Becoming a Bowhunter

In this episode, Matty sits down with long-time mate and experienced red deer hunter Mick Cullen.

Mick is someone who’s been in Matty’s ear for years, helping break down mistakes and sharpen decision-making in the field.

This is a practical conversation about what actually works when you’re chasing red deer in the rut.

Mick shares the systems he’s developed over more than a decade of consistent hunting. From calling setups and reading terrain, to understanding how stags behave across different phases of the rut.

There’s a big focus on execution under pressure, why most hunters get busted at the last moment, and the small decisions that separate blown opportunities from clean kills.

Podcast topics:

• Early vs late rut behaviour and when calling works best
• Why wind and setup matter more than the call itself
• Using terrain (benches, folds, cover) to force movement
• Drawing early vs getting busted at full draw
• Hind & fawn calls vs stag roars
• Spot-and-stalk vs calling, and when to use each
• Why most hunts fall apart inside 50m
• The importance of repetition and experience

Find Our Guest:

Mick Cullen

Instagram: @bows_dogs_n_rods

Follow Becoming a Bowhunter

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

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.

🎙 Follow Becoming a Bowhunter

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

In this episode, Matty sits down with Glen Thurston, the founder of MentalHunts, for a conversation that goes well beyond hunting.

Glen shares his journey through mental health struggles that started early in life, including an attempted suicide at 18, years of self-medicating through alcohol, and eventually hitting rock bottom while running a growing business. From the outside, things looked like they were working, but behind the scenes, it was a different story.

What followed was a complete shift.

Glen opens up about getting sober, starting medication, and rebuilding his life from the ground up… Including time spent working on a high country farm, reconnecting with purpose, and finding stability again.

But the turning point that led to Mental Hunts came later… when Glen made the decision to be proactive about his mental health and was punished for it.

After seeking help, he had his firearms license revoked. That experience exposed a much bigger issue, one that affects hunters across Australia and New Zealand, where people are now hesitant to seek help out of fear of losing their livelihood, identity, and connection to the outdoors.

From there, Glen set out to create change.

This conversation covers the realities of mental health within the farming and hunting communities, the importance of being proactive, and why time in the bush can act as a powerful reset — not just physically, but mentally.

It’s an honest, raw conversation about what’s really going on beneath the surface — and why more people need to speak up.

 What We Cover:

• Glen’s early struggles with mental health and suicide attempt at 18
• The culture of alcohol as a coping mechanism in trade environments
• Building a successful business… and burning out in the process
• Getting sober and the role medication played in stabilising his life
• Moving rural and finding purpose through physical work and hunting
• The moment everything changed. Firearms license revocation after seeking help
• Why fear is stopping people from going to the doctor
• The lack of consistency in legislation around mental health and firearms
• The real difference between “mental health” and violent intent
• Why being proactive about your mental health matters
• The role of hunting as a form of meditation and mental reset
• Building Mental Hunts and advocating for change at a legislative level
• Why storytelling is more powerful than telling people what to do
• How to actually have conversations around mental health with mates
• The importance of listening and not trying to “fix” someone
• Physical tools: exercise, cold exposure, nutrition, time in the bush
• Why what you put into your body (food, alcohol, media) matters

Key Takeaway

Hunting isn’t just about the outcome… It’s one of the few places where everything else switches off.

For a lot of people, it’s where clarity comes back, where conversations happen, and where you can actually process what’s going on in your life.

But if people are scared to seek help… that becomes a bigger problem than anything else.

Find Our Guest

Glen Thurston

Instagram: @glen_thurston

Mental Hunts: @mentalhunts

Follow Becoming a Bowhunter

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

In this episode, Matty sits down with Rob Herbert from R&N Blades for a conversation that goes well beyond knives.

Rob shares his background growing up on a farm where hunting and using tools was simply part of everyday life — from trapping rabbits to learning how to keep a knife sharp from his grandfather. That early exposure eventually led him into knife making, but also into careers in the military, Victoria Police, and later the Game Management Authority.

As the conversation unfolds, Rob opens up about the impact of trauma from his time in policing, and how making knives, along with time spent hunting, became a way to manage that mental load. There’s a strong theme throughout the episode around hunting as more than just a pursuit… For many people it becomes a form of reset, a place to think clearly, and a way to reconnect with something real.

The discussion also moves into the current state of hunting in Australia, including challenges around legislation, representation, and the need for a more unified voice across the broader outdoor community. 

Rob shares a grounded perspective on how hunters are perceived, the importance of presenting the right image, and why education matters more than emotion when it comes to protecting the future of hunting.

There’s also plenty of practical insight from Rob’s own hunting journey, from traditional bows through to compound and rifle, and how changing tools can expose weaknesses and ultimately make you a better hunter.

This is a wide-ranging, honest conversation about hunting, mental health, community, and the role it all plays in people’s lives.

