Soon my book shelf was garnished with Errol Mason’s magnificent work ‘Secrets of the Sambar Vol. 1’. It provided me with a wealth of information for which to formulate strategies for future hunts. Volume 2 was soon added, providing more information than I could ever have imagined possible. These books are so comprehensive that I could not fully absorb it all in the short time I had before my next hunt. Again I returned home empty handed, causing me to conclude that I needed something to help me piece the information together in a practical sense.

Flicking through an old copy of Guns and Game I came across an advertisement for Errol Mason’s ‘Beyond the Basics’ Training Course. I ran it by my sympathetic wife - who accustomed to my many unsuccessful hunts - instantly supported the idea. A few emails to Errol and I was booked in. I re-scheduled my next hunt so that it commenced the day after the course, enabling me to put the freshly acquired knowledge into practice.

From the moment I entered Errol and Lynne’s wonderful country home, I was warmly welcomed – even by Jack the English Pointer! I was joined by native Victorian’s, Darren and Allan, who were also attending the course. Over the first of many gourmet meals finely prepared by Errol’s lovely wife Lynne, we acquainted ourselves and talked Sambar. Errol did not stop for the entire course, though he did not repeat himself – except the topics that he felt were worth repeating.

Errol had all three participants get out their optics – binoculars, rifle scopes and spotting scopes to demonstrate the effectiveness, or lack thereof, during the late evening as darkness fell. Errol’s optics demonstration highlighted (or in most cases – lowlighted) the importance of good optics for hunting sambar at the time of day when sambar are most active. The following days were spent visiting sambar habitat - feeding grounds, food sources, tracks, beds, wallows, preaching trees, scrapes and staging areas. Errol showed us the vegetation sambar eat at different times of the year. We visited an active wallow and Errol explained how trail cameras provide the times of visits as well as photos of the visitors.

Errol showed us the various faces which sambar travel between subject to the weather, food and mating. Knowing how to decide which micro-habitat a sambar is likely to be in formed the basis of Errol’s ‘Hunt Smart’ methodology. Of extreme interest to me – and which I learned a great deal about during this course - was the tracking. That is assessing the age of tracks and spore to determine the size and sex of its maker. In just a few minutes Errol explained to me things which years of hunting had failed to.

Errol took us to locations where sambar stags and hinds had been harvested by his clients. In each example he explained why they were in those locations at the times seen. Even the best books leave the reader to imagine or visualize how to apply the literary information. The beauty of Errol’s course is that it delivers the same information in the actual setting to which it applies. Errol invited questions from us and involved us in discussions on all topics about the course. Errol would provide a scenario and quiz us as to how we each would hunt a certain location and why.

Despite brain and belly overload (thanks Lynne) at the end of day three, I had already devised a strategy for the hunt I was to depart for at the conclusion of the course. After the final of many gourmet meals, I said goodbye and took off to meet my mates for our hunt. That night we backpacked in and set up camp in the middle of nowhere. After a quick breakfast the following morning I headed off with my mate and after setting up a trail camera over a freshly used scrape we eventually arrived at a high point on a spur overlooking a large gully.

Whilst glassing as per Errol’s ‘Hunt Smart’ tactics I looked to my right and saw a very handsome stag with a hind about 100 yards down the spur. Just as Errol had said, ‘when they’re in the sun they glow chestnut’. This hind was glowing! The stag’s points shone bright and he looked magnificent. I quickly shouldered my .338 and went to take an off-hand shot, wobbling from the excitement. Errol’s words ‘Shot placement’ echoed in my head as I leaned over to rest against the base of a tree. I steadied just as I saw the stag tense and start to turn and bolt. I squeezed the trigger and sent the 250gn Partition aimed for the back of shoulder. Both stag and hind crashed off down the spur and out of view. Using another point I learnt on the course, I headed for the spot where the stag stood when I shot whilst my companion remained so he could direct me to the exact location. After arriving at the spot I found the stag’s tracks, so I summoned my mate and we tracked him down the face. We soon came upon a large blood trail and another 100 yards further we located a very impressive stag - stone dead from one well delivered shot.

Euphoria set in – I couldn’t believe it. I had broken the hoodoo of the sambar stag drought that had plagued me for the past 8 years. I looked at my watch, 1.35pm – exactly 23 hours and 25 minutes after saying my goodbyes to the Mason’s!

I firmly believe my success on that hunt was largely attributable to Errol’s highly professional tuition and my employment of his ‘Hunt Smart’ system. Because it covers all practical aspects of sambar hunting and is delivered in the setting to which it applies, it is easily understood. I believe we make our own luck. I made mine when I decided to gain knowledge by participating in his fabulous course. As the three of us on the course had vastly different experience levels, it was clear that Errol’s course was suitable for beginners through to the most experienced.

Finally, Errol’s course is absolutely unique – a true innovation in the Australian hunting industry and I congratulate him for introducing this first class resource to the hunting community.

Brett Cooke, Orange N.S.W.