Black soil hunt report

[Blr243]

I have just spent 3 nights in the paddocks Useing my quadbike and my electric scooter the rain yesterday put an end to my stealthy scooter approach hopefully some sun and wind today dries out the roads enough for me to use the scooter agsin. It’s made a huge difference otherwise I’m predominantly scarring mobs of pigs off the crops .. I’m useing my new telos monocular and thermion scope both 1024 res. Very much enjoying the image quality. When focused correctly the clarity gives you idea that you are looking at an actual photograph rather than a thermal image . I’m useing my sauer rifle and handloads 87 v max. So far if my memory serves me correctly I have 5 pigs 2 cats 1 hare and four foxes.

[Blr243]

One of my fox’s

[Blr243]

Moggy

[Blr243]

I’m loving the air con workers donga huge spacious comfortable lounge and beds kitchen all decked out with plates cutlery saucepans microwave and big fridge etc hot and cold shower and flushing toilet Only needed to bring food and drinks

[Blr243]

This place even has a rifle range on it with a proper shaped cut out bench and seat ( covered from the elements ) and steel target frames at various distances. Makes zeroing in the bush a breeze

[Blr243]

Just took my scooter for a spin to fling the dried caked mud out of its wheels and guards. Worked a treat and the ground is now dry enough that it’s easy riding and not collecting any mud again. Huge relief… as long as we get no rain I can b stealthy again around the crops

[GQshayne]

Sounds good so far. That black mud is sticky!!!

[Wapiti]

Hey BLR, you don't muck around mate.
Full credit to you and your efforts mate.
I see from the front of the quad bike, if it's yours, that you get right into your shooting.
And 10/10 getting out this time of the year, most people are not that keen!

[Blr243]

Thanks wap. I added to the factory bull bar to give myself a slight point at the front shouldare I have to push thru some shrubbery and the mesh guards obviously help my radiator and coolant bottle from stick damage and from clogging up with grass seeds. The light bars are roughly 300 bucks each at the flick of a switch they are red for slow hunting or white if I have lost the track or whatever. And regarding getting out now I’m actually in a nice air con donga. It’s got the most comfortable bed ever. Fridge kitchen microwave cutlery and bathroom hot shower it’s bloody luxury.

[Die Judicii]

Hey there Mate,
First up I must register my complaint regarding your furry friend up front.
Somehow, he just doesn't look very comfortable,,,,,,, nor does he really look happy and content.
I expect you'll make amends next pic of Sylvester that we see.

Secondly I suspect your principal place of abode will be vacant from now on, due to the unexpected luxury of where u are now.

Cheers Mate, enjoy

[Wapiti]

Man they're mega light bars. The generator obviously powers them ok?
Did you disconnect the QH headlights to just run the light bars at night, or have them as extra?
The mesh is a great idea.
Have you made up a shooting rest, or just slide off and use the seat?

[Blr243]

The bars are independent and run direct to the battery. Never have any battery draining issues… for my rifle rest I have a toolbox on top of the front rack It’s about a metre long. On top of the toolbox is a big ol hessian bag. It’s filled with a mixture of polystyrene bean bag balls and chook pellets . So it’s sort of like a front bag u would use at a rifle range. It easily conforms to the shape I need depending on where my target is and it supports about 300 m of the length of the rifle , rather than just a single support point. This gives me a very steady rest … and yes dj my accommodation couldn’t be more perfect it’s probably 150 m from the main stubble paddock I hunt.

[Blr243]

The length of the bag runs the full width of the tool box

[Wapiti]

Ah ok. Obviously works great.
Proofs in the pudding foe sure.

[Blr243]

There was no bloody pudding last night ! Drove my quad , walked bush , rode my quiet electric scooter around the crops , crashed my scooter threw myself into the dirt , only shot one small boar. It’s got to be better tonight

[bigrich]

There was no bloody pudding last night ! Drove my quad , walked bush , rode my quiet electric scooter around the crops , crashed my scooter threw myself into the dirt , only shot one small boar. It’s got to be better tonight

at least your out there mate . supposed to be a bit of rain coming , don't get stuck out there. although your donga sounds comfy

i did a trip a few years back up to arcadia valley, north east of roma , cattle station around lake "nuga nuga" . that was black soil country and when wet you had no control direction wise and there was a few times if i didn't have momentum i woulda been stuck due to no traction . when that soil dried it went rock hard and driving over where stock had left their footprints shook the sh!t out my toyota . that trip and others taught me plenty about assessing conditions

maybe wrap yourself in bubble wrap if your using the scooter man, you got some toys, best of luck

[Wapiti]

Best of luck mate.
I keep hearing Elmer saying "be very very quiet"...

Can't say his last name or I'll get in the sh*t

[Blr243]

This is one of those places where they have a good gravel roads from the main house area out to the main road so I can’t really get permanently stuck here ( though it’s quite a nice place to b stuck if I do !) And when all the internal farm tracks get wet I can still ride my quad so at least I can still get around and keep hunting. They have given me permission to keep use g my quad. It sort of floats on the surface anyway. I wouldn’t dream of taking my 4 wd out , no need anyway. Rich I know what you mean about the dried black soil Many years ago up In Lakefield nat pk I had to drive over dried road that had been chopped up by cattle in the wet season. The smashing vibration was the worst I’ll never forget it

[Die Judicii]

There's an old saying about the black soil.

