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

What happens inside a taxidermy workshop and the process behind the scenes

How to properly prepare capes and hides immediately after harvest

Common mistakes hunters make that affect final mount quality

Balancing taxidermy collecting with home life and space limitations

Why taxidermy is about memories, not just trophies

Brian’s personal hunting experiences and collection over the years

Practical advice for hunters considering their first mount

🧠 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