Becoming a Bowhunter

Public land hunting in Australia gives hunters access to millions of acres of huntable country, but getting started can be confusing. Alex Proft from Aussie Bush Harvest breaks down the NSW public land hunting system, how the R Licence works, where you can hunt, and why public land remains one of the best ways to build hunting skills and experience.

The conversation also covers bowhunting, Sambar deer, public access, hunting culture, conservation, and the future of hunting opportunities in Australia. Alex shares stories from years of hunting public land and explains why learning a piece of country can be more valuable than constantly chasing new locations. 

What You'll Learn

• How the NSW R Licence system works for rifle hunters, bowhunters, and pig doggers

• Where public land hunting is available in New South Wales

• Why public land hunting helped develop Alex's bowhunting skills

• The differences between public land and private property hunting

• How hunting pressure changes deer behaviour on public land

• Why Sambar deer thrive in remote public land country

• The challenges facing hunting access in Australia

• Why hunters, fishers, campers, and outdoor users need a stronger collective voice

About the Guest

Alex Proft is the creator of Aussie Bush Harvest and has spent years documenting hunting, fishing, bushcraft, and outdoor adventures across Australia. He's well known for his public land hunting content, thoughtful approach to hunting, and his passion for helping new hunters get started. 

Find Our Guest

Alex Proft

Aussie Bush Harvest

Instagram: @aussiebushharvest

YouTube: Aussie Bush Harvest

Follow Becoming A Bowhunter:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/becomingabowhunter.podcast/

Hosted by Matty Turner: https://www.instagram.com/mattyafter/

Episode Sponsors:

Dog and Gun Coffee – Use code BOWHUNTER for $10 off | @dogandguncoffee

Kayuga Broadheads – Use code BAB10 for 10% off | @kayuga_broadheads

Venture Hunting & Outdoors | @venturehunting

Jab Stick Outdoors – Use code BAB10 for $10 off | @jabstickoutdoors

In this episode of Becoming a Bowhunter, Matty is joined by Amon Woulfe to discuss one of the most overlooked aspects of hunting, sport, business and life... the mind.

After a missed opportunity on a mature stag during the red deer rut, Matty shares the story that led him to Amon's new book, Missing In Action: Master Your Mind in Moments That Matter.

Amon has spent years working with elite athletes, sporting teams, military personnel and business leaders, helping them understand what happens when pressure rises and performance falls away.

Together, Matty and Amon discuss target panic, pressure, fear, confidence, anxiety, resilience and the mental tools hunters can use when everything is on the line.

This episode isn't just about bowhunting. It's about understanding what happens when your mind leaves the moment and learning how to bring it back when it matters most.

🔍 What We Cover:

• Why the modern mind is under more pressure than ever before

• The connection between target panic and mental performance

• Why pressure is the gap between your mind and the moment

• How elite athletes train their minds for high-pressure situations

• The difference between physical resilience and mental resilience

• Why focusing on outcomes can sabotage performance

• The four low-performance mind states: agitated, anxious, critical and foggy

• Practical reset tools to regain control when pressure builds

• How breathwork affects performance and decision-making

• Why anxiety often comes from avoiding fear

• The role of self-belief and limiting beliefs in performance

• How these mental skills apply to hunting, business, parenting and everyday life

And a heck of a lot more.

🧠 Key Takeaway

The goal isn't to eliminate pressure. The goal is to stay present when pressure arrives. The moment your mind drifts into the future, the past, fear, outcomes or self-doubt, performance starts to suffer. Learning how to reset and return to the moment may be one of the most valuable skills you'll ever develop.

🔗 Find Our Guest

Amon Woulfe

Website: amonwoulfe.com

Human Performance Group: humanperformancegroup.co

Instagram: @amonwoulfe

🎙 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 New Zealand ecologist and Sika Foundation member Cam Speedy for a deep dive into Sika deer, deer ecology, habitat management, and the role hunters play in conservation.

Cam shares decades of experience working in wildlife management throughout New Zealand, including predator control, deer tracking studies, biodiversity work, and research around Sika deer populations in the Central North Island.

The conversation explores how deer density directly impacts habitat quality, breeding success, antler growth, and overall herd health. Cam explains why healthy hunting systems rely on balanced harvests, particularly around female deer, and how hunters themselves often act as the primary predator within modern deer systems.

There’s also a fascinating breakdown of Sika deer behaviour, including rut timing, scrape systems, home ranges, dispersal patterns, and why Sika have become such a sought-after species for bowhunters.

This is a grounded conversation that blends science, practical hunting knowledge, and conservation into one of the most detailed discussions we’ve had on deer ecology and management.

🔍 What We Cover:

Cam’s background in ecology and wildlife management
Predator control in New Zealand and the impact of stoats, rats, cats, and possums
Why healthy habitat is the true foundation of sustainable hunting
Sika deer history in New Zealand and how they became established
Why Sika outcompete red deer in certain environments
The relationship between nutrition, breeding success, and antler growth
Why hunters should focus more on harvesting females
How overabundant deer populations damage habitat and herd quality
Jaw studies, herd analysis, and measuring deer condition
GPS collar tracking and what it revealed about Sika movement patterns
Sika rut behaviour, scrapes, and vocalisations
How to call Sika stags during the rut
Why Sika are such an exciting species for bowhunters
Public land vs helicopter-access hunting in New Zealand
The role hunting organisations play in protecting hunting’s future
Retaining hunting’s social license through education and responsibility

👤 Find Our Guest:

Cam Speedy

Instagram: @SikaFoundation

🎙 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 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