Went out last night and shot a small pond I found on the farm in amongst the riverside broom and gorse. Was a heap of feathers on it and it turned out that there is a 10 minute flight of ducks at 4pm too thier night feeding spots. Shot 4 from 5 shots and lost one in the gorse that Jock couldn't find. might be hung up.

Then this morning I decided to explore the beech first up back of property. Was expecting to find a red or fallow, but a loud crunching sound down a gully led me onto a decent boar eating hard fruit nuts. I was questioning my sanity as I pulled the trigger and couldn't beleive the first big game I get down south is a boar. I swear they follow me!

Off to a great star.

Quite a jungle!

George

Yep, and thats a relatively open area. Took me a bit to spot him.

Good effort that

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riverside broom and gorse.

Got some work ahead shanks.

Not too bad. Most of the country its on is not suitable for farming and flood prone. Id rather release a couple of hundred Pheasants into it and leave it protecting the riverbanks. Maybe replace it wth some less invasive species over time. Bit of gorse around edges of paddocks, but again nothing a week with the spray unit once a year will not get rid of.

Ill post up some pictures of the farm.

Looks great,you will have lots of exploring to do.

The gravel dredge? Is that part of yours or leased out.?

Its on the farm, and is a working gold mine. At this stage we still have to talk with the miner about what the full deal is, but the land development that results alone is well worth while having. The area in crop is from the previous years mining and its gone from cuts over bush and scrub into prime pasture in a year or two.

It all seems to be a win eh. Its hard to beat a gravel supply for internal roads as a bonus. Dairy cows and mud go together.

Yep, having suitable gravel or rock on farm is a million dollar saving.

Nice place. Ive ridden through that area several times on my motorcycle and its a nice part of the country.

straight roads with little traffic. Bloody hard to keep the speed under control.

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first big game I get down south is a boar

LOL, that didn't take long.

Yeah, I was a touch surprised myself.

Great job, Craig!

That trout water in the last photo sure looks tempting

Yeah it is. Saw a nice 4lb browne just above there the other day and yesterday was two of around 3lb cruising about in a shallow eddy under our bridge.


River is closed for fishing right now due to spawning unfortunately so I cant go explore with the rod. I have a fish and game officer coming for a cuppa this morning and am excited to learn a little more as one of the spawning tributaries enters the river on the farm.

There will be a lot of fun on the water once you are settled in. Have you got a smoker mate?

Not here, but we will have to build one.

There must be a zillion DIY`s online and if you have a supply of good fish its a super bonus.

Yeah I see some kind of old kiln or boiler stacked up behind a shed here. Im thinking it might turn into a good smoker.

Dont forget a few red legs also.
Brined/pickled venison makes superb Pastrami mate. Grant`s been making it for years and even older animals lend themselves to smoking far more than trying to roast them.

So you're still in paradise, Craig.

Thinking of that theme, I've been reading a fat book called The Great Divide by Peter Watson, about the differences between Eurasian and American human development. He says the eviction from the Garden of Eden was an allegoric explanation of giving up hunting/gathering to become farmers, after which we really had to work.

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after which we really had to work.

The hunters that hunt truly wild game that is not fenced in often do far more work than those working in a field.

Yeah but it does seem more enjoyable I think.

Just found out today that there is a good size salmon run up the river too. Thats a new bit of excitement.

Wow, beautiful place. To hell with farming, be a full time wanderer in the bush!

Yeah hopefully some time in the future we can stick a manager on and do exactly that.

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Originally posted by gryphon1:
It all seems to be a win eh. Its hard to beat a gravel supply for internal roads as a bonus. Dairy cows and mud go together.

Round river rock and cows go together to protect their hooves and keep down the mud.

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He says the eviction from the Garden of Eden was an allegoric explanation of giving up hunting/gathering to become farmers, after which we really had to work.

He’s not wrong Sambar,

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17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:

“Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it shall [a]bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.
19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.”

I must remember not to listen to my wife

If you don't listen to your wife you will surely listen to her lawyer!