There is no doubt as the use of trail cameras by hunters increases each year, so to does the opportunity to learn and study the subjects as photo sequences are recorded. Whether it’s a single picture of a deer passing by, watching the same deer year after year, or just getting photo’s of multiple animals […]

150 years has passed since wild sambar first browsed Australian bush, left their prints and droppings on game trails and rubbed soft velvet off their antlers. We have the Victorian Acclimatization Society to thank for their hard work with arranging the delivery of four sambar on the ship ‘Jeddo’ that departed Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in […]

Sambar deer are probably hunted more over winter then any other time of the year. The weather is cool, snakes are in hibernation, meat can easily be processed and most stags are in hard antler stripped clean of velvet. As this is a time of year when many hunters are in the field pursuing this […]

If you spend enough time in the bush sooner or later you will encounter sambar wallows. They are an obvious display that deer are, or at least have been in the area, and wallows are an important communication point for both male and female deer. Wallows will be located in all areas across the range […]

In part one of ‘Stalking Sambar’ we covered a few basic points with the deer, their keen senses and the essentials you will need to keep in mind when hunting them. Part two will cover a few more hunt tactics and tips on what you need to do in the bush to increase your odds […]

In this two-part sambar article, I will go over what I have found to be effective and perhaps not so effective from a hunters viewpoint when regularly trying to locate and stalk sambar in the bush. It is a very challenging topic to write on as there are many variables involved and an entire magazine […]

At some stage most sambar hunters will encounter wild dogs up in deer country. Be it on the track driving in, listening to their howls in a mountain basin or crossing paths with them in the bush. Some hunters choose to leave them alone, others will shoot them if the dogs are in the right […]

There is no doubt as we evolve as hunters, gear is going to improve, advancements will be made with equipment and firearms will have a greater capacity to shoot more accurately at extended ranges. It wasn’t so long ago that open sighted rifles were all that sambar hunters used in Australia, then came low power […]

Each year sees an increase in hunters heading into the bush pursuing sambar. With the rise in deer numbers there has never been a better time to fill the freezer or search for that trophy stag. But with an increase in both animal numbers and hunters there is always a trade off and that means […]

Of the many signs that male sambar leave in the bush, a rubbed tree is probably the most visual, and easily recognizable. Whether you are driving tracks, stalking up spurs or walking a river flat, there is every chance you will encounter multiple rubs of varying age. A fresh rub is something to start with, […]

I often get asked about how to become a successful sambar hunter. Where to hunt, how to regularly find deer, how to regularly find stags and more often then not how to regularly find mature trophy class animals. Volumes of books and literature have been written on sambar and hunting this wonderful resource. Many dvd’s […]

Preaching Trees Sambar use many forms of sign posting to communicate with other deer. Due to a lack of prominent vocalization it is important for them to have methods to let each other know who is in the area and how long ago they have passed through. One of these methods that is visually obvious […]

There is no doubt that certain trees attract the attention of sambar and pine trees definitely fall into this category. Whether it’s a recent plantation of young pines or a decades old monarch standing tall on the side of the hill these trees are beacons for sambar of both sexes to walk past, visit, leave […]

We might as well put another article out there on the males of this wonderful species and I think it’s a good idea to look at the malformed sambar stags within our herd. Malformation is an irregularity to what is considered normal or typical. At 2.5 years of age and onwards most sambar should have […]

The previous editions sambar article in Wild Deer was always going to be a challenge to write. There were a lot of new ideas and information within the content and it might have been hard for some hunters to fully understand the complexities associated with initiating discussion on how best to manage our growing herd […]

Following on from the ‘harvest more hinds’ article, I think its appropriate to take the discussion of our sambar herds to the next level and start thinking about management in respect to the males of this superb game species. So far in the history of sambar in Australia, there has never been a single attempt […]

Sambar deer in Australia have had an immense journey of success and there have been many developments with their spread and expansion across all suitable habitat. From the coast to the highest ranges in the divide they have colonized and conquered with ease. The wide variance in habitat certainly has a massive influence on the […]

Standing on a freezing cold lonely track in the middle of winter with the odd flurry of snow and nothing but a Layfaette radio, an old Winchester M94 .375 lever and a red and black Swandri coat to keep me company, and not hearing a thing all day except for the odd crackle on the […]

There is no doubt over the last 15 years we have witnessed remarkable growth in the sambar population. A combination of large scale bushfires, snowballing deer numbers and expansion into new regions has all contributed to population levels that have never before been seen in the history of wild sambar in Australia or anywhere else […]

Glassing for sambar might not work out every time you get behind the optics, but if you keep chipping away sooner or later things will start coming together and locating sambar in the optics will happen a lot more consistently. Broadly speaking the number of hours you spend glassing for sambar will simply translate to […]

Have a system in place Now that you have your optics, weapon of choice and are in deer country, don’t just assume that sambar will fill your binoculars every time you sweep them over a ridge. It doesn’t happen like that, and to be efficient and consistently productive with your sambar glassing you will need […]

Over the last 15 years we have seen a growing trend with the number of sambar hunters who glass with binoculars whilst in the field. Instead of just carrying the optics in a pack and only using them when on a ridgeline that offers a decent view or when looking closer at a deer they […]

There appears to be a growing trend amongst many hunters to fully utilize the wonderful resource we have with our sambar herd.  From small goods, to roasts, jerky, schnitzels, sausages, salami, stir fries and curries the possibilities are simply endless.  More and more hunters are realizing that when butchered and prepared correctly our sambar provide […]

The casting process for all deer species is very similar.  When testosterone levels drop in male deer, it causes a weakening in the tissue and bone at the antler base.  The antlers detach from the skull and they fall off.  In most deer species this casting process will occur long after all the females have […]

For many hunters this topic might not have great appeal or interest, but there is a lot to be gained from understanding and learning about sambar beds. Hunters can add another piece of knowledge to their sambar wisdom by realizing how important beds are to sambar, how it assists their survival, how they communicate through […]

Imagine yourself stalking up a gully, wind is favorable, it’s an hour before dark, slightly overcast and deer are on their feet moving around filling their bellies before the impending storm.  You approach a little bench and in between the trees notice a shape and color that just seems out of place.  You bring your […]

The hunting of sambar deer across Eastern Australia just seems to be going from strength to strength. There are more hunters each year enjoying the pursuit of this wonderful deer species and game license sales indicate the numbers aren’t likely to slow down anytime soon. The rise in popularity is a result of many factors […]