For The Record: Week 4

Dog breeding plans progress in a good hunting week

(July 22 - 28, 2013)


Up high on Happy Valley.

By Ned Makim


 

Dog breeding plans dominated the start to this week with the hunting pushed into second place for a moment.
One of the working dogs, Suzie, was finally in season and I had to get here to Luke on the grain block north of town for a rendezvous with one of his dogs.
Suzie is one of the most honest dogs son Paul and I have bred. Paul produced her from a pair I had bred, Kevin (Russell x Cathy) over Hannah (Russell x Milly) and from five months she was at the pointy end of some rough pigs.


Suzie attached to a boar on the plains.

She has a beautiful nature, not a scrap of nastiness in her, but good Lord is she tough. Like all of ours she can find and stop a rough pig but Suzie is just that extra level of hard. If she's attached you could send a little kid in to grab the pig...
Luke's dog is not one of our family of hunters but that makes no difference to me. I've wanted his blood in my yard since I saw him and his brother work a few years ago. Like a lot of great workers, he doesn't look anything out of the ordinary but he is a genuine one-out big boar dog and he throws excellent pups. Within 24 hours of dropping her off the pair had been joined. There were a couple more matings during the week, so if all goes well we should be welcoming some pups in late September.

With the dog breeding plans under control, it was back to hunting. I headed out to Trap Rock to scout for a few more pigs. The landholder had also asked for a goat for his sheep dogs.
I decided to get the goat early in case I got caught up with the pigs and headed down to the creek country. It's permanent water fed by steep rocky slopes where the feral goats like to prop. They aren't always there but if you cover the country and pay attention there is always a chance.
As it was, the ball bounced my way and I spotted a decent billy high up in the rocks and apparently unaware of me down on the creek. I'd been driving along a track with the dogs loose in case they picked up on a pig scent when I saw the billy. I stopped where I was, locked up the dogs and grabbed the 30-30. A bit of climbing and then a careful stalk and I was within 80 metres or so of the billy. I used a spindly sapling as a rest and put one through his chest. The goat dropped on the spot.
I got him back to the truck and dressed him for the landholder before getting the dogs out of the cage and heading off again.



A feral billy taken among the rocks for the landholders sheep dogs.

The rocky outcrop where the goat was perched.

While I was in the creek country I saw some relatively fresh pig sign so after getting myself a bit further through the rough country in the vehicle I stopped and started stalking the gullies with the dogs. Of course, I left the rifle behind. I don't like to mix up working pig dogs and a rifle much. For me there I just too great a margin for error...and it's just another thing to carry.
I'd covered about a kilometre when I followed the dogs up a feeder gully. They were having trouble settling on a scent and that often indicates a sow with little ones. Single family groups like that leave a lot of confusing sign, lots of crisscrossing scent. After a minute or so doing circles, the dogs went further up the gully and took me with them. Ahead of them I spotted the sow and piglets in the long grass on another slope and prepared for the inevitable.
Something of a climb later, the sow and one little pig were removed from the property and it was back down to the truck. I took a different track out and half way up the hill from the creek Dave jumped and took Alice with him. Within 300 metres they had another small pig and I had another climb ahead of me, this time down and then back up... Three for the day.

I managed to get back up to Happy Valley during the week and pick up another two pigs there. Nothing special again but the object on my blocks close to home is pest control, not ego, so every pig counts and every pig makes my landholders happy. One thing that might excite the trophy hunters though was the combined mob of red stags and fallow deer bucks I saw on the oats in Happy Valley just as dawn broke on my way to the high country pair of porkers. A couple of decent heads among them and I was tempted but time was a factor and they were allowed to live for another day.

One of the two little pigs from Happy Valley.

 At home again and I was well and truly over the backyard fox. It hadn't come close to stepping in my leg hold trap. I dug around in my bag of tricks and added some of Ted Mitchell's smoked egg lure and bingo. One little vixen was taken out of the equation. I live backed onto a 5000 acre Conservation Area and this female would have added to the pest burden in Spring time. There is still a dog fox to catch so the trap is reset.

The first backyard fox.
 

