Well one big boar died tonight, unfortunatly for me it wasn't by bow. I'd promised to take our herd managers wife out to get her first pig as she recently bought her first rifle, a 223, and I thought that now would be a good time as there seemed to be some nice, 223 sized pigs hanging around. 5.30 this evening saw myself, Kate, her husband and 4 kids from 1 to 9 up the back, Bob and the kids stayed at the vehicle, while we started the half K walk to the baits, we'd only gone twenty meters when a hulking great shape materialised on the bush edge and proceeded to push its way through the fence about 250 meters away. About now I was wishing I was carrying my bow instead of the 270 as backup, but in reality I wouldn't have been that selfish anyway. "Is it close enough?" whispered Kate. " No." I replied, " I want to get much closer, and so started a half hour of creeping and following, trying to work out his movements, and this is the difference between the pigs I shot the other day, and an older boar. He would only walk 25 meters before stopping for quite considerable periods of time to test the breeze and look around. Kate was a quick study, and soon picked up that we should only move when he did. Soon we were getting close to a shootable distance, then he hit my scent from where I'd walked through that morning shifting cattle, 9 hours had passed, but he instantly bolted back the way he'd come. I urgently told Kate that if she had the chance, head shoot him, but he didn't stop untill he reached the bush edge. Then it suddenly dawned on me what he was going to do, and hurredly I told Kate not to shoot, and to follow me once he was out of sight. He wasn't after food, he was prowling looking for sows. We cut up a ridge and made our way to the edge, there below us was our best chance as he wandered up the other side 80 meters off. I waited for Kate to get a good rest, then softly whistled, the boar stopped and turned his head to the side, but moved on again before a shot could be fired. Again I whistled, again he paused but this time at a bad angle. Third whistle and crack! but he didn't drop, he wasnt well though, and unable to run uphill, he charged round the side untill the 270 bought him down. Tough characters, those boars, and still Kate had to put a round through his temple to finish him off. Once again I'll have to get a pic in the morning, but at 150-160lb its a really respectable pig for her first.
Hi Karoo, Theres a bit of everything in NZ pigs, colourwise we get quite a few that throw back to european wild boar style markings, also the odd bit of KuneKune, but most show as straight black, or black and brown.
Fantastic, and good on you, and the new hunter. Interesting choice of poses above, though. A nasty man could have a real caption party with that photo...
Are the big boars turned into some edible form? Sausage, maybe?
Cheers,
KG
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Hunting: I'd kill to participate.
Posts: 2897 | Location: Boston, MA | Registered: 04 January 2005
Hi Kamo Gari, In this case we gave the meat to a local family who can always do with anything you have spare, but yes they make good sausages, especially when mixed with an older fatty lamb. As for the pose, Its a cultural thing, and quite common in NZ hunting circles. It comes from the fact that most pigs are hunted a long way from vehicles, and a lot of pride is taken in carrying sometimes massive weights for long distances and the more weight the better, which is why the heads are never cut off, even though they can be 10% or more of the total animal.
Man you are lucky you're an ocean away. If I said something like that, I'd be sporting a bruise by now.
