Hi all, I have the honour of speaking with two legends in this episode; Rob Herbert (R & N Blades) plus Jason (@liquidantler). I chat with Rob about his legendary knife making talents and about his own mental health journey and suicide prevention - for which Rob is a massive advocate for. I also sit down with Jason and we discuss why mental health is so important to him and our fundraising efforts in 'Mullets For Mental Health'.

These are some confronting but essential conversations as we need to start encouraging men to speak out about their mental health concerns and I hope that you can all reach into your pockets a little and donate to our team for the Black Dog Institute.

If you are in need of help all I ask that you call triple zero, see your GP, reach out to a mate, a loved one or any of the services that can get you help talk you through a crisis or give you some coping strategies to keep going because every storm runs out of rain.

Please donate HERE.

If you need support call one of the following numbers

Lifeline Australia | 13 11 14

Lifeline New Zealand | 0800 543 354

Kids Helpline | 1800 55 1800

MensLine Australia | 1300 78 99 78

Suicide Call Back Service | 1300 659 467

Beyond Blue | 1300 22 4636

Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling | 1800 011 046

Qlife – anonymous and free LGBTI peer support | 1800 184 527 – (3PM-Midnight every day)

Thirrili 24/7 | 1800 805 801

Brother to brother 24-hour crisis line | 1800 435 799

Don't forget that in 2025 I am proud to partner with;

Natures Perks -⁠⁠⁠naturesperks.com.au⁠⁠⁠

@natures_perks_aus

Gun Traders Australia -⁠⁠⁠guntraders.com.au⁠⁠⁠

@guntradersaustralia

Please also continue to support the 2024 partners;

Skeleton Optics Australia

On Track Meals

Feel free to reach out for a chat or with any podcast ideas;

@australian_hunting_backcountry

[email protected]

Remember to look after yourself and your mates - Tobias.

Hi all, I'm joined by Jason (@liquidantler) in this two part chat with my mate, Blake (@the_venture_folk), as a pre and post breakdown from our Victoria trip in September 2024. Blake has never really done a multi-day backpacking trip so I wanted to get his perspectives on all the work that he has done, gear and the advice that Jason and I have been giving him over the previous year or so. Blake shares his experiences and confirms he is now addicted.

Looking forward to doing more hunting with these two top blokes and sharing more of our adventures with you.

Don't forget to head over to YouTube for the video on the Liquid Antler channel > HERE

Don't forget that in 2025 I am proud to partner with;

Natures Perks -⁠⁠naturesperks.com.au⁠⁠

@natures_perks_aus

Gun Traders Australia -⁠⁠guntraders.com.au⁠⁠

@guntradersaustralia

Please also continue to support the 2024 partners;

Skeleton Optics Australia

On Track Meals

Feel free to reach out for a chat or with any podcast ideas;

@australian_hunting_backcountry

[email protected]

Remember to look after yourself and your mates - Tobias.

In this episode I connect with Fergus Bailey @rifletuner a competitive long range shooter and hunter, and we talk around what he feels is actually needed for reloading and load testing at a competitive level in 'long range' distances and the transition of that to hunting.

I did have some minor technical issues to overcome in this episode so bear with me on the audio...

I will invite Fergus back for another one or two recordings (if he'll have me) so feel free to shoot questions through after listening to this one.

I also chat with Lawson from @natures_perks_aus around what these guys are now doing and they evolved from their previous endeavours into Natures Perks. Their subscription giveaways are definitely worth looking at for some great hunting/fishing opportunities.

Don't forget that in 2025 I am proud to partner with;

Natures Perks -⁠naturesperks.com.au⁠

@natures_perks_aus

Gun Traders Australia -⁠guntraders.com.au⁠

@guntradersaustralia

Please also continue to support the 2024 partners;

Skeleton Optics Australia

On Track Meals

Feel free to reach out for a chat or with any podcast ideas;

@australian_hunting_backcountry

[email protected]

Look after yourself and your mates - Tobias.

In September 2024 I travel to Victoria highcountry with Jason from @liquidantler and Blake from @the_venture_folk for a multi-day backpack hunt. We packraft, avoid snakes, try to find water and have an amazing adventure.

Check out the video of the hunt on Liquid Antler YouTube channel.

For 2025 I am proud to partner with;

Natures Perks -naturesperks.com.au

@natures_perks_aus

Gun Traders Australia -guntraders.com.au

@guntradersaustralia

Please also continue to support the 2024 partners;

Skeleton Optics Australia

On Track Meals

Feel free to reach out for a chat or with any podcast ideas;

@australian_hunting_backcountry

[email protected]

Look after yourself and your mates - Tobias.

On this episode I chat with Henk from Crispi Australia/New Zealand and my friend, and previous guest, Chris Burns about the range of @crispi_aus boots available to Australian/NZ hunters. They dive in and share a wealth of knowledge about the individual models and what goes into making Crispi a leader in the hunting boot industry. Being a backcountry hunter himself, Chris, outlines where each model sits, their best application in hunting situations and how to care for them. Check out the range; crispiaustralia.com.au

In the 'friends of the podcast' I meet the amazing family behind guntraders.com.au and we talk about how this site is not just going to be another used gun/dealer site but their vision for the website and YouTube channel (GTA in the WILD).

I would also ask you to keep supporting the 2024 podcast partners;

Skeleton Optics - @skeletonoptics_au

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.skeletonoptics.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

On Track Meals - @on_track_meals

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ontrackmeals.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Anyone with ideas for future episodes, or just a chat around backcountry/backpack hunting  - please feel free to reach out. 

