Hunt Smart® Training Course Success Stories

Sambar - A Highly Elusive & Secretive Quarry

Whether hunted in India or here in Victoria’s Great forested Mountains, Sambar have a well deserved reputation for being mysterious and highly elusive. There can be no doubt that the adage, ‘they didn’t get big by being stupid’ applies to the Premier Game Animal of the South Pacific Region, which arguably rates amongst the world’s top ten game animals.


Steve Hall

Hunt smart course
Success Story #78



Hi Errol, Errol Corry and I travelled to Victoria this year and using your Hunt Smart System and your books I harvested a nice spiker. We’ll be back with confidence next year. ...

Steven Hall, Brisbane



Laurence Farr - Hunt smart course Success Story #77

Laurence Farr - Sambar Deer Success Story
I attended Errol's Hunt Smart Course with no prior experience in Sambar hunting. I was a complete novice in the challenging pursuit. I had never even seen an unalarmed deer, let alone come close to harvesting one.

By studying Errol’s book The Hunt Smart System and attending his course I gained an in-depth understanding of the nuances of Sambar behaviour to inform decision-making while out hunting.Following the course I took a mate on a trip into the backcountry to chase Sambar. On the first afternoon, I glassed 3 mature sambar stags and harvested the third on last light.It was not just my first successful Sambar hunt; it was a testament to the power of Errol’s course and the Hunt Smart System. Read Full Story >>

Laurence Farr, Castlemaine Vic

Thomas Hartley - Hunt smart course Success Story #76

Thomas Hartley - Sambar Deer Success Story
Hi Errol, My Son Thomas, two other mates and I recently finished a Victorian Sambar backpack hunt. Exciting for Thomas as he scored himself a nice little stag. Unfortunately one of the antlers had not developed but it also makes him quite unique!

We had a hard trip with very thick and steep bush with not many openings. The areas we had planned to hunt were not accessible due to recent heavy rain, so we were limited to a small number of options due to the high river levels. After five days of hunting (we were leaving the next morning) and many hours spent with only a handful of sightings, Tommy decided off his own back to have one last try. After applying the Overlays for the weather conditions that day, Thomas sat off a spot where the overlays told us the deer would most likely appear later that afternoon. He adopted a comfortable position with a steady rest to sit and wait for a shot. About 40 minutes before dark, Thomas spotted a Stag thrashing a sapling on the opposite face approx. 140 metres away. He made the perfect shot with his Tikka .308 and the stag took a few steps then rolled down the steep face and stopped against a t… Read Full Story >>

Peter H, Tasmania

Justin Scott - Hunt smart course Success Story #75

Justin Scott - Sambar Deer Success Story
We became Ninjas of the highest order. Our newly bought safari slings installed ready for action, bino at the ready and a brain full of newly taught special skills, Sambar dinner was on the way. After moving stealthily for just 90m with the breeze in our face, I spotted a deer in its bed ruminating, just like Errol said. When the next gust of wind masked my sound I snuck forward to the next tree. I didn’t range the shot. It was close there was no need.

The deer was lying on its left side giving us what would be a quartering on shot. Due to the time I had up my sleeve and the amount of neck that was presented as the deer munched away, I decided it was time to try this neck shot out. Boom, fast reload and the bush exploded with 6 other deer running everywhere. Simmo tried to nail one but they wouldn’t hold up. I resettled and then noticed an antler. I told myself focus on the shot. Next round into the right shoulder blade. The deer wouldn’t have even heard the first shot but I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just wounded or that I had completely missed. Both shots were perfect; those hours on the bench have paid off. I ran over with excitement, couldn’t believe my eyes, 12 years of chasing Sambar and never having put a stag down and here it was in front of me. I was pretty emotional, I didn’t cry because I am a manly man obvious… Read Full Story >>

Tyson Bailey - Hunt smart course Success Story #74

Tyson Bailey - Sambar Deer Success Story
Hi Errol, Thank you. After completing your course not only did I meet an amazing bunch of people, but I completely changed the way I hunt and implemented everything you taught on the course. As a result I managed to take my first Sambar.

