In the opinion, Australia only trails behind New Zealand as an accessible hunting paradise. Not only are we spoilt for private land opportunities with vast swathes of improved pastures contributing to large populations of game animals, but also a large and diverse public land hunting opportunities.
Australia is not the first thought that comes to the mind of people when hunting is mentioned, often it’s the Yukon valley of Canada or the rocky mountains of the USA at the forefront. While these two countries and many others of course provide numerous stunning environments and interesting species to chase, the prime advantage over our colonial cousins is the sheer number of animals we can harvest here and in New Zealand.
Of course the iconic Colorado elk hunt is a dream held by almost all serious hunters worldwide. But the restriction our American and Canadian counterparts face is seasons often with strict bag limits/tags. We have almost no seasons and bag limits, if you’re good enough you can shoot and harvest an unlimited amount of animals year round, of varying species and in different environments. Our hunting is based upon control of non-native animals while theirs is conservation of natives and a continued cultural practice.
Here’s where hunting plays right into the good old Aussie health freak culture and high cost of living. Because for those of us looking for a sustainable lifestyle, this means that a full freezer year round is not only possible but for the keen and industrious hunter, probable.
Health:
Meat is great, but nothing demonstrates the old saying “you are what you eat” more than wild game. Venison is leaner than Chicken breast and provides far more nutrients than any other farmed red meat. You’re eating a fellow athlete, giving your body the combination of amino acids, creatine, iron, vitamins & minerals that make for a stronger healthier mind and body.
A lot of readers no doubt also listen to Joe Rogan, his comparison of a fatty marbled “premium” beef steak to venison is perfect. One is the proverbial “fat lazy fuck”, eating a diet designed for a short life and unfortunately sometimes kept alive by hormones and anti-biotics. The other is one is evolutions most successful prey, found on almost every continent in one elusive form or another. I can’t think
of any person I know, fitness freak or not, that would want their muscles to look like a marbles steak; fat running between dull red mass, low density fibres and curated to taste good not work hard.
Venison is the opposite, a rich, dark meat, flavoured with a diet of their choosing, dense fibres and less fat than chicken breast. Of all the deer I’ve shot, I have never seen any marbling throughout the muscle mass. I won’t lie, beef steak tastes better but Venison feels better.
A bit earlier in my hunting career when I started having consistent success and began eating Venison almost as an exclusive meat source, I saw my body change. I became more muscular, endurance was higher and I could consume protein more efficiently without the sluggish feeling of eating too much fat via beef or the feeling that I was getting just about nothing else but protein from chicken breast.
In fact, next time you eat a chicken breast. Have a good look at it: There’s not much to it, when you think about it, the domesticated chicken doesn’t even use their breast muscles to fly. the meat is white but I assure you that chicken blood is red. A wild caught game bird like a pigeon or duck actually has breasts of red meat because a useful muscles beckons the resources to be useful. Chicken drumsticks have more taste, character and nutrition than that of the breast. The legs and thighs are more frequently used by the chicken for movement and are often richer in myoglobin, Leucine and have useful fibers when compared to the breast. With som unfortunate poultry farming
Leucine and have useful fibers when compared to the breast. With som unfortunate poultry farming practices, they animal isn’t able to use their legs near enough as they should. In my opinion; the colour of meat is a good indication of its quality.
There is an entire article to be written on the health benefits and nutritional value of venison VS commercially farmed meat, I hope that the above has prompted some curiosity in the matter.
About the author:
Luke is an avid public land hunter and backpacker who enjoys travelling off the beaten track as much as he does hunting the Australian back country
