Beyond The Divide

Rob travels to the central NSW tablelands to hunt feral goats. In this area and across much of Australia, goats were introduced by early gold prospectors and now they have multiplied to become a serious pest. It is late winter and with the cool clear days, its prime time to be hunting goats which can provide a tasty feed, and a very elusive trophy in a monster Billy!

In this episode Rob is back on his home turf, backpacking into one of the most remote sections of the Victorian Alpine National Park. There is a lot of romance associated with backpack hunting and in reality it’s hard, hard work, but for the dedicated, the rewards are worth it. In this region, the lure for the keen hunters is the huge antlered stags that have grown old here due to ideal habitat and virtually zero hunting pressure.

After the success of the first three days, Rob & Andrew continue to push on deeper into the wilderness in search of a true monster Sambar. The terrain gets steeper, the weather changes it up, but the big stags keep on coming!

There is nothing quite as simple and enjoyable as a session on the varmints. At a grass roots level, hunting Rabbits & Foxes is something we all love and it’s a form of hunting that can be enjoyed from the youngest kids right up to the oldest kids! This hunt takes Rob to the rolling hills of central NSW where he has a fantastic couple of days & some hot barreled sessions helping out the farmer, and taking a feed for the table.

With Fallow Deer now widespread across the mainland, hunting opportunities are numerous however going back a few years, if you wanted a top quality trophy Fallow buck, Tassie was where it’s at, and still to this day, some of this country’s greatest bucks have come from the Apple Isle. After an interesting quick chat with the guys from the Game Management Unit about Fallow Deer management, Rob heads to a property in the states North West where he and Andrew camp out in an old trapper’s hut, and have a challenging and exciting few days, trying to find a quality buck.

In recent years, across rural Australia, Wild dogs have become one of the most serious issues to face our farmers. The damage caused through stock losses and lost productivity is huge, not to mention the cost of trapping baiting and shooting programs. Wild dogs are an extremely elusive and cunning animal to hunt, and for this episode, Rob teams up with wild dog behavioral expert, Rob Herbert. Together they hunt North eastern Victoria, both by day and night, trying to call in these dangerous predators.

The Tararua forest park is public land, and lies at the southern end of the North Island in New Zealand, and consists of over a quarter of a million acres of steep, heavily forested, mountainous terrain. Its rugged beauty, is its main attraction to hunters, trampers, fisherman and adventurers. After flying in to Wellington, Robs travels to the Carterton base of Amalgamated helicopters at the south eastern end of the range. Owner and chief pilot Jason Diedrich flies the boys into the Tararua backcountry for an extremely exciting, 10-day hunting and fishing adventure.

After an exciting few days down in the lower country, the weather clears to reveal blue skies all around. With the river still high and proving dangerous to cross, the boys get on the Sat Phone to Jason, and make the most of a rare chance to hunt the Taraua open tops, in the peak of the roar.

In this adventure Rob is joined by a much loved member of his family, his 8-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer, Angus. Together they travel to the Ferneaux Islands of Bass Strait to stay with Chris Rhodes of Rockjaw Tours, who offers some of the best wing shooting in the southern hemisphere. For 3 days they hunt the rolling tussock of the historic Vansittart Island, for a very unique and abundant population, of Brown Quail.

Exploring Victoria’s remote Alpine wilderness with just a backpack and a rifle is a pretty special experience. On this hunt its early December, and Rob is hunting the spectacular Victorian Alpine National Park for Sambar Deer that are attracted to the higher elevations at this time of the year to browse on the lush feed that can be found in key areas. Like any backpack hunt, this one is a challenge as lack of water, and the Alpine environments brutal weather are all serious factors to consider, but for the keen adventure hunter, the rewards are always worth it.