Tyson Bailey, Newcastle NSW Read Full Story >>

Cameron Tull - Hunt smart course Success Story #73

Cameron Tull - Sambar Deer Success Story
He was making his way towards a small clearing so I quickly broke off a couple small branches from the closest tree and rested the rifle. Within 15 seconds the stag walked into the clearing and stopped. I squeezed the trigger on my Tikka 338 and the stag hit the deck within seconds. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I sat down for 10 minutes and watched him closely in case he wasn’t dead - ready to shoot again if necessary. Convinced he was dead I walked up to where the stag had fallen. When I saw him I couldn’t believe my eyes. All the hard work over the years had finally paid off after many day trips and back pack missions. It’s in my blood that’s for sure!

Hunt Smart ® Course Review The morning was cold with misty rain and thick fog, good weather for hunting sambar late into the morning. After picking up a couple of mates we headed into the hills. After arriving on the ridge top above the gullies where we intended to hunt we split up and went our separate ways. The fog was quite thick up high so visibility was very poor so I decided to head downhill a few hundred metres. After descending for about 10 minutes I could hear a stag rubbing a tree. He wouldn’t have been more than 50 metres away, but due to the thick fog and thick bush I couldn’t get a look at him. It didn’t take long before he winded us causing him to crash off through the bush. I continued to descend slowly seeing more and more sign including freshly rubbed trees just days old. After a while of not seeing any deer, I knew they couldn’t be far. I just had a good fe… Read Full Story >>

Chris, NSW - Hunt smart course Success Story #72

Chris, NSW - Sambar Deer Success Story
During 15 years of hunting sambar I had seen a few mature trophy stags but had been unable to get a good shot. Then - as a gift - my wife booked me into Errol’s Hunt Smart course which was postponed until 18th June 2021 due to Covid. The course was a real eye opener and by the end for the first time in fifteen years of hunting sambar I felt that I had an excellent understanding of their behaviour.

On Friday 1st October I was on my first hunt since attending the course in June. Employing many of the aspects of sambar behaviour which Errol said have a high degree of predictability, I developed a plan to hunt a stag which I had seen within 100m of precisely the same spot three years in a row. I waited for him in a staging area close to a mini hub, and sure enough the same heavy antlered eight pointer browsed to within 40 yards of me and stopped broadside, completely unaware of me, enabling me to kill him instantly with a high shoulder blade spine shot. To say I am over the moon is an understatement. Taking this stag is easily the highlight of my entire hunting career. Thank you Errol for helping me achieve this. Chris, NSW Read Full Story >>

Cameron Tull - Hunt smart course Success Story #71

Cameron Tull - Sambar Deer Success Story
Shortly after attending Errol’s Hunt Smart course in June this year (2021) I applied tactics learnt on the course to take this fine stag. Whilst stalking along the Wagon Wheel Rim I found him completely unalarmed lying in his bed. I waited for him to stand then killed him instantly with a perfectly aimed shot. Thanks again Errol

Hunt Smart ® Course Review After reading the Secrets of the Sambar trilogy and The Hunt Smart System books, and it all going in one ear and out the other, I decided to book into the course as I know there is no better way to learn than to be shown in the bush. So last weekend on 4-6 June I attended Errol’s first course for 2021. After everyone arrived we got straight into it looking over the best optics for finding these deer. Then we examined actual tracks and using the 4 hooves from a 12 year old stag, Errol explained the difference in size and shape between stag and hind tracks, how to identify the front track from the rear, how to tell the left from the right and how to tell the tracks of a young sambar from a mature one. Then standing near the bottom of a large gully Errol showed us how to overlay each part of the Wagon Wheel – the Rim, Spokes and the Hub. Using 15 power bin… Read Full Story >>

Warren Jackman - Hunt smart course Success Story #70

Warren Jackman - Sambar Deer Success Story
Reading all Volumes of Secrets of the Sambar prior to the Hunt Smart Course, and the new Hunt Smart System that was published afterwards, laid the basic foundations a successful hunter must apply. Applying knowledge and Hunt Smart strategies, I have since observed many sambar. All were unalarmed and completely unaware of my presence.

