Backcountry Sambar

SHUNTERS, we are an interesting and large demographic that cover Australia, from deep in the Tassie hills to Arnhem land and everywhere in between. Whether it’s bunny busting under a spotlight, cold mornings in waders waiting for teal, to the outback chasing camels, we fall under the category of “hunter”. Over time we often start to specialise and settle into our preferred style of hunting based on our experiences-both good and bad, while our availability of time, money and the patience of our loved ones often dictating the path we take. I chose Sambar deer hunting after falling in love with the Victorian High Country and this is a story of patience, perseverance and teamwork.

I’d been hunting an area in the Alpine National Park regularly over the past three years with little to no success. There was always lots of sign, but “success” could only be measured with a few hind sightings and a missed shot at a reasonable stag. Something kept pulling me to this area, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, so I’d stuck to primarily hunting other areas that I knew better. I’d always walked up into the catchments on day hunts, usually running low on time and motivation due to the