The final excursion for the week was back out to Trap Rock. The landholder had seen three pigs since I'd been out for my goat shooting run earlier in the week so I headed out Sunday afternoon for another look. I visited the pig trap and it still hadn't attracted any interest so I moved it into the lambing paddock for another try. While I was there the dogs indicated a pig but could not find it in the horse grass. Around and around they went but it wasn't until I walked with them that Dave found the little sow.
From there it was up to Ironbark Gate where a pair of sows had been seen during the week. Through the gate and Dave jumped again. Within 60 metres we had another little sow. On to the scrub block and a walk up hill with the wind from the Northeast and Dave and the pup Alice worked back and forth ahead until I heard the scrub cracking and a third little pig squeal. That was Alice's and Dave was yipping on the butt of a fourth for the day.
To his credit Dave stopped the sow through some terrible sticky scrub on a bad slope and I had four before dark.

The fourth pig from Sunday afternoon's run.

WEEK 4:

Pest animals removed    11
Free range dog food      32kgs
Kilometres travelled        391kms

PROGRESSIVE TOTAL
Pest animals removed    22 pigs
                              1 goat
                              1 fox
Kilometres travelled         1503kms

For The Record: Week 3

A wild dog and fox attract my attention

(July 15 - 21, 2013)

By Ned Makim

The Winters can be cold at home but the bush can be surprisingly bright.
The wattle has come into bloom a few weeks early and makes a colourful backdrop.

A bit of rain put a dampener on the hunting plans this week. I never complain about the rain and often hunt in the wet but my main block (Happy Valley) carries a lot of clay and is steep in parts...a recipe for trouble in a downpour.
Instead I went south to check on my second pig trap and see if there was any more information about the wild dog. This spot is in the granite country and is all grazing with a bit of oats to help stock through the Winter. It also runs close to some wild public land that sheds the odd wild dog into the open. I'll call this place Dog Trap to help identify it in his project and keeps it's actual ID private.

Anyway, down to Dog Trap to see the landholder with a few bags of cracked corn on board to freshen up the pig trap. It's another top hinged door trap just outside the oats crop and so far not a single pig has come near it. The landholder has don a bit of shooting so the pigs are a bit stirred up but I'm happy to have the trap there just to maintain access.
In other news he has created a dead cattle dump with three old cancer eyed cows so if the trap doesn't bring in the pigs, the carcases should. Normally they would take about five days to really bring in the swine but in Winter time that cane take two weeks. We'll see.
He also told me he'd seen the wild dog again. It was only a few days ago and in the same spot. Once the predicted rain passes, it will be worth setting a trap for two for the dog. The cows are due to calve in the next month or so and the dog's potential impact is significant.

Back up to Happy Valley east of Inverell and the rain had definitely made things slippery. It wasn't so much boggy as greasy and I appreciated the Max-Trax again, I can tell you. They worked.

The Max-Trax gave me the grip to get up the slippery slopes.

On the oats crop again and Dave jumped and took the young dog Alice (his daughter out of Mary) with him. They ranged out in front, Dave with his nose in the air and Alice just along for the ride. They went over a rise and out of sight. I was still driving the boundary and noted the dogs had not reappeared out of the fold they'd entered. When I topped a little rise I saw why. Both were holding a rough little boar just inside the boundary and outside the nearby blackberry bushes. Alice had been a hot and cold pup but this time she as attached and showed evidence of five decent hits from the boar. Nothing serious by any means but enough to test a young dog's will and she'd passed that test.

Dave and the little boar.

Another two little pigs were found on the ridge above the oats and they too were taken out of the equation. So, three pigs for the morning and back home in time for work.

Later that night I was awoken by Alice barking. At night this often indicated a fox was in the yard, attracted by the smell of the meat from the day's hunt. I decided I'd set a leg hold trap and see if I could get rid of the annoyance to my household and threat to the native animals that live nearby. The fox doesn't visit every night and sometimes goes a month between visits but I wanted something in the ground if it wandered back in looking for a feed.
I used a food bait in what's called a dirt hole set which simulates a small burrow or cache of food. The trap is buried not far in front of the lure.

The fox trap is just in front of the disturbed soil holding the lure.

