If you asked me 10 years ago to travel to Australia the answer would have been no. I had always thought of the ‘land down under’ to be the snake mecca of the world. Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) is a real thing, and I most definitely have it. So when my friends Adam and Kimmi Greentree asked me to come and hunt with them in Australia I decided the only way to get over that fear was to conquer it.
Hunting is not what typically draws people to the Island country, Australia is most known for the beautiful white sand beaches, the great barrier reef, tropical rainforests, and vast stretches of uninhabited eucalyptus forests. The native species of the The South Pacific are primarily birds, reptiles, rodents, and marsupials. Large mammals such as red deer, fallow deer, water buffalo, sambar, hogs, and axis deer did not inhabit Australia until they were brought over for hunting purposes over the past 200 years. All non-native animals in Australia are considered invasive species, and are open for hunting without tags year round. So basically a bow hunters paradise. After the first few days of bowhunting hunting with the Greentrees it was apparent that the fallow deer populations thrive in the New South Wales region we were hunting. I have never seen so many deer per square mile. April and May are the rutting months (mating time) for fallow and we hit the end of the rut perfectly. The bucks were still in testosterone overload, fighting each other, and croaking (trying to attract does in heat) which makes it much easier to call them into shooting range.
Adam, hunting this species all his life, knows what it takes to get the bucks close, and using his mouth to replicate a doe bleat (doe in heat call) was able to call me in a rutting buck to 8 yards. It was the most insane hunt and shot I have ever made. After the shot is when the real work begins. I being the busy person I am pulled out my dull well used knife to field dress the fallow buck, and debone the meat. Lucky for me I remembered that I had put my Work Sharp Field Sharpener in my backpack. I was able to sharpen my knife to ensure that I made the perfect cuts in the field and keep the meat clean and pristine. My favorite thing is it adds little weight to my pack. Adam had never seen the field sharpener before and loved it so me being the nice person I am left it in Australia for him. Unfortunately for me I headed to hunt in New Zealand where I definitely could have used it! hahah thanks Adam :)
Written by Rihana Cary
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