Well what a trip! Firstly I must thank Matt Moore from Kayuga adventures for coming up with the idea and for also inviting me to be a part of it. Matt runs Kayuga Adventures and has been guiding bowhunters, at the iconic, Strathburn Station for many years. He saw a need to help improve bowhunter’s skills with regards to shooting, tuning and stalking while also giving them the opportunity to immediately apply the knowledge learned on the toothy boars that inhabit Cape York.
I was part of a great team that included two legends of archery and bowhunting in Australia, Brad Smith and Ian summers. Together we have over 100 years of bowhunting experience so it was an opportunity not to be missed and the bowhunters that took part all had a fantastic time, improved immensely, learnt so much and all had great hunts to boot.
The course ran for six days.
The first day was dedicated to improving each participants shooting with one on one instruction as well as video replays. We also fine-tuned their respective bows to make sure each one was shooting perfectly. There was also the chance for everyone to try different releases, Arrow/broadhead combinations and stabilisers. We also discussed things like, different ways to sight their bows and a range of other details that most bowhunters don’t know or understand. By the end of day one everyone had gained invaluable knowledge and we saw massive improvements in their shooting techniques.
Day two started with a recap of day one and chance to solidifying what they had learnt. Then we discussed shot placement, broadhead design and what is needed for different animals. We also took everyone through different ways to sharpen their broadheads and ensured everyone was hitting where they were aiming with broadheads. After lunch it was time to get out and start hunting. With the abundance of hogs at Strathburn it wasn’t long until boars hit the deck.
The remaining four days were set out so the participants could shoot in the mornings to reinforce what they had learnt as well as get any help they needed. A short discussion followed after breakfast on a topic related to hunting like best Optics, Camo clothing, etc. We would then head out for the rest of the day to again apply that new knowledge in real hunting situations. With Smithy’s and Ian’s vast experience of hunting these boars at Strathburn there was never a dull moment. Each participant had multiple opportunities and when not stalking themselves they could sit back and watch the action unfold. This enabled them to increase their learning by not only watching but having an experienced bowhunter beside them explain what they might do in a similar situation.
We received great feedback from all the participants based on what they had learnt but also how much they enjoyed the whole week. There is nothing like course anywhere in Australia and probably the world and I can highly recommend it to anyone that is a serious bowhunter. I just wish there was something like this available back when I started bowhunting. So keep an eye out for the dates of next years course, i'm sure it will book out quickly.
Sounds like it was a good adventure with lots of learning, hopefully next time I can make it