Heading off with the missus and also a good mate of mine for a hunt on one of my blocks. we have about 2 million acres on this place so hope to pick off a few dogs pigs and horses. Its getting warm out there...pushing 30'c so it will work us a bit. anyhow should be good so ill post some picks when back.

[quote author=bondy link=action=profile;u=1049 date=1352666712]
Here ya go -

I had been trying to get out west to hunt with Sidewinder for some time and had already cancelled a few times with too much work being on here. But this time I was determined to go as I would not have a chance again till Deer season to get away. My eldest son Mal was particularly keen to have a crack at some more pigs and dogs so when Mark reckoned he was going out to far South West Queensland in early November I resolved to go whether I could spare the time or not. Heading west from my place the most direct route involves crossing the Dividing Range here -


We arranged to meet in Cunnamulla between 10.30 and 11am and Mal & I beat Mark, Shelly & Len there by a whole 3 minutes. Then we turned west into a howling hot westerly wind that was too much for the A/C in my Toyota and continued on for another 4 hours to our campsite on the Wilson River. After saying hello to the Station Manager on the 2 million acre station we headed off for a look for some targets in the late afternoon. You do not walk much in this country. People die doing that. Just do many many miles driving between watering points and along creek channels. The “Channel country” of far western QLD fills in the wet season until the watercourses total width is tens of miles (hundreds in some places). In between each channel is impassable lignum and this country can be crawling with pigs which are safe from everything but chopper culls until the dry season makes the edges accessible to ground based hunters.

So not far short of dark with the hot wind still screaming, “Quin” the dog with the unbelievable nose bailed out of the back of the Toyota Landcruiser and took off running flat through the scrub occasionally crossing dry channels. I chased him in the Toyota through the scrub for about 550yards pushing hard in third gear (and losing ground) until we ended up in a cul-de-sac of channels that forced us to continue the chase on foot. On and on for another half mile until we were nearly spewing with the effort we found Quin. He was exhausted having run so far but had sniffed a good boar in his wallow from so far away in a howling wind and was not trying to hold him all the time  but just barking to call us in. And we had brought help with us. Quin lugged on again as we got close and that’s when “Berry” the wolfhound arrived. Once she knew where her mate was she just smashes the pigs. I held the rifles, sidewinder grabbed the boar and I stuck him. We then wheezed, caught our breath and staggered back to the Toyota... slowly.



The very large cattle stations in this area are serviced by a roadhouse located actually on one of the stations. The publican will even ferry the Jackaroos and Jillaroos back to their respective stations after an event at the hotel  – a process that might involve several hundred miles of driving. So we made use of the Noccundra hotel for a shower, a feed and a few cold refreshments and then back to camp and straight to the swags. We had an early start shadowing the Bore runner the next day.

In the early cool there might be some dingoes moving around. And within 30 minutes we saw some big pups kicking up dust in front of us and the chase was on. I got to open my account first and dropped a couple of slow dingos with my trusty .204. A great start. The dingoes pull down calves and young cattle and probably even more costly is their habit of simply chasing the bigger cattle. This runs condition off the stock and when you have a short wet/fattening season and an 8” yearly rainfall, that matters.



And a few minutes later Mark opened his account with his .308 Tikka loaded with the his sidewinders. He also got a solid hit on another dog that must have crawled off in the channels. We all saw it doing flips on the ground and left it to chase others but when we returned... nothing. It only had to make it a few yards to go where we could not. Not what we prefer but a reality of life in this country.



Mal then tried to stalk in on a dog feeding on a carcase a few hundred metres away but luck did not go his way. A few hours into the run (after some blackened sausages on the bbq)  multiple calls on the Satt phone meant Mark and Shelly had to go back to camp for some business calls and internet work and so Lenny elected to continue on with Dale the bore man. Len took his .308 Sako and I leant Dale my .204 for any Dingoes they might come across. We headed back to camp on some different tracks and Len and Dale (who promptly called themselves the “A Team”) continued on. We missed another Dog on the run back... the pig dogs moving around on the back do not aid your rest when sighting on a narrow arsed dingo trotting 200+ yards away. We also stopped to check out some sand dunes on the way.





The three wise men... not.



After net time and lunch we headed back out after more dogs or pigs sleeping in channels but had no luck. We made it back to camp again just short of dark – and Len and Dale were waiting. I had also given the boys my spare camera for their trip... this is what was on it. 








That first boar with the huge hooks is the first one Dale has ever shot. He has knifed plenty but that is the best of them... and he will have a hard time topping it. He took the first with Len's .308 and the second with my .204 (in the eye no less) after it charged him. So the “A-team” took the points for the day – and they rubbed it in a fair bit too. I pointed out that in my defence I had fired three shots for the day and had each dog drop to the shot so my score was 100% whereas the A team had missed a few other pigs. This did not seem to concern them as solid boars beat mangy dogs easily. So I shut up then. Annnnd we had steaks on the BBQ for tea.

Next day we spent 14 hours driving around the channels, tanks and dams. And right at the furthest end of the place we sprung two large but poor looking sows. Shelly smashed one with a quick shot from her Vanguard Predator .308 and the dogs were on the other before she could take more than a half dozen steps. I followed with the knife.



In the heat of the day we sprung another small dingo from a dam. And Mark wrecked that mangy pup’s day. He had some assistance from Quin who hammered the dingo and executed a double cartwheel by way of grabbing the dog in a flying charge whilst doing approximately 200m/h as opposed to the little 10m/h amble the dingo was using.



We then did many more miles and hours until just on evening the dingoes came out to play again and both Shell and Mal scored. Shelly’s big dog was a beauty.



And if Quin had not have forced his way out of the window of the LandCruiser Troopy Mal would have had a good chance at his equally large mate. Never mind – not five minutes later Mal got another chance.



We all voted for dinner at the pub again due to exhaustion and hit the swags after a feed... and a good handful of drinks.

The last day we would score the company of the Station Manager Phil who is a really good bloke. And Dale got a day off from driving around checking tanks and bores in the air-conditioned station Bore Toyota in favour of spending the whole day in high 40degree heat in the back of Phils’ Cruiser while we... drove around the tanks and dams. We hit the big waterhole at the homestead first and Shelly, Mal and I pulled off a triple play. The pigs were on one side of the waterhole and we were on the other. So at about 170m we all took our shots. My small boar copped a 200gn Hornady right in the fundamental end from my .35/284 as he vanished into the lignum... nearly.







Mal then spied another boar sleeping under a tree at the far