Insta: @australian_hunting_backcountry

E: [email protected]

Thanks for listening - look after yourselves and your mates.

In May 2024 I was able to spend an incredible 3 weeks hunting in New Zealand. For the second part of my trip I decided not to take any recording gear and just concentrate on hunting. I made a number of notes along the way so this is the recap from those. I hope my learnings help with anyone considering doing a hunt in NZ

On my trip to NZ I used products from my podcast partners and highly recommend these;

Skeleton Optics - @skeletonoptics_au

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.skeletonoptics.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

On Track Meals - @on_track_meals

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ontrackmeals.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Anyone with ideas for future episodes, or just a chat around backcountry/backpack hunting  - please feel free to reach out. 

Insta: @australian_hunting_backcountry

E: [email protected]

Thanks for listening - look after yourselves and your mates.

In May 2024 I was able to spend an incredible 3 weeks hunting in New Zealand and in between hunts, I was very fortunate to be able to meet up with the two young lads from @theweekendmish. Raz and Gabe are absolutely knocking it out of the park with their hunting and success in this world. We had a really fun chat and I would loved to have stayed longer but their schedule was tight so I slipped in for as long as I could and then moved on to my next hunting location. I'm really looking forward to seeing what these young men are up to next. They have some amazing videos on YouTube so be sure to check them all out (if you haven't already).

My 'friend of the podcast' in this episode is Shaun from Alpine Beards (@alpine_beards_australia). This small business based in Albury, NSW, and is making some really interesting mens products - aimed at those of us with facial hair in need of some TLC. I am all for treating my beard and smelling nice so as a special treat, podcast listeners can get 20% off using the code "AHB20" for a limited time. With a money back guarantee - what have you got to lose. https://alpinebeardsaustralia.com.au

I would also ask you to support the 2024 podcast partners;

Skeleton Optics - @skeletonoptics_au

⁠⁠⁠⁠www.skeletonoptics.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠

On Track Meals - @on_track_meals

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ontrackmeals.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

Anyone with ideas for future episodes, or just a chat around backcountry/backpack hunting  - please feel free to reach out. 

Insta: @australian_hunting_backcountry

E: [email protected]

Thanks for listening - look after yourselves and your mates.

In May 2024 I was able to spend nearly 3 weeks in New Zealand chasing Tahr and Chamois on my own. This is from my first hunt which was up the Copland River on the west coast. The recordings are done in the field and after the hunt so the audio is reflective of my surroundings. Spoiler alert - I didn't get any animals on the ground but I did see a couple of beautiful Tahr bulls.

I wanted to be able to pass on my learnings along the way to help you get over to NZ for a backcountry hunt as this was an absolutely amazing experience. Feel free to ask me any questions you want.

I would also ask you to support the 2024 podcast partners;

Skeleton Optics - @skeletonoptics_au

⁠⁠⁠www.skeletonoptics.com.au⁠⁠⁠

On Track Meals - @on_track_meals

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ontrackmeals.com⁠⁠⁠

Anyone with ideas for future episodes, or just a chat around backcountry/backpack hunting  - please feel free to reach out. 

Insta: @australian_hunting_backcountry

E: [email protected]

Thanks for listening - look after yourselves and your mates.

With the potential ban on lead core projectiles being a hot topic at the moment, I speak with Nathan & Steph Morris from 'Terminal Ballistics Research' and pick his bran stemming from their extensive research. Nathan is considered a world leading expert in ballistics and published an article on his website titled "Homogenous copper bullets can be inhumane".

Nathan and Steph have an extensive knowledge base on their website and I'd strongly encourage you to visit it for for this topic and many others; www.ballisticstudies.com

On the 'Friend of the Podcast' segment I have been chatting with Mick from 'The Deer School' about the upcoming course running in September to be offered a special discount for listeners who mention the podcast - $150 off the cost of the course. Anyone interested in learning about more successful deer hunting should contact them or check them out @deerschool_melbourne and on Facebook

I would also ask you to support the 2024 podcast partners;

Skeleton Optics - @skeletonoptics_au

⁠⁠www.skeletonoptics.com.au⁠⁠

On Track Meals - @on_track_meals

⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ontrackmeals.com⁠⁠

Anyone with ideas for future episodes, or just a chat around backcountry/backpack hunting  - please feel free to reach out. 

@australian_hunting_backcountry

[email protected]

Thanks for listening - look after yourselves and your mates.

Mental health and firearm ownership is a complex topic to navigate and on this episode I chat with Glen who went through a mental health issue and lost his access to firearms. As a result, Glen made it a personal mission to change how the government treated people in this situation. I'm thankful for people like Glen and his team from Mental Hunts for bringing the focus on this topic in such a measured approach. While they are based in NZ it's still inspiring to hear what they are achieving in changing the mindset of those put in charge to police our weapon ownership. It gives hope that change can be effected in Australia so firearm owners are not faced with similar issues. @mentalhunts or find them on YouTube.

On the 'Friend of the Podcast' segment I travel up the road to the Sunshine Coast and meet up with Matt from RMK Leatherworks. Matt has a hunting background and he and his team make some damn fine leather products - some for shooting/hunting and many other needs outside of this. @rmkleatherworks https://rmkleatherworks.com

I would also ask you to support the 2024 podcast partners;

Skeleton Optics - @skeletonoptics_au

⁠www.skeletonoptics.com.au⁠

On Track Meals - @on_track_meals

⁠⁠⁠www.ontrackmeals.com⁠

Anyone with ideas for future episodes, or just a chat around backcountry/backpack hunting  - please feel free to reach out. 

@australian_hunting_backcountry

[email protected]

Thanks for listening - look after yourselves and your mates.