Hunting Near Mansfield

Camping in a State Forest near Mansfield Victoria searching for the elusive Fallow Deer. Temperatures at night fall well below zero at this altitude (600 metres) but no snow.

Hammock sleeping system. (very warm)

 Fire pit

 The ute

 Trev and I

 With Daniel (Trevs son)

 Deer country

Elmer Fud?

Hunting and Hiking Pack

Hunting/stalking pack.

Basic 5 Kg hunting/stalking pack:

• Hunters Element 15L Vertical Pack. (855g)
• 3L water Camel Back (with 1L water, incorporated in pack).
• iPhone
• Snacks.
• Folding Hand Saw.
• 2 S Hooks.
• Disposable Gloves.
• Toilet Paper.
• Ear Plugs.
• 40 L dry pack / Meat Bag.
• Ledlenser Head Lamp.
• First aid Kit.
• Knife Sharpener.
• Garmin eTrex 10 GPS.
• MT410G Emergency Personal Locator Beacon (PLB).
• Falkniven F1 Knife on pack strap.
• Puma SGB Knife (Spare).
• Emergency Kit (in Camel Back pocket)

This kit gives me sufficient tools to process and carry out game, deer etc from a hunt / stalk.

 Emergency kit:

• Space blanket.
• Sawyer MINI Water Filtration System.
• Spare AA and AAA batteries.
• Bic mini lighter
• Compression bandage.
• Tissues.
• Folding Knife.
• BG Flint and Striker fire starter.
• Cotton wool soaked in vaseline (firestarters).
• Wet Wipes.
• Panadol.

Emergency kit is for any event where I might not get back to camp or the car because of injury, distance or just plain lost. This stuff can aid others I may come across also.

 Camel Back pouch.

 Emergency kit is in the Camel Back pouch flat and out of the way.

 Pack for hunting including the pack itself is 5Kg.

I also carry a .308 Rifle and Ammo 4 Kg,

GME 5 Watt UHF Radio,

Binoculars , Cold Steel SRK Knife

an extra 1.5 Kg. Total 10.5 Kg.

 All items in hunt pack plus UHF Radio, Binos and belt knife.

Sleep system:

• High Strength Camping Hammock with Mosquito Net.
• Klymit ultralight inflatable sleeping mat.
• Atlas Hammock Suspension Staps.
• Tarp / Fly.
• 4 Degree C Hiking Sleeping Bag

Have slept 2 nights at 0 degrees C and it was very comfortable and warm.

With the ultralight stove, pot and spoon total weight 4 Kg.

This sleeping kit will fit in the pack with the sleeping bag strapped to the top, total pack 14.5 Kg. Add dehydrated and powdered food for 3 days add 1.5 Kg.

16Kg total stalking pack, sleeping system and carry items.

Free Range Organic Venison

Aged Sambar backstrap with cream and parmesan scalloped potatoes, wild mushroom medley and brussel sprouts.

 Wild mushroom medley

 Cream and parmesan scalloped potatoes

 Aged Sambar backstrap

Brussel sprouts

Townsville Bowen and Magnetic Island FNQ

 Bowen FNQ

 Magnetic Island Ferry

 Port of Townsville

 Magnetic Island Transport

 View of Horseshoe Bay from the pub

Garry and Michelle

Venison Jerky Time - Sustainable use of Free Range Organic Meat

Sweet and Spicy Venison Jerky

 Trimmed Venison

 Some of the venison marinating in the bag at bottom and other cuts 'tenderising' and aging before freezing above.

 The new 10tray food dehydrator, $119 bucks free delivery from the Bay of E 👍

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/-/252931484787?roken=cUgayN

 Loaded up

Ready to go 4-5 hours

Thanks Matty Boulton for this recipe.

Venison Marinade for Sweet and Spicy Venison Jerky

Equal parts Soy sauce and Worcestershire  sauce.

• 500 ml Soy sauce
• 500 ml Worcestershire  sauce
• 125 ml Teriyaki sauce
• 2 x Tea spoons of Wasabi
• 60 ml (I bottle) Smoked Chipotle Tabasco sauce

Enough for about two kilos of meat.

Method:

• Mix together all the ingredients.
• Add the venison strips and toss to evenly coat. I used a large plastic bag.
• Marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Mix the venison a few times as it marinates to ensure even absorption of the marinade.
• Remove the venison strips from the marinade and squeeze off excess.
• Arrange the venison on the racks of a food dehydrator so that it does not overlap.
• Dry the venison on high until dry but still pliable, about 4 - 5 hours.
• The jerky should bend without breaking.
• Completely cool in an well ventilated space before tasting or testing for dryness.
• Most recipes recommend allowing to air dry for up to a week before storing.
• Store in an airtight container, vacuum seal or in resealable plastic bags.

Yum 😙

If you don't have a food dehydrator, you can also place it in a 80 degree C oven for 6 to 8 hours. Never tried this.

Free Range Organic Meat

First off . . . . In my opinion wild harvested game, or Free Range Organic Meat is infinity more preferable to packaged, sometimes chemically supplemented and processed meat.

When you pick up that plastic wrapped meat from the supermarket please be aware that farmed animals can be confined, fattened, transported and processed sometimes in cruel conditions and may wait as long as 48 hours smelling death waiting at a processing plant. I fear they often suffer. Of course they may live a life as pleasant as responsible farmers can make possible.

Wild taken game is ideally enjoying a free and natural life in the wild unaware of any danger and in the next second quickly and ethically taken. No suffering and I am respectful and thankful to the animal.

I do not hunt any animal I can't utilise and mostly they are feral (introduced pests) and practice the sustainable utilisation of wildlife. This is my sport and my hobby.

My first Victorian high country Sambar.

 Just a small part of the cleaned and trimmed venison.

 Vacum packed cuts of venison.

 Some in the ageing fridge ready for further processing to steaks, snitzel and venison jerky.

 Hermiones share, mostly the shoulders and other off cuts.

Happy Hermione

My Tikka .308 deer rifle.

Sellier & Bellot 180 grain round and the actual projectile that dispatched the deer.