🔍 What We Cover:

• Growing up with hunting as part of everyday life
• Learning knife skills and craftsmanship from a young age
• Transition from military and policing into knife making
• The impact of trauma and finding balance through making and hunting
• Hunting as a form of mental reset and “medicine”
• Why time in the bush changes perspective and reduces stress
• The importance of community within hunting
• Challenges facing hunting in Australia and lack of unified representation
• How hunters are perceived and why image matters
• Social media, communication, and presenting hunting responsibly
• Fitness, discipline, and preparation for hunting
• Traditional bow vs compound vs rifle — and what each teaches you
• How pushing yourself in the bush builds better decision-making

For a lot of people, hunting isn’t just about the outcome — it’s about what happens while you’re out there. Time in the bush, working with your hands, and focusing on something real has a way of cutting through everything else.

Find Our Guest

Rob Herbert

Instagram: @robert_herbert

Follow Becoming a BowhunterInstagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

In this episode, Matty sits down with taxidermist and lifelong hunter Brian Anderson for a practical conversation about preserving memories from the field and the deeper meaning behind taxidermy.

We do a full deep dive into caping any animal out for a shoulder mount… Covering every major cut needed, and even the finer details on flipping ears and splitting lips. Although it seems complex, the way that Brian explains and shares how to cape an animal makes it feel much easier and less overwhelming.

Brian’s biggest bit of advice is to practice before game day. If you get the opportunity to shoot a nanny goat or hind/doe, then take the time to practice on these animals so that when it comes to doing an animal of a lifetime… You’re prepared.

Brian’s hunted all over the world and taken some pretty incredible animals with both guns and bows. He shares some pretty epic stories at the end of the episode from some of his most memorable hunts. 

🔍What We Cover:

• Brian’s journey into hunting and professional taxidermy
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• What happens inside a taxidermy workshop and the process behind the scenes
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• How to properly prepare capes and hides immediately after harvest
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• Common mistakes hunters make that affect final mount quality
• 
  
• Balancing taxidermy collecting with home life and space limitations
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• Why taxidermy is about memories, not just trophies
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• Brian’s personal hunting experiences and collection over the years
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• Practical advice for hunters considering their first mount
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🧠 Key Takeaway

Good taxidermy starts in the field. Care taken during skinning, caping, and handling directly affects the final result and ultimately how well the memory of that hunt is preserved.

🔗 Find Our Guest

Brian Anderson

Instagram: @brianandersontaxidermy

🎙 Follow Becoming a Bowhunter

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

In this episode, Matty sits down with Shane and Doug Dupille to talk about there many experiences bowhunting in Australia. We kick off the interview hearing some incredible stories from Doug (father), where he explains what bowhunting was like when he was younger. What the game numbers were like back in the 60’s & 70’s. And how they used to import arrow shafts by the thousands and make their own broadheads from steel shelving.

The second half of the interview is centred around Shane Dupille. Shanes had a great life, with lots of passion and dedication to bowhunting. Shane tells many funny tales and also gives some incredible tips and insights into hunting and being successful with a traditional bow. 

If you enjoy honest hunting stories, practical lessons, and conversations that reflect the culture and reality of Australian bowhunting, this episode will resonate.

🔎 What We Cover

• Dougie Drops by the hundreds. 
• Why you should never walk around the Macquarie Marshes barefoot. 
• Hunting the camp with young kids in toe
• A 10-week of hunting with Dave Whiting
• The Blurry Fox & The Boots
• Hunting Hares
• Catching brumbies in the Snowy’s
• Instinctive hunting with a trad bow
• The Alamo Boar

Find Our Guests:

Shane & Doug Dupille

Instagram: @shanedupille

🎙 Follow Becoming a Bowhunter:

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors:

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

In this special episode, Matty sits down with Australian chef, author, and passionate forager Jo Barrett to explore the deeper connection between hunting, food, and sustainability. Jo’s journey from top-tier kitchens to the wild has taken her into remote hunting camps, kitchens powered by fire, and now to her own venture Wild Pie—where she turns ethically sourced game meat into gourmet handheld experiences.

Together, we talk about the respectful harvesting of animals, the power of real food, and what it means to eat with intention. If you’ve ever wanted to take your wild game cooking beyond snags on the grill… or understand why food is the great connector, this one’s for you.

Jo shares insights from her partnership at Discovered Foods, her passion for whole animal butchery, how she approaches cooking venison, goat and wild boar, and why she believes food has the power to shift cultural perceptions around hunting.

 What We Cover in This Episode:

• How Jo’s hunting experiences influence her cooking philosophy
• Why ethical sourcing and preparation matter
• How to make a bloody good  venison pieand sausage roll
• The loopholes and legislation in place to stop wild meat from being sold.
• Thoughts on introducing kids to hunting and wild food
• Jo’s tips and tricks to cooking venison and other wild game species 
• What’s coming up next for Jo

 Guest Info: Jo Barrett

• Instagram: @jobarrett
• Website: jobarrett.com.au
• Wild Pie: wildpie.com.au
• Discovered Foods: discoveredfoods.com

🎙 Follow Becoming a Bowhunter:

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors:

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

What do you really need to look for in a new bow?