Recently I observed two unalarmed stags walking in single file and I took the larger of the two. My success was due to applying knowledge, basic skills and persistence over several years. Without the knowledge I acquired form Errol’s books and his Hunt Smart course I would still be walking in circles. Rifle was a Winchester All Weather 30-06 with a Vixen 2.5 -10x50 scope set at 2.5. Distance laser measured 110 metres, with a 240gn Woodleigh Protected Point. Warren Jackman, Geelong Read Full Story >>

Dean Karlis - Hunt smart course Success Story #69

Dean Karlis - Sambar Deer Success Story
This game species is like no other in Australia. Their incredible brains enable them to sense your presence and above all they think. I have learnt that these deer are almost unbelievably intelligent so a stag knows when he should sit and let you walk by, only so he can tiptoe off behind you unseen. The odds are completely stacked against the hunter.

The question I asked myself before I signed up for Errol’s course was, “why wouldn’t I pay for knowledge as “Knowledge is King”. Attending has proven to be the one of the best decisions I have ever made. Errol’s course gave me the basic tools which have enabled me to turn the tables on these deer giving me the advantage instead of the other way round. After a 2 day course of non-stop knowledge absorption, my Sambar hunting game completely changed. All questions I had asked myself in the past whilst failing had been answered. A scattered jigsaw puzzle of a thousand pieces had been pieced together into a logical and easily applied hunting system. A confidence within me had been developed as to “where to look right now”, “where to be this afternoon” and “what should I do tomorrow morning”. Before every hunting trip, during the drive to the destination and then of an … Read Full Story >>

Regards,

Dean Karlis, Botany, NSW

Jeff Martin - Hunt smart course Success Story #68

Jeff Martin - Sambar Deer Success Story
Dear Errol,   Just a short note to say how much I enjoyed attending your 2018 course and appreciate being able to experience The Hunt Smart System ® first hand.

As you know I have hunted deer in Australia for a long time as well as taking numerous trips to South Africa on plains and dangerous game. I thought I knew a fair bit about Sambar and Sambar Hunting, and expected the course would simply reinforce what I knew. I was amazed however at how much I picked up, whether it was around behaviours I had witnessed in the bush but could now put into context, or totally new information that I could apply to make me a better hunter.   I am now a wagon wheel devotee. Instead of crunching through the bush and simply covering the ground, I am much more strategic because I now know where they will be! What’s more my hit rate has risen dramatically, and as you will understand, as I get older I need it to be getting easier not harder. Much appreciated. PS – See photo attached of my latest high country success – a 30x33! Right on the face where your hu… Read Full Story >>

Clint Collings - Hunt smart course Success Story #67

Clint Collings - Sambar Deer Success Story
After I read the Secrets of the Sambar trilogy and attended the Hunt Smart course, my hunting style changed immediately. It will definitely change the way you think and the way you plan your hunt. With all the knowledge from the trilogy and Errol’s course I have successfully taken 10 sambar stags and have passed up a lot more.

Read Full Story >>

Clint Collings, ACT

Steve Kruger - Hunt smart course Success Story #66

Steve Kruger - Sambar Deer Success Story
Hi Errol, Thought you'd like to know that I have finally caught up with that big stag that I've been chasing for the last 18 months.  I've put into practice what I learned on your course and in your books and it paid dividends.

Targeting a specific animal and persisting until you take it, often passing up other animals, is the pinnacle of Sambar hunting for me. To say I’m rapt is an understatement!  Read Full Story >>

My sincere thanks! I owe much of this to you.

Regards,

Steve Kruger, Bombala NSW

In his story “Persistence Pays off” published in our new book “The Hunt Smart System ®” Steve explains in detail the approach and tactics he used to harvest this Monarch.

