, a superb hunting area during the 2018 and 2019 camps, although relatively unscathed by the 2020 bushfire, was hit hard in the aftermath of the fire. Satellite imagery from September 2022, viewed in HuntStand, shows that Block 1 is now a ‘deer funnel’ of state forest, surrounded on three sides by clear-felled terrain. To the south of Block 1, newly planted pines are a food source, attracting deer in large numbers, and these are moving across the highway, something I have witnessed while driving back to camp. All this helps explain why since mid-2022, sambar and fallow deer have returned to Block 1 in large numbers. During Camp Seven, on a four-hour hunt on Block 1, I bumped at least three sambar that were sunning themselves amidst dogwood and wattles, on a warm north-facing slope. They were no more than 500m north of the noisy Murray Valley Hwy, and were most likely recent immigrants from the south.
New to deer hunting, Camp Seven was Alex von Hofmann’s (Melbourne Branch) first National Hunting Camp, having only recently joined the ADA. Firstly, he hunted Block 14, but missed taking a fallow deer at close range. Then he got a chance to hunt the high-yielding Block 18, on Koetong’s ‘deer superhighway’ (see Australian Deer magazine, Volume 47, Number 5). He embedded himself early in the day, and patiently waited in ambush, to be rewarded with a fallow doe, taken in a clearing near the centre of the block. Judging from the smile on his face while butchered it in camp, he will be a returning Shelley customer. His was the first deer taken during Camp Seven, and his investment in a 308 Steyr Mannlicher Pro is beginning to pay dividends.
Jarrard Botting (Melbourne Branch) is another busy man who is glad he took time-out from work in the Big Smoke. Jarrard sat in wait on (guess where?) Block 18 and was himself ambushed by a fallow doe that approached him from the rear. The deer was dispatched with a 130-grain round from his 270 Win rifle over 25m. It was his first fallow deer, having previously taken a sambar hind near Licola, and two red deer in pine plantations near Dunedin, on New Zealand’s South Island.
During the last weekend of Camp Seven, Donovan Jones from the Hunter Valley Branch made a brief, but fruitful visit to camp. Shortly after his arrival, he made his way to Block 1 for a quick reconnaissance and wasted no time taking a fallow doe with a 180-m shot before nightfall. Then, after a solid night’s sleep, he embedded himself in the southeast of Block 1, well before first light. While glassing across the blackberry-infested Beetoomba Creek (North Branch) a group of three or four sambar were sighted, slowly making their way to a well-known bedding area in the centre of the block. He took a shot, again over 180m, downing a spiker. This was more than a good effort, considering it was his first hunt in Victoria, and his first ever sambar. The two deer he took were his 17th and 18th for the season. Obviously, he had no issues adapting his rusa and chital hunting skills from northern NSW to the Victorian landscape. Those left in camp benefited from his generosity, and he shared the bulk of the venison with people who were less successful in the field. Thank you, Donovan.
(STOP PRESS: Donovan texted me while I was writing this article (October 30, 2022). Today he returned home from his last hunt of the season, a hunt that lasted only 10 minutes. He finished the year with two fallow deer taken on crown land for a total of 20 deer for the year. That’s 19 more than I have shot in three years).
Aaron Hingerty from the ACT and Snowy Mountains Branch also arrived on the last weekend of camp. Aaron is a precision long-distance shooter and was accompanied by his favourite heavily-modified rifle, comprising a Tikka action, a stock by Precision Defence Industries, a Swan barrel chambered in 7 mm-08, and fitted with a muzzle-break from a local gunsmith. The entire rig is fitted with a Delta Titanium HD 5-25 scope. Aaron self-loads using 150-grain Hornady because he enjoys target shooting and takes pride in his precision marksmanship; consequently, he uses a single rifle for both hunting and target shooting. Without wasting time, Aaron took a young fallow doe from Block 5 on his first morning in the field. Aaron’s short yet productive visit proves that success comes to those who are highly organised and who get their boots on the ground early in the day. He is to be congratulated for taking the first deer from Block 5, at any National Hunting Camp. It is also his first fallow deer from the Victorian High Country.
The final group to check into camp comprised Danijel Mitrovic (Melbourne Branch), his brother Igor, and mate Zoran Cuckovic. Danijel’s first deer hunt had been Camp Five in June/July, and during that camp he concentrated on the northern end of Block 10. He had been unsuccessful, despite bumping one or two hinds. During Camp Seven, he was even more determined to succeed and had Igor and Zoran to help him as spotters. Danijel obviously enjoyed Camp Five and talked Igor and Zoran into joining the ADA; based in Adelaide, both have chosen to join the branch I’m with, the Northern and Yorke Branch (SA). I must say, I’m most impressed that Igor and Zoran came to camp, given that they are still to get their SA firearms licences. On the second evening of their hunt, they found a suitable area near the centre of Block 10 and sat in ambush. Their patience was rewarded when Zoran spotted a doe at short distance and, without messing around, she was dispatched by Danijel. Danijel’s hunting gear is perfect for the type of hunting undertaken at the National Hunting Camp, where “spot and stalk” is difficult, due to thick bush making glassing from face to face quite challenging. Rather, his Mauser M12 Max chambered in 308 Win, and fitted with a Kahles 1 to 5 x 24mm scope, is ideal for when rapid target acquisition is necessary while close-range “stalking”. When stalking through thick scrub, the hunter may only get a second or two to get on target and squeeze the trigger, so a scope like his Kahles with a wide field of view is what is needed. It’s a fact that most deer taken over the seven hunting camps since July 2018, were shot at ’scope magnifications no greater than 4, typically over 25 to 75m, and only rarely beyond 80m. Danijel, Igor and Zoran were highly organised, all wearing blaze orange, each armed with a Garmin Rino and bouncing with energy. They wasted no time back at camp, as much of their doe was chopped-up and made into goulash, then eaten after midnight. I’m very much looking forward to these guys returning to Shelley.