In this episode, I sit down with Ian Summers to unpack the process of choosing a 2026 model hunting bow. 

We get real about the 2026 bows and their stats, and what actually matters when you’re out in the bush versus what’s just clever marketing.

Ian brings deep insight from years of archeryand bowhunting experience… Plus many years of running Summers Archery Solutions, where he tunes bows daily and helps to coach bowhunters and archers through better shot mechanics.

We talk about the quirks and improvements of the 2026 flagship bows from top manufacturers, including Hoyt, Mathews, Bowtech, Elite, Bear, PSE, Expedition, Truth, Darton and more. 

We also explore some of the engineering changes, personal setup preferences, and why some bows feel better in hand than others even with the same specs on paper.

Whether you're upgrading your current rig or diving deep into your first major bow purchase, this episode offers grounded advice and real talk about what's worth your money… and what’s not.

🔍 What We Cover in This Episode:

• All Flagship bows on offer in 2026
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• How brace height, draw length, and axle-to-axle affect performance
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• Differences in cam design and let-off feel
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• Tuning quirks and 2026 bow setup tips
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• Advice for bowhunters with a 30” draw length
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• Why specs don’t always tell the whole story
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• Considerations around noise, vibration, and hand shock
• 
  

Find Our Guest:

Ian Summers

Instagram:

@summersarchery

@iansummersofficial

🎙 Follow Becoming a Bowhunter:

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors:

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

In this episode of Becoming a Bowhunter, Matty sits down with Dave Whiting, a highly respected traditional bowhunter with decades of experience hunting Australia’s small game species.

Today we’re diving deep into bowhunting the small game species Australia has to offer, specifically, rabbits, hares, foxes and cats.

Dave shares stories and lessons gathered over a lifetime with trad bows, covering everything from finding productive ground to learning how to move slowly, read sign, and wait for the right opportunity.

This is a practical, experience-driven episode that highlights how small game hunting builds better bowhunters.

After bowhunting for 55 years dave has had some incredible experiences in the bush and after we cover the small game species, Dave enlightens us with some of his fond memories and tales.

🔍 What We Cover:

• All things rabbits… where to find 'em and how to hunt them with a bow.
• How hares differ from rabbits and how you should hunt them with a bow.
• Dave’s new-found method for hunting cats
• Calling in foxes. 
• Trophy Takers Legend Award
• Wrestling with boars
• Stuck up a tree with a buffalo at your feet
• He almost lost his thumb to a boar's tusks 
• Being inducted into the International Traditional Bowhunting Hall Of Fame
• What a life of bowhunting has offered Dave

🏹 Supporting Dave Whiting:

Dave is currently being inducted into the International Traditional Bowhunting Hall Of Fame — a huge and well-earned honour.

There is an active GoFundMe to help support his travel to the USA for the induction ceremony. If you’d like to contribute or share support, you can do so here:

👉 https://www.gofundme.com/f/dave-whiting-travel-to-to-usa-for-hall-of-fame-induction

🔗 Find Our Guest:

Dave Whiting

Instagram: @whiting.dave

🎙 Follow Becoming a Bowhunter:

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors:

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors

This week Matty sits down with Grant Rand, Benny Fensom, Brett Meldrum, and Ben Atherton. Given the time of year, the boys reflect on 2025 to share their highlights. Plus, share their goals they’ve each set for 2026. 

This episode is full of laughs, stories, and some pretty aspirational goals for the year ahead from 5 Aussie bowhunters.

If you haven’t already taken the time to reflect on your year of hunting in 2025 and set some goals for 2026, be sure to take a beat and write down some goals.

Podcast topics

• Almost $40K raised by the bowhunting community 
• The standout performance for the year goes to…
• Highlights of the year. 
• Picking up the trad bow. 
• Plans, goals and aspirations for 2026

Whether you’re preparing for an overseas hunting trip yourself or you just want to get in better physical shape for bowhunting in general, this is a great episode for you.

Connect with the Guests

Grant Rand

Instagram: @grant_randy_rand

Brett Meldrum

Instagram: @brettmeldrum085

Benny Fensom 

Instagram: @benny_fensom

Ben Atherton

Instagram: @ben_atho_hunts

Follow Becoming a Bowhunter:

Instagram: @becomingabowhunter.podcast

Hosted by: @mattyafter

🎧 Episode Sponsors:

Dog and Gun Coffee – Fuel your hunt with premium coffee. Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off

@dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Precision and reliability for every shot. Use code BAB10 for 10% off

@kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors – Gear up for your next hunt

@venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Precision-engineered carbon shafts. Use code BAB10 for $10 off

@jabstickoutdoors