Andrew Winwood - Hunt smart course Success Story #65

Andrew Winwood - Sambar Deer Success Story
Hi Errol, Another magnificent sambar stag taken since attending your course.

Read Full Story >>

Andrew Winwood, Devonport Tasmania

To read why Andrew and his son Levi have been so successful since attending our course, buy your copy of our new book Secrets of the Sambar - The Hunt Smart System ® which features Andrew’s story and many other success stories and explains why each was successful. AND OR book your position on the limited number (5) of Hunt Smart Courses we are running in 2019. Already positions are filling fast.

Rod Hart - Hunt smart course Success Story #64

Rod Hart - Sambar Deer Success Story
Hi Errol, I was fortunate enough to take this magnificent sambar stag after attending your Hunt Smart course.

Read Full Story >>

Rod Hart, ACT

To read why Rod was successful after attending our course, buy your copy of our new book Secrets of the Sambar - The Hunt Smart System ® which features Rod’s story and many other course success stories and explains why each was successful. AND OR book your position on the limited number (5) of Hunt Smart Courses we are running in 2019. Already positions are filling fast.

Michael Mann / Mark Brown - Hunt smart course Success Story #63

Michael Mann / Mark Brown - Sambar Deer Success Story
Hi there Errol, It was May 2016 when Michael Mann and I joined you for the Hunt Smart course – a thoroughly informative and enjoyable time that set us both up with an understanding of Sambar Deer and their behaviours enabling us to go on to successfully hunt deer in a range of locations and conditions – from private property to state parks, in mid-winter, through to the hot dry spells we have had this last summer.

Using the information you gave us has allowed us to determine where the deer are most likely to be, and how to get in front of them with the lowest possibility of them being aware of us. I’m not going to go over the things you taught us as you would already know what I would be thinking of, but suffice to say that we still reminisce about our course with you.  We have taken many deer since then, but just last week Mick and I narrowed down an area we “knew” there had to be deer in and worked out when and how we could get in front of them. We saw stags every day and nailed this great example (28¾ X 29¼). I have also included a photo of another really nice stag I took since the course. Being such a “textbook” case of putting your principles into practice – even before we shot a deer Michael and I said this would be “one for Errol”. Read Full Story >>

Kind Regards,

Mark Brown and Michael Mann – Livin’ the Dream - Croydon Vic

To read why Mark and Michael have been so successful since attending our course, buy your copy of our new book Secrets of the Sambar - The Hunt Smart System ® which features their story and many other success stories and explains why each was successful. AND OR book your position on the limited number (5) of Hunt Smart Courses we are running in 2019. Already positions are filling fast.

Brayden Muskett - Hunt smart course Success Story #62

 Brayden Muskett - Sambar Deer Success Story
Hi Errol,  Just letting you know I managed to get the drop on this one yesterday arvo. He was doing precisely what you said they do when a cold front is about to hit.

Your course helped me enormously. It really is an investment in a lifetime of more enjoyable and successful hunting and is easily worth the money. Read Full Story >>

Brayden Muskett, Hobart TAS

Michael Mann - Hunt smart course Success Story #61

Michael Mann - Sambar Deer Success Story
Thank you Errol and Lynne for your hospitality and the professionalism with which you run the Hunt Smart course. The detail covered on the course enabled Mark Brown (pictured here with the stag he took several days after attending the Hunt Smart Training course) and I to take these two stags.

The first was taken just one day after the course and the second three days later, with other opportunities in between to take unalarmed deer. This is the first year that I have hunted and struggled to find credible information to help me. I purchased the Secrets of the Sambar trilogy and read them previously, yet we found the course invaluable to bring clarity to what we had already learned. The books, which are great, helped me to already take a stag, but by physically walking through your teachings I benefitted much more. Rather than standing alone, they complement one another. It was amazing to methodically work through the training and to see the predictability of the sambar. Changing the culture of hunting from walking them up has not been easy but the results speak for themselves. I would recommend this course to all. Thanks again. Read Full Story >>

Michael Mann & Mark Brown, Ringwood North, VIC