WEEK 3:

Pest animals removed    3
Free range dog food      42kgs
Kilometres travelled        291kms

PROGRESSIVE TOTAL
Pest animals removed    13 pigs
Kilometres travelled         1112kms

For the record: Week 2

Breaking the big boar drought

(July 8 - 14 2013)

By Ned Makim

Back in May one of my dogs, Dave, grabbed a big boar that did some significant damage. Some good field first aid and excellent work by the Gowrie Vet Clinic in Inverell saved the day but a pig like that is something that stays front of mind.
I'd hit him on ridge on my mountain block (I call it Happy Valley...) and spent every hunt since trying to pattern his movements in the hope of finding him again.

Before I got the chance for a look during Week 2 of the For The Record project I had to duck up north of town to the place I call Trap Rock. That's were I have a trap set for pigs and where we cut the ironbark for firewood. There'd been a pig or two sighted and getting out for a look is all part of keep faith with the landholder. I didn't find the pigs but did have a great chat with him and his wife. Over a cup of coffee they asked me if I was interested in opening up their property to people who might want to join in their environmental management program. I said it would be a great opportunity for city bound parents with kids who might want to learn about hunting with a purpose beyond just enjoying themselves. More thinking to be done but might be something there...

Prickly pear fruit, ripe and ready for the pigs...

 Before I left I checked the cameras again (nothing terribly interesting) and stopped to photograph a prickly pear in fruit. The fruiting pear is one of the reasons the pigs appear on Trap Rock from about May onwards each year. They love the fruit and will travel a long way to get onto them. Worth remembering if you hunt pigs in areas where the pear grows.

With that done it was back to the high country and the Happy Valley block for another look for pigs in general and the big bloke in particular.
Within 20 minutes of hitting the place I had a little boar on the ground thanks to Dave. The pigs had been feeding on an oats crop and it is always a good spot to have a look.
With a bit of fresh dog food on board, I pressed on, but not for long. Dave and Suzie jumped and showed intense interest in one little section of ringlock. I thought pigs must have crossed out of the paddock but when the dogs got over the fence they pounced on a small patch of thick grass right against the fence and flushed a mob of little pigs. Suzie grabbed one and Dave picked up one and then a second after I lent a hand. Four for the day so far.

Dave in his new Grunter Plates breastplate (watch for upcoming review).
That's the first pig of the day...

 None of the pigs were world beaters but my role on the private land I am allowed to access is pest control so every pig taken is counted.
A bit further on and I decided I'd put the dogs into a bit of scrub for a look on spec. I got out of the truck and almost immediately stepped into some fresh digging hidden by the long grass. There were a couple of big rocks turned over as well and I thought I might no be far behind a big pig...
I went into the bush with Mary, Dave and the pup Alice loose and Suzie on a lead just in case. Mary and Dave threw their noses in the air and flew into the scrub. A dark shape moved at pace ahead of the free dogs and I knew they were onto another pig. They hit what sounded like a reasonable boar and as they did a genuinely big fella moved to my left and tried to cut and run. I still had Suzie on the lead and she had seen the big pig. I unleashed her and within 40 metres or so she had him. He was more than a handful and Suzie was airborne, attached to his ear but airborne all the same.
I ran to Mary and Dave on their boar and stuck it. Dave was first to realise there was another pig to be had and he flew up the hill through the rocks and scrub to hit the boar which was still absolutely belting Suzie. Mary went next and the boar had three dogs to contend with...but not for long. I was right behind Mary and got my hands on the big bloke. I used my purchase on the boar to pull myself up hill and into position to  put an end to him.

The big boar. The photo doesn't come close to doing him justice. I've since
practised taking selfies so I don't miss the opportunity again.

He had fair tusks and they were thick.

 So that was six pigs for the day and I really think this was the boar that hurt Dave. It was close to where I had struck him the first time and I hadn't seen anything approaching his size on the 16,000 acre block I was hunting. I think it's him but time will tell. What is certain, however, was that this was the biggest boar I had put on the ground in 12 months. My own big boar drought was over...

