Last Light - Wild Harvest and Hunting Podcast Australia

In this episode we are joined by Angus Thorpe of Elusive Hunting Tours. Angus is based in the beautiful Tallangatta Valley in North East Victoria and has taken on the challenging task of guiding for sambar deer. We start the episode talking about life with his family living and working in remote Aboriginal communities and the hunting and fishing opportunities out there. We then go through the hunt we had that morning and what Elusive Hunting Tours has to offer its clients.

Troy Morris has been bowhunting for 40 years. He was the first person to claim a sambar deer with Australian Bowhunters Association way back in 1991. He now has a couple deer slams under his belt and recently went to NZ successfully taking a tahr and whitetail on public land. In this episode we get a bit nostalgic about the old days before recapping his NZ trip that Troy thought, because of old chronic injuries, would never happen.

This episode shares two very different stories from our trip to Stewart Island. Nigel Morris is first on the mic and shares his experience of the Island taking a whitetail buck from a tree stand. From about 50 minutes in, Russell Cornall is up next to share his story and insights from taking an old whitetail buck. I even tell a story in this one since Russell’s and my trip was intertwined. Lots of insights from what can be considered the South Pacific’s most logistically challenging hunt.

On our trip to Stewart Island, Dan successfully hunted whitetails with a tree saddle. This episode was going to be Dan’s Stewart Island story but it quickly grew into something more. Dan describes the reason for exploring saddle hunting and shares his journey and successes, from how quickly he had success on chital stags to taking his whitetail. He breaks down his Stewart Island adventure and gives his take on the grey ghosts we chased. He wraps up the episode with the second week of the fallow rut. This episode explores the intricacies of saddle hunting you may struggle to find on YouTube. It’s a must listen if you’ve ever considered elevated hunting.

In this Episode, I am joined by Robbie Austen of Terra Firma Archery. Robbie is a highly achieved bow hunter with a ton of experience from Australia and the globe. He shares his experience from New Caledonia chasing rusa and tells the story of taking a magnificent sambar stag in the Vic High Country. Carbon arrows - we break them right down! Robbie explains the manufacturing process and how different elements of that process can affect spine, straightness and strength of shaft. We talk about Terra Firma’s broad heads and the development of their new sharpener designed to overcome the challenges of getting a gladius razor sharp. This is another great episode you are bound to get a lot out of!

Ep 16 Stewart Forbes travelled to Cameroon to hunt the elusive Bongo antelope with his bow. His story is full of passion and emotion. No punches are pulled in it’s telling. Stewart is a great story teller. He’ll have you right there with him! @stewart.forbes_outdoors on insta

EP 15 - Ben Salleras shares his epic tale of success in Fiordland. Taking a wapiti bull with a bow is a mean feat achieved by only a handful of bowhunters. In this episode, Ben tells the story of how it went down. He describes Craig’s misadventure and how they had to navigate an injury. We also pick apart a few bits of kit that they relied. Even if hunting in Fiordland isn’t on your radar, this is an awesome listen that you are sure to get something out of.

Ep 14 Scott Brown is half of URBAN 2 OUTLAND. He’s been bowhunting for over 30 years and shifts to the dark side every now and then. In this episode we reminisce about our early days and the gear used before talking about his sambar journey. We share a first hand brown bear charge when I worked in Alaska. There’s plenty of variety in this episode. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it! You can follow on their socials by searching Urban2Outland and discover discount codes for - Easyvanes 3D printed glue on vanes - Bracken wear camouflage clothing - Widow maker broad heads and carbon shafts - Oz press bow press for an Australian made bow press!

Ep 13 Nigel Morris is a WA bowhunter who has had incredible success with sambar over the years. We talk about the logistical challenges of bowhunting from WA and Nige shares a successful family bowfishing adventure. There are plenty of cool stories with some incredibly close encounters with the brown ghosts of the high country.

