Back in the saddle

[Blr243]

While resting in preparation for tonight’s hunt I had the most beautiful relaxing day Eating sleeping piano and listening to the birds , completely oblivious to the city life I have left behind , The weather app assured me my usual location north east of the paddocks would be best down wind starting position. But after unpacking the Ute and getting ready the wind started to get all crazy on me. I was mostly finished packing when a quick bino scan revealed a mob of small pigs had entered the paddock in a location that with a bit of careful manoeuvre ring I might be able to take one. It was easy. But I had the first pig jitters , forgot to video and nearly left my brass in the dirt .. I knew there was a bigger mob way out further but it was definitely a drive to a better wind position so I managed that and with a bloody long walk took one from the mob. But the rest only ran 200 m and settled down. So I stalked in again and got two more. There were pigs out further here and there but I was along way from the Ute I needed to get back to my dog. When i opened the door to the cabin I was nearly knocked back with the smell. I wondered, did he? But after another drive back to a better spot the smell was gone. Thank god. That would have been messy ...fortunately driving along the fence line with low beam on we spied a boar by himself. I pulled up. The wind was great. And not too far out too. I realised he was walking along the row between the stubble towards me. Good video opportunity I thought as I prepped my rifle/ bipod in the dirt. But about 35 m from me he decided that he had seen something interesting so he started trotting right at me very fast ... I did not want to risk the bullet richoceett ing of his snout as he was motoring along so I stopped him with a whistle and he propped and tilted his head to one side so he could aim an ear canal at me in an effort to learn what I was ... I shot him. I realised then that I had left my red headlight on so it was that or the glow from the scope screen shining on my face that he had seen. .......back to the car. I think I have five pigs now and there has not been a lot out tonight so I have pulled up and rolled out the swag for a temp drink and a snack/ rest. The paddocks have gone quiet for a bit. Hopefullly now after this post or within 30 mins some more might venture out into the cultivation.

[Blr243]

I got real lazy for a couple of hours. I set alarms every 20 or thirty mins I responded to the alarms every time by getting out of bed and scanning the paddocks. I was seeing them out a way off so I just kept going back to bed About 12 or 1230 I got my act together , put a big red filter over my light bar and drove of in search of more. I found two boars in separate locations. I got them both no problem but the paddocks went quiet after that so just after four I pulled the pin. Put all my equipment on charge as soon as I walked back to my house ,,, now a big lazy day ahead of me

[Sergeant Hartman]

Nice work mate, Looks like you could keep a wild boar abattoir running for a while

[Blr243]

Thanks ziad. When I drove back to the house last night about 4 30 am I slowly crawled out of the Ute and today the way my legs feel it could be called hard work instead of nice work but I’m a sucker for punishment and I’ll be doing it all again tonight. But this time I’ll be operating mostly on foot and useing my quad instead of the Hilux ( so much easier thermal scanning with no windscreen )

[Blr243]

Boar

[TassieTiger]

Okay, this might sound a bit techy- but...I’ve been in that situation where the alarm goes off and your thinking...this sleeping bag is better than having Claudia Schiffer in a hot shower - and I’m guilty of turning over and sleeping...

With a basic field cam, there is a movement sensor, connected to a SS relay that when activated (power up/down) triggers the recording or photographic device.
If you were so inclined, open the cam, and solder two wires to the output - run those wires to a small RJ plug or similar.
You could then set up the cam, focussed on a defined area, run some cable, terminated with a RJ plug and a low draw LED. As long as it wasn’t too far away, you could have the led next to you - on means get out of bed to shoot, off means...yeah - this pillow is soo soft...I might check again in 30.

Okay - i might be running off on a tangent...but sometimes at my age, sleep doesn’t come easy and when it does, it’s bloody cherished lol.

[Blr243]

I can’t use it in this situation because I’m scanning paddocks 2 k by 4 k. Something like that ...... but it’s good to know. Boars on baits at night on cape York only 300 metres from the house that wood have been tops .....please send Claudia when u are finished with her

[Wm.Traynor]

Good hunting, Blr

[Blr243]

I was just looking at the mud caked onto the boar in the last photo and I thought how much tougher their skin must be than ours. Imagingine forever being covered in caked mud and prickles all mixed in together and they wear it constantly and as comfortably as I wear a t shirt ....but put a spec of dirt or a noogoora burr in my bedding and us humans just about have a meltdown

[Die Judicii]

Just curios Blr,, when does piggie hunting change from vertibrae varmint hunting to game hunting and large prey ???

Is it when the .243 isn't doing its job and you have to resort to the .375 H+H or .416 Rigby ???

