The Makim Method, A Life Outdoors

06/04/2026

Got out just before the Easter break for a bunch of little ones. I’m happy to get any pig and particularly pleased to pick up these eight. The block had been under a trapping and shooting program for months and the block next door had been baited with 1080. But there are always pigs that are missed and a dog’s nose is a wonderful thing. Gav and I had a few younger dogs along as well so the smaller pigs worked out well. Persist people. Persist.

23/03/2026

Get over to Instagram and support grandson Jack and his yabby business in Inverell. He’s the son of James at Cod King Lures so has a solid grounding in the freshwater scene.

https://www.instagram.com/the.yabby.shack?igsh=MTlpc3B3ZGJidmwxdg==

19/03/2026

Well, it’s been a while coming but it’s time for a report on the Burris Fullfield 2.8 x35 illuminated reticle scope from Beretta. The delay has been while I search for something negative to say. I mean, I wanted to provide a balanced report on how this great scope worked in my hands, in the dust and well away from the range.
I had it sighted in after a session at the Calibre Country indoor 50m range so I knew you could dial it in very effectively. But how would it go when I jumped out of a buggy to shoot off hand or set it on a fence post as I huffed and puffed from the climb up there?
The scope was matched to a short and quick Franchi in 223 which inexplicably had a muzzle brake fitted making it the loudest firearm I’ve ever used.
And still I couldn’t fault the Burris.
The reticule has 11 lighting options but I just left it on 11 because I’m half blind and I hate fiddling with things on a hunt. Similarly I left the power ring on 8x magnification as well.
All I had to do was look through the tube and the illuminated tip of the post just seemed to find the mark, much like a red dot sight. It was idiot simple and sure. No doubt when you were on target and after a few animals I had convinced myself I was a top shot.
Don’t get me wrong, I can shoot but this scope made me feel like I had the whole game sorted.
Very quick to grab a sight picture, very clear in ordinary light and did not move a mm despite my very average buggy skills.
An outstanding scope and probably the best non thermal scope I’ve ever used.
Highly recommend it.

22/02/2026

Found the only mud hole on the block this morning. Always interesting what a boar under pressure will do. This did the standard, hard downhill run but ended up in an absolute slop hole that went up to my knees in an otherwise dry creek bed. No monster but glad to get him and his mate.

15/02/2026

11/02/2026

Made a stop off at Calibre Country in Tamworth today to test out a couple of things provided by partners of mine in the great outdoors. Both come highly recommended. First in the partnership stakes is host Craig and his great team led by Mel at Calibre Country and their absolutely fanbloodytastic indoor shooting range. Its 50 metres of concrete tunnel with automated target retrieval and sundry bits and pieces to help you get sighted in for a hunt or ready for a comp. Super safe and tightly managed without being a buzzkill, the whole show is an incredible adjunct to the massive store.
Second great partner is Beretta who supplied a Burris Fullfield 2-8 x 35mm scope atop a Franchi .223. I’ve had it floating around for a while but the planets finally aligned to sight in the package properly. Three shots to test. Three more shots to wind it onto the bull and three more to tighten the group within the black. This scope is the goods. Very, very easy to dial in plus an illuminated reticle to remove any doubt. I’ll have much more to say about both the range and that Burris scope soon and it’s going to be all good news.

09/02/2026

Couple of breeders picked up the other day. First time back on this block for a couple of months and having to relearn the pig movements. Little management changes while you are away can cause significant changes in where you can expect to see the pigs. There is no substitute for time in the field to increase your yield. That’s Denis in the pic. One of our line. Decent dog but his sister runs rings around him.

09/02/2026

A memory thingo from FB. I usually ignore them but this is quite a trio. From left Baz, Alan and Geoffrey. Baz and Alan are still catching for me (Alan is now approaching 14). Geoffrey is long gone but I still think about him a lot. He was a challenging dog. Very big, very mobile and always picked the biggest pig available. He wanted to work alone, didn’t play well with others and cost thousands and thousands of dollars in vet work to keep him going.
My father once said good soldiers often don’t make good civilians and that was Geoffrey. Very good soldier. RIP Geoffrey.

19/01/2026

Living life outdoors gives us all the chance to see incredible things. I know you can go and look at a koala in a koala park and that’s wonderful if it’s your only option. But I feel very grateful my lifestyle and obsession with spending as much of my life as possible outdoors affords me the luxury of regularly bumping into free living koalas within my own district. Certainly I love hunting things, but that can take many forms. You don’t always have to kill something to experience a hunt…