In this episode I am joined on the couch by Gordon Wallace of North East Experience and Mick Thompson aka Sambar Seeker. Gordon and Michael are very accomplished sambar hunters in their own right. Thomo is one of Australia’s most successful sambar bowhunters and Gordo has taken on the ambitious task of guiding sambar hunters! We cover their individual journeys from growing up together and taking their first sambar to where they are now and future ambitions. Gordon hosts the “North East Meet and Greet”, an annual event held in the Kiewa Valley in North East Victoria. We break down the beginnings of the event and where Gordon hopes to take it in the future. Thomo gave himself the challenge of self filming his sambar hunts. He talks us through that process and how he makes the most of his opportunities while running his own business and having a young family. This is a great conversation that covers many topics. There are heaps of laughs plenty of tactics and insights shared. Hope you enjoy it!

Ep 11 Stewart Island Whitetail Part 2 with Leigh Cragg By sheer coincidence Leigh hunted Kelly’s Block the same as Dano did for our first SI episode. Leigh’s first trip was in 2018, he returned to Kelly’s again in 2023. This is a great follow up to the first SI instalment. Leigh was able to apply lessons learned on his first trip and maximise his chances of success for his second trip. This episode is not repetitive at all. You will get just as much information from this EP as any other SI podcast you may have listened to and help reinforce the lessons these adventurous hunters are passing on.

Didn’t go 20! Twenty minutes that is… Introducing Last Light Podcast short format “Didn’t go 20!” In this episode Leigh Cragg shares his successful 2024 Rusa Rut experience. Taking not one, but three ripper stags from the Central Queensland herd.

In this episode I am joined on the couch by Shane and Zayla from The Great Escape Fly Fishing. We start off by talking about something I didn't know was possible, catching carp on the fly, before we get into high country trout. Shane and Zayla are an enthusiastic couple and share some great and funny stories of misadventure and the challenges of creating YouTube vids. This was a fun one to record. I'm sure even if you aren't into fly fishing, you'll be keen to give it a crack after listening!

In this episode I am joined by North Queensland bowhunter Dan Ferguson to break down everything you would want to know about hunting chital deer. Dan has a great depth of experience when it comes to chasing and being successful on chital. Veteran or novice alike you will enjoy this one!

In this episode I am joined by Daniel Mitchell of High Country Hunting Gear @dano_huntz @highcountryhuntinggear Dan had a successful trip to Stewart Island, off the south coast of New Zealand, chasing whitetail. Stewart Island is a logistically challenging place to get to. We breakdown how the trip came about, how they got there, how they went about getting gear like tinnies, what the hut was like and of course, the hunt. This is a must listen if hunting Stewart Island has been of interest

In this episode we are joined by Chris Bourne. Chris is a very accomplished Sambar hunter with wealth of knowledge on backpacking for sambar. He is the lucky bugger who won the Blood Origins Australia raffle! We breakdown his back packing gear and how it has evolved over time, tactics, bow set up, what he has used in the past and how gear choice can influence the outcome of a hunt We even discuss his long range rifle gear! Chris shares a few stories including his monster hog deer taken in the 2023 season. you can follow Chris on his Insta @chris_bourne_

In this episode I am joined by Western Australian bowhunter Troy Morris to discuss all things bowhunting camels! Originally from Victoria, a bowhunter for almost 40 years, Troy has been in WA for almost 30 years and dedicated his fair share of time to hunting camels. We start off this episode recapping when Troy and I had a serious incident at home with a broad head injury before delving deep into the ins and outs of bowhunting camels in the west. Camels aren't generally high on the list of species to hunt but I hope this episode ignites your interest. Hope you enjoy. Cheers!

Andrew "Robbo" Robertson joins the Last Light Podcast again. A few weeks ago Robbo had a set of sambar antlers stolen from his camp! He put the word out through the socials and found the response surprising. Robbo is very experienced sambar hunter and in this episode he shares some stories of misadventure, heartache, close shaves, success and why he drives past sambar country to get to sambar country. You can follow Robbo on insta @adventure_b4_dmentia

Part 3 of Hunting in New Guinea, in 1995 Mark Burrows travelled to Bensbach to bow hunt rusa. Mark was joined by two other bowhunters who all had success. We dig a bit deeper into the gear available in the mid nineties and the strategies used to bow hunt the open flood plains at Bensbach. You can find Mark on Insta @markburrowsarchery

Part 2 of Hunting in New Guinea, David travels from the Septic River Region to Bensbach to hunt rusa. Another culturally rich experience where modern bowhunting meets traditional ways and hunt side by side.