The Australian Junior Shooter

This special newsletter features stories about casual plinking, competitive target shooting, hunting for the table, hunting for wildlife management, firearm and outdoor safety, and the legal and ethical requirements of shooting.

If you’re a junior member of the SSAA or a young person who’d like to try your hand at sports shooting or recreational hunting, then The Junior Shooter is for you. This special newsletter features stories about casual plinking, competitive target shooting, hunting for the table, hunting for wildlife management, firearm and outdoor safety, and the legal and ethical requirements of shooting.

The Junior Shooter includes interview-style articles and advice from young shooters who have competed nationally and internationally, as well as letters from members, game meat recipes and puzzles to keep you informed and entertained. Each issue also includes member competitions with great prizes up for grabs.

Many of the stories are written by junior members of the SSAA or their family and friends, but all are written for juniors, so we can ensure the next generation can continue in their chosen recreation safely and sustainably.

If you’re a junior member of the SSAA or a young person who’d like to try your hand at sports shooting or recreational hunting, then The Junior Shooter is for you. This special newsletter features stories about casual plinking, competitive target shooting, hunting for the table, hunting for wildlife management, firearm and outdoor safety, and the legal and ethical requirements of shooting.

The Junior Shooter includes interview-style articles and advice from young shooters who have competed nationally and internationally, as well as letters from members, game meat recipes and puzzles to keep you informed and entertained. Each issue also includes member competitions with great prizes up for grabs.

Many of the stories are written by junior members of the SSAA or their family and friends, but all are written for juniors, so we can ensure the next generation can continue in their chosen recreation safely and sustainably.

Issue 13 – June 2014

Elise Jurasovic relives the highlights of a deer hunting trip to the central highlands of Tasmania. Along the way, she also managed to squeeze in some supervised practice at lighting a fire with flint and steel, which could come in handy during any emergency situation. We speak with Single Action World Champion Sam Medway, who introduces us to his alias, ‘Savage Sam’, as he moves into competition cowboy mode to sample a taste of shooting from the era of the pioneering Wild West. James Farrugia discusses how he promotes the joys of recreational shooting with newcomers, and Elizabeth Mullens dishes up her recipe for tasty honey-soy duck, bacon and vegetable shish kebabs.

Issue 12 – October 2013

Benchrest wonder kid Stuart Foate explains his enthusiasm for the discipline and how he became involved in the specialised category. He follows this up with a basic beginner’s guide for aspiring SSAA junior shooters who may wish to try to emulate his deeds. Brad Allen, a hunter with more than 40 years experience, passes on some of his knowledge to the junior ranks. Brad should know how things work, as he has introduced his four children to the art of tracking game in the wild. Sam Spanton describes how he and his dad, as well as his sister Lilli, enjoyed making hunting inroads into a mob of goats who occupied a ridge. And Cameron Smith discusses the issue of allowing shooters to hunt pest animals in national parks.

Issue 11 – May 2013

Olympic Games shooter Will Godward returns to deliver some expert tips about shooting from the offhand position. Will covers everything from feet, ears, head and eyes, stressing the need to be confident in your abilities and when to take the shot. Hunting rules for juniors within the various states and territories are given a thorough review, with all legislation closely examined. Senay Wilson describes the excitement of her first hunting trip with her dad and a group of friends. She was certainly thrilled when she shot a feral pig. Meanwhile, bunnies were the order of the day for Matt Fox when he and his dad nabbed more than 100 of the animals during a week’s hunt. Along with this glut of pests, they also nailed six foxes and a feral cat.

Issue 10 – November 2012

Olympian Will Godward talks about his success on the international shooting stage and remembers how it all began – learning his skills on the range as part of the SSAA Moonta Branch, where his enjoyment of the sport was nurtured. Denis Roe describes how his son Brendan took his first warthog and bushbuck ram back in their native South Africa. Continuing the hunting theme, youngster Samuel Cadorin recalls how an early-morning outing ended with him bagging his first billy goat under the supervision of his dad. And Professor Peter Terry from the University of Southern Queensland draws on his expertise to tackle some of the psychological challenges of the sport, discussing how mental toughness is an integral part of becoming a good shooter.

Issue 9 – May 2012

Queensland junior member Riley Philips maps out the route she took to enjoying long-range shooting, outlining the help she received and how she is now guiding her younger sister Grace in the discipline. There is also a family connection when Joseph Sorrentino embarks on a deer hunt with his dad in the central tablelands of New South Wales. Continuing the father-son combination, Matt Fox and his dad set out on a week’s hunt in Charters Towers, Queensland. Matt learns about deer identification and selection from expert Clark McGhie and bags a trophy chital stag, seven trophy boars and two wild dogs among their bumper haul. Technical Advisor Brendan Atkinson offers some guidance on how novice shooters can master the ins and outs of sighting their rifles.

Issue 8 – October 2011

Victorian hunter James Adams shares some of his experiences in hunting hares with his -22 calibre rifle and lays bare some of the habits of the creatures, revealing where the expression ‘Mad as a March hare’ emanates from. Commonwealth Games gold medallist Alethea Sedgman gives an insight into how she became interested in shooting and the rigorous training and dietary guidelines she implements to keep in tip-top condition for international competition. Grandad and SSAA member Jack Boswell writes an open letter to his third eldest grandson about his enthusiasm for hunting deer. Juniors turn on the style by dressing in formal attire for a grand occasion as part of a pheasant shoot in New Zealand, and chef Erica Wright serves up a kangaroo burrito bake.

Issue 7 – May 2011

Queensland handgun shooter Blake Williams talks about his involvement in the NRA World Action Pistols Championships and his hopes for the future. Sixteen-year-old Riley Philips offers some tips about how to survive in the bush, thanks to lessons gleaned from hunting with her grandfather in western Queensland. Riley covers such things as what to take, clothing, bedding and camp chores. Senior correspondent John Dunn outlines the Yanco Program – an initiative put in motion by SSAA members Kathy Tobler and Brett Bensley in conjunction with Yanco Agricultural High School to put sports shooting on offer as a recreational activity for students. A fine read is rounded off by a crossword puzzle.

Issue 6 – November 2010

Once you have caught your game then comes the tricky task of cleaning the catch. Elise Jurasovic delivers a step-by-step demonstration of how to skin a hare, accompanied by photos of the process, until she has clean meat ready to take to the kitchen. Elise then shows she is no slouch on the cooking front when she serves up Italian braised hare in red wine. To round off a recipe double-header, Erica Wright puts together Italian-style goat. James Adams embarks on goat hunting expeditions along the dry, flat, scrub-covered terrain of outback New South Wales to the highland ranges of East Gippsland in Victoria, and John Hill weighs in with some basic rifle shooting techniques.