And on the subject of future camps, in 2023 there are to be another four National Hunting Camps. These are scheduled as follows:
Camp 8: Wednesday, April 19, to Sunday, April 30.
Camp 9: Friday, June 23, to Tuesday, July 4.
Camp 10: Friday, August 11, to Tuesday, August 22.
Camp 11: Friday, September 22, to Tuesday, October 3.
It’s never too early to make an inquiry, or register your intention to attend one or more National Hunting Camp during 2023. Each camp will run for the standard 12 days/11 nights because this format gives the best opportunities for hunters to attend a timeslot of their convenience. ADA members are welcome to plan their stay to arrive and depart on the days of their choice, staying as few as two nights, or for the entire 11 nights. Those who bunk for longer periods and/or register early, are typically allocated the most sought-after blocks, and that is only fair. Having said that, at least 35 of the 42 hunting blocks are world-class hunting terrain so there is always plenty of choice. The 42 blocks comprise state forest totaling at least 550 square kilometres, spread over a wider area of ca 1200 square kilometres. Hunting blocks are largely non-contiguous, and intermingle with out-of-bounds plantations and private farmland. This landscape tapestry helps ensure adequate spatial separation for hunters.
People who are new to hunting might do well to arrive for the start of camp when most of the hunter education takes place. This is usually run by Bob Gough who gives one or two evenings of presentations, and leads informal sessions designed to help less-experienced ADA members hunt safely, legally, and successfully. It is not unusual for a newbie to take his first deer the day after one of Bob’s great info sessions.
Anton (Tony) Schubert, an ADA member for 40 years or more, registered for Camp Seven. Although he often attends Melbourne Branch meetings, he has never actually been to an ADA camp, nor an ADA hunt. That’s largely because he has access to private property in the Wonnangatta Valley, a place he has hunted many a year. Judging by his enthusiasm at camp, he will be back at Shelley next year. Tony, like so many others, has discovered the National Hunting Camp is all about meeting hunters from other ADA branches, great companionship, safe hunting on world-class hunting blocks, and learning heaps about hunting deer and the right gear to take into the bush. People often tell me that the National Hunting Camp ticks all the boxes with respect to why they joined the ADA in the first place. Around half the people who came to the most recent camps had never taken a deer, and the National Hunting Camp gave them a big ‘starting-point’. Indeed, for several people the National Hunting Camp had been their first hunting experience and fast-tracked them to immediate success.
Unfortunately, none of the National Hunting Camps since their 2018 inception have seen a red deer taken. Reds are only known on hunting blocks to the west of Shelley Forest Camp. They have been seen and/or heard by ADA hunters on Blocks 6, 7 and 10. Non-ADA people have reported red deer around Thologolong, as the crow flies 24km northwest of Shelley Forest Camp, including on Block 12c. Reds are also known from Block 26, in the vicinity of Tallangatta Valley. Overall, this is a north-south distribution, striking 35km across Findlay Creek (Block 21), Mount Brutal (Block 13), and the Mount Lawson massif, between the Murray Valley Highway and the River Murray. Arguably, Block 6 and Block 7 are the most accessible to hunters chasing red deer. On the latter, red stags have been heard roaring during their annual mating period; during Camps Six and Seven, red deer were seen crossing Burrowye Road that separates Block 6 from Block 7. Every March/April, for several years, a large stag, has been busy roaring on Block 7; he spends at least some of his life at latitude -36.108 degrees/longitude 147.534 degrees where he beds adjacent to a grassy clearing. If your GPS is programmed for the MGRS like mine is, the position is close to 55H EA 48060 03940. This small clearing sits beside a creeklet, amid the relative safety of a jungle of dense, impenetrable vegetation. Four nights’ accommodation at any future camp, will be donated to the person who takes the first red deer stag on Block 6 or Block 7, indeed on any Shelley block during a scheduled National Hunting Camp. Who’s up to the task?
Finally, I sincerely thank three people who have supported me in the running of Camps Six and Seven, namely Elias Hallaj and Tony Rath, both of the ACT Branch, and Ian Skiller (Westernport Branch). These guys kindly helped me set-up and pack-up camp, assemble gear on site, and in the case of Elias, prepared many a tasty meal, while I was otherwise preoccupied.
For more information on the National Hunting Camp, please contact the organiser/huntmaster, Bernd Michaelsen (M 0419 832 995, E michaelsen@geologist.com).
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