"If you stick to the black soil country in the drought,,,, it'll stick to you in the wet".

[Blr243]

Agreed . I have 53 cubic metres of black soil stuck to my quad and it’s making. Thinge difficult .. just tried nearly morning stubble run but rain making things impossible and can’t see with thermal. I should have stayed Iin Bed .. can’t wait for some dry so I can ride and vibrate all this mud of my machine

[Die Judicii]

You'll find also, that it stains shockingly.
A ute I had once before had a brand new tray with chequer plate floor, all nice and white to match the vehicle.
Went to a place that was all black soil,,, and wet.
I climbed up into the tray to adjust some tie down ratchet straps,, and when I got home I cleaned it all down with the Gerni but my footprints stayed.
Those footprints were still evident months later when some lowlife stole the ute, and burnt it to a crisp.

[Blr243]

More rain. The tracks around the homestead and quarters are not as good as I thought. I think k I’m going to b stuck here for another week. I have been hunting in 300 dollar Hokka runners. I think it’s time to break out the high leather boots. And more walks less quad bike riding. I don’t even think I have a rain jacket. And more rain predicted

[Wapiti]

Mate, do me a favour and do some heavy duty meditation. Send your rain there to us here, and we'll reward you with all the hunting you want where you'll never get bogged.
No AC but, unless you have a genny for the hunters donga.
100mm will do.

You'll look like Tom Cruise in his platform shoes, walking in that drenched black soil

[bigrich]

You'll look like Tom Cruise in his platform shoes, walking in that drenched black soil

i don't need that problem , i've got scars on my head from low ceiling lights and have just about been scalped by ceiling fans

[Blr243]

I will gladly send u all this rain. Shot a good pig and a big tomcat last night , but I got so much mud in my quads front wheel arches I had to leave it in paddock and walk home. If I get a break in I. The weather I will have to walk back with tools , jack it up remove front tyres and just so I can rake all the mud out to become mobile again. It’s goin to be a wet muddy disgusting physically demanding b tard of a job

[Blr243]

Surface blow ups . This pig was walking and feeding normally. When I walked up it revealed someone had been shooting at it b4 I turned up maybe tnt or 50 grain v max. Ritchochet of the surface. One was the size of my fist the other at rear and top was two fist size

[Blr243]

Originally I was only suposed to b here for a week. Now I have decided to stay for another. The owner has just dropped me a whole heap of extra food and a hot stew He’s also offered to help me retrieve my quad. It will be awesome to bring it back into the big shed so I have an opportunity to clean it properly out of the rain and on a nice clean concrete floor.

[GQshayne]

That black mud is hard to budge - good luck.

Many years ago, I got caught in it in my old ute. It was a bitza, a Mitsi L200 with Hilux diffs, Jeep transfer, Supra 5 speed, and a Holden .253 V8. Plenty of guard clearance too. We left the property and slid our way out. Luckily, the big clearance on the ute meant we did not get stuck, but it was a real mess underneath. Back on the main road there was lots of water, with the floodways under water further than you could see, and there was plenty of them. Once again no probem for the ute though.

After getting home, I parked the ute for cleanup when I next had time. I was not looking forward to it. When I had time I parked it on the driveway and climbed underneath. It was spotless, with not a speck of mud to be removed. The floodways had done the job for me.

Sometimes you get lucky.

[Die Judicii]

Originally I was only suposed to b here for a week. Now I have decided to stay for another. The owner has just dropped me a whole heap of extra food and a hot stew He’s also offered to help me retrieve my quad. It will be awesome to bring it back into the big shed so I have an opportunity to clean it properly out of the rain and on a nice clean concrete floor.

I'll have to have a word with the owner Mate,,,,,,, He's spoiling you rotten.

[bigrich]

That black mud is hard to budge - good luck.

Many years ago, I got caught in it in my old ute. It was a bitza, a Mitsi L200 with Hilux diffs, Jeep transfer, Supra 5 speed, and a Holden .253 V8. Plenty of guard clearance too. We left the property and slid our way out. Luckily, the big clearance on the ute meant we did not get stuck, but it was a real mess underneath. Back on the main road there was lots of water, with the floodways under water further than you could see, and there was plenty of them. Once again no probem for the ute though.

After getting home, I parked the ute for cleanup when I next had time. I was not looking forward to it. When I had time I parked it on the driveway and climbed underneath. It was spotless, with not a speck of mud to be removed. The floodways had done the job for me.

Sometimes you get lucky.

that's a trick i learned years ago, drive back and forth over a concrete culvert through a creek to clean all the crap of . mud is horrible stuff if it gets into your brake callipers and/drums . 253 ute sounds like a beast , i had a 253 in my HQ premier for a few years that made 202 rear wheel horsepower with some basic mods . good reliable motors that can give great fuel economy with a few tweaks also