WEEK 2:

Pest animals removed    6
Free range dog food      21kgs
Kilometres travelled        263kms

PROGRESSIVE TOTAL
Pest animals removed    10 pigs
Kilometres travelled         821kms

For The Record: Week 1

Timber, traps and tucker
(July 1 - 7 2013)

By Ned Makim

The first week of the For The Record project was hardly a record breaker in hunting terms.
It started with a call from mate Luke who has been catching and trapping a lot of pigs on a grain property north of my home town of Inverell.
He had another trap full and there were some good eating pigs in them. He had a few on the hook ready to be dressed for the table if I was interested.
I certainly was...
I slipped out to his place and in relatively short order we had the pigs skinned and the fillets, boned shoulders and back leg roasts bagged up ready to go.
Free range, grain fed pork for four households all for the cost of a bit of time and a short drive out of town.

Next was collecting some more ironbark for son James. The wood was perfect and the saw sharp so we knocked over the job reasonable quickly. It helps if there are two blokes loading...
While we were in the area we checked on a pig trap and a couple of game cameras. The trap is more of an indicator than a serious attempt at catching. The landholder wants his pigs controlled so the cameras and trap provide information on activity that can help focus my efforts with the dogs.

We checked for nest holes that might hold birds or bats...

The cameras didn't tells us a lot. Although we learned how often the sheep walk around the paddock...and that there is at least one fox that follows them. If he escapes a baiting program, I'll whack a couple of leg hold traps in the ground to get rid of him and a few of his mates.

One of the cameras watching a natural bottleneck with a track,
a fence and the head of a gully coming together to force animals
into concentrated spot. The pig trap is just to the right of the
ironbark tree in the background.

The pig trap gate with game camera in the background.

 I had a second trap on the property but it needed some maintenance and was destined for duty on yet another property so I zipped back out to pick it up. This time, however, I took the dogs. After hauling the trailer up into the hills to collect trap 2 and bring it back down near the house, I took the dogs for a quick look around the oats. I spotted a couple of pigs at the time they spotted me and they were off. I was still a paddock away from them but you get to know your blocks so I went for where I assumed they'd reappear yet another paddock over. The ball bounced my way and Suzie and Dave grabbed one each. More dog food and a happy farmer.

The next day it was on the road again for dogs and I as I carted the repaired spare trap south of Inverell to site it behind another oats crop that was being hit by pigs. The cocky had given me a set of keys so I could come an go as I chose so the trap was set-up and another camera was positioned to capture all the action. I had  chat to the landholder and said I'd seen wild dog tracks on a previous visit. He said he'd seen a dog about a month ago and believed it was coming from some nearby public land. One to watch...
I took the dogs for a drive and picked up another two little pigs.

WEEK 1:

Pest animals removed    4
Free range meat           64kgs
Free range dog food      81kgs
Firewood                           1.5 tonnes
Kilometres travelled        558kms

For The Record: A Year In A Hunter's Life...

The best boar for the month so far. Read about his capture
 in tomorrow's first instalment of For The Record.

By Ned Makim

I get asked a lot of questions about hunting for a lot of different reasons.
Non-hunters want to know why and some hunters want to know how. But, for me every answer opens the door to another question, and another answer, and on it goes. It's made me think, how can I explain to people what it is I do and why I am doing it? And then I had an idea... What if I provided a week by week account of everything I did that was hunting related and not just the successes but the failures too, even how much it cost and how many kilometres were driven. The object would not be to set any sort of a standard or win any prizes but to illustrate just what goes into one hunter's attempt to breed and train a few dogs, support landholders and my own environmental agenda and put some meat on the table as well.

So today Hands-On Hunting launches For The Record: A Year In A Hunter' Life.
It will start back at the beginning of this month and bring readers up to date with where I am up to and then move on week by week through the next 12 months documenting hunt preparation, participation and post mortems.
There will also be detail on the dogs I use on pigs, the traps and related gear I use on foxes and dogs and whatever else I think might help colour inside the lines in a portrait of one man's hunting life.
The first instalment will be published tomorrow night and, as mentioned earlier, will cover the first three weeks of July 2013.

It's been a quiet month so far in terms of yield but there has been a lot of prep work with two pig traps set, a fox trap in the ground and news of a wild dog in a new area.

So take a look tomorrow and come along for the ride.