This one’s a full recap of the 2026 rut and for once, it’s not just close calls.

Across three separate hunts, Matty breaks down what actually played out in the field… the wins, the stuff-ups, and the moments that could’ve gone either way.

The episode moves through three key hunts:

• A March trip focused on getting the drop on a red deer, gone a little differently.
• Easter weekend on family ground, including a camel hunt and pig encounters
• A return to the family red deer block during peak rut, putting everything together

There’s a bit of everything in this one…  calling sequences that worked (and didn’t), pressure getting the better of moments, wild dog encounters, and what happens when things don’t go to plan but still come together over time.

It’s not polished. It’s just how it happened.

Podcast topics:

• Breaking the rut into three separate hunts and what changed across each
• Early mistakes under pressure: rushing shots and missing opportunities
• Lessons from hunting with experienced hunters and adjusting setup decisions
• Drawing early vs drawing late, and why it matters more than you think
• Calling strategies: when to use hind calls vs roars
• How stags actually respond when pressured by other deer in the area
• A close-range wild dog encounter and the mental side of making the shot count
• The reality of pressure in the moment, even when you’ve done the work
• Camel hunting… stalking, shot placement, and dealing with sheer size
• What happens when a hunt turns into a logistical challenge (heat, meat, time)
• Managing meat recovery and processing when things don’t go to plan
• Returning to the red deer block during peak rut
• Reading wind, terrain, and access differently after previous experience
• How small decisions (where you park, where you listen) change everything
• The importance of patience and positioning during the roar
• Why some hunts finally come together after years of near misses

You can do all the right prep. Shoot well, train hard, understand animals — and still mess it up in the moment.

But over enough time in the bush, those lessons stack.

And eventually… things start to go your way.

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Hosted by: @mattyafter

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