[Blr243]

Die that question I’s too tech for me. I’m only a pig hunter with grade three education. The night has started well I’m under blankets and the dog has his head resting on my chest ....the stars are mostly out and it’s a beautiful night. Wandered out and took a boar that was only about 400 from camp. Came back and then another big mob appeared on the scan. It looked like there’s was some good ones amongst it. One stood out big bulky mud encrusted and he was the straggler with another one close by. He was relaxed and feeding broadside Safety off. I touched the trigger and put an 87/vmax low on his shoulder and down he went I noted that his mate was slow to bolt so I got him too. The first one was the biggest pig I have ever shot here. I got back to the Ute and had another scan only to find another boar in th same spot. So I took off and struggled with the wind during the stalk but I got in range. Within a second of the safety catch being eased fwd he lifted his head and froze alert thinking. I knew he must have got a bit of wind so I quickly shot him before he could bolt. Pretty black and white spotted boar. It’s just gone ten pm I have 4 boars. Hoping for more after I have a break

[Blr243]

Nice lump of a boar

[Blr243]

Here he is again with his mate

[Blr243]

Two boars

[Blr243]

Packed up my little roadside camp and moved round the corner a bit. Just poking along quietly. Found a relaxed mob not too fast r off the track. Took the biggest boar , Roos everywhere. I might have a 30 min nap I reckon

[Blr243]

I managed another couple of pigs. The last was from a mob of three not far from daylight. I was close and one of them looked at me for more than I was comfortable about. I was wanting to make it my 7th boar for the night but under the pressure I cleanly took what turned out to b a sow ,,,, the wind was perfect and I made no noise, my red headlight was turned off , Either their night vision close up was spotting me or the glow from the scope eyepiece was illuminating my face ..Back at camp / home base I cracked a rum at 530 am. My first for the trip My nights work is done now for some sleep.

[TassieTiger]

You doing anything with the kills - dog food, etc ?

[Blr243]

No they are fertiliser. I have heard it’s potentially dangerous to feed your dogs wild pigs. Maybe cooking it real well wood b ok. Deisel has a sensitive stomach. He can’t eat meat any way he get diarrhoea and Bowell bleeding. Science diet dog food and a few of the other reputable companies have specially formulated “ sensitive stomach “ lines ,,,, this is a big help. I can’t even give him bones to chew. That messes him up ....I just got to be real careful with what I give him .....I know every pig gone is of some help to the people here growing crops but I’m not really scratching the surface , there’s too many pigs here in the reeds and they just keep breeding , faster than I can deal with them

[Blr243]

Previous hunting trips here I have had good winds and just swagged it on rhe edge of the paddocks, moving into the paddocks for stalking as needed. But this time the winds have been giving me grief and I have had to up and move a few times during the night .. I had my pushbike on top of the Ute last night and twice I used it to good effect , jumping on it for 2 or 3 hundred metres on the tracks to get me into a more down wind position very quickly and with minimum effort , it’s no good in the cultivation. Too soft. I would just sink and steering would be impossible but on the perimeter vehicle tracks it’s fine I have filled the tyres with slime and have pre purchased thorn resistant tubes, So far no flats. Not that many pigs in the paddocks last night, I got 5 , unreliable winds. Early this morning pre dawn I thought I might have to go do a bit of a daylight hunt today to help keep my tallies up but I’m shagged and going nowhere. I will do some thinking today about how I can constantly improve results even if it’s only a little.

[Die Judicii]

With the ever shifting winds, sooner or later your tally of corpses are gonna catch up with you as well.

We don't seem to have any emoticons for stinking rotten pig flesh. XXX

[Blr243]

I’m totally ok with the smell of dead pigs everywhere and with the heat lately decomposition is going to be faster .....if I managed to get hold of some scales to weigh that big boar I got the other night I don’t think it would be very pleasant now trying to hoist him up of the ground ......I’m not religious but I feel like praying for firm consistent winds for the rest of my trip

[Blr243]

It was blowing a gale today but now has settled down to just a nice firm wind in a consistent direction and coming from a location that suits me setting up where I usually prefer to. The new quad set up worked a treat getting here and I saw a small mob within ten mins of my arrival. On the walk out to them I could smell a dead pig that I had shot previously. Took the sow with no dramas. Nothing else about for the moment so back to the quad and snacking in between pigs

[Blr243]

Immediately after I got back to the quad the small mob I had just shot at returned but they were real nervous and running everywhere very erratically....I thought they had calmed after a while so I ventured into the paddock to c what I could do. All was well. Wind was good. I was making no noise and there was no way they could smell my quad and dog either so I was very suprrised when they just up and bolted. I can only assume that because just earlier I shot one from their mob so they were quiet nervous and maybe they caught a whiff of dead pig and that tipped them over the edge. Anyway. Back to the quad..... as soon as I got back I scanned again and there was a good mob way out in the open. They were relaxed and it took me a very big walk but I got the boar from the mob and walked back to the quad. Now that I’m here scanning there’s bugger all left in the northern end of paddock one so we are going to move and get into a better position because scanning has revealed activity in paddock two and we can get there unannounced with the wind the way it is. My legs are tired I need a rest but really haven’t got time at the moment.

[Blr243]

So , I have arrived at padd 2. Seen a small mob about 600 m away and a ton of Roos scattered about. Went out. Picked a pig. Shot it. Made it back to the quad and my ever patient dog. Uped and moved south. Now at a junction between one and two. Not much going on so will rest up for a bit in the swag and see if something turns up

[Blr243]

I was awoken by my alarm after moving to a new spot ( every time my alarm rang I thought GO TO HELL but ever time I still got out of bed and scanned my surroundings This time was no different ) I was a bit dopey from napping but only a hundred metres away either a fox or cat was sitting next to a pig carcass ....I knew in my post nap state of semi awareness that I must not stuff up here and accidentally shoot my dog that may have somehow escaped his collar and wandered over to chew on the pig ... so I checked under the blankets and there he was still enjoying the warmth of the swag and very much secured ..... game this close was new for me I usually have to walk 300 to 1200 from the quad to take a shot. I lay the rifle on the ground , turned on the scope and adjusted the focus .. I love it when a fox is sitting down but upright facing me give ing me some leeway for elevation and making me concentrate mainly on windage but this fox was not so cooperative. He was sitting down on his bum but upright looking my way but his chest facing off to the left thus giving me a 45 degree target. Haveing only just woken up and still trying to assemble my brain cells in some sort of order I had the scope set on high power and centred the reticle on his chest. I touched off and was rewarded with the view of the fox now laying flat and perfectly still not kicking or wriggling . So I walked over feeling quite good because I’m usually a dumb pig hunter that can probably only shoot big things ..... I took a photo and walked back to the quad ....at some stage before or after the fox I can’t remember I shot another pig. Making it four pigs and a fox for the night

[Wm.Traynor]

Good shooting BLR and thanks for posting

[Blr243]

Glad to hear you are enjoying the read. Haveing access to this site out here is helpful to me too. It gives me some sort of human contact that I would otherwise be without ... no people just Roos pigs and pigeons out here ( and the pigs definitely aren’t talking to me , I recon it’s the 243 I carry with me everywhere) ..the other night when I woke up in the middle of the night to my alarm I found myself talking to my dog for nearly ten seconds before I remembered he does not speak English. I had to duck into town quickly for some basic supplies today and it’s surprising how just a few days in the bush can turn off your city skills eg remember to indicate, placing stuff on the counter at the shops, remembering your PIN number, neatly parking , talking to people. I’m a bit out of practice .....

I now have some better insect repellent, a bottle type fly trap. And some flypaper dangling sticky traps. I was not enjoying a loosing battle with them before but now I’m armed and welcoming their attack. “Get in the ring “you bas#######ds

[Stix]

Good stuff BLR...i both love reading about the hunting, & hate you at the same time...

Pics man...bloody hell...pics...

Where's the fox...?..!!

I like those shots when fox is sitting facing you but on an angle...because i want to keep the skins, & depending on the angle its sitting on, it makes me concentrate more on the shot as to whether i sneak the bullet just past the front of the near shoulder bone deep into the chest to liquify the contents, or smack the shoulder blade to splinter it a little through the chest cavity with the aim of not getting an exit wound either way...but they're pretty soft little creatures though, & pretty tough in a way too, so even with little bullets in the 204 exits often happen...

At 100 yds/metres, you were never gonna miss it...poor widdL foxie...but congratulations all the same...

[Sergeant Hartman]

Hmm i think you need someone to help you mate... two people aiming together at same mob mean 2 puffs go down. I am sure you would have a few people like stix etc jumping up at the opportunity. The side benefit you keep your practice of English up.

Haha

[Blr243]

I take photos of everything I shoot to help me keep a tally because if I have a very exciting night it all sort of blurs into one , and as I get tired about two am I’m battling to function ( except when it comes to rifle safety I’m super aware of muzzle direction and chamber empty or not, place ing the rifle down somewhere that the dog or I can’t walk in front of it in the dark / trigger finger outside the guard etc ) I’m super switched on with all that ..... so my photography record is my memory back up and I carry my ph on me because it’s easier than carrying my iPad.....I also use google earth on my phone to confirm my exact position if I have been focused on pigs moving around after 30 mins I could end up anywhere. ( incidentally does everyone here know that in some parts of Australia and roughly springtime the SOUTHERN CROSS is not visible ?) Because Vodaphone DONT work real good out here I have purchased temporary SIM cards / data plan etc from Telstra.... my iPad is still going strong but my phone I think has run out of credit. So not easy to post pics at the moment. But just to keep stix happy I have used my iPad to take a photo of my phone for the fox photo. Looking at him now he looks a bit dull. Bearing in Mind southern Qld location do our foxes lack the beautiful full vibrant orange we see with Victorian foxes ? Or does my bloke look dull because we are past our mid winter ? Skin looked intact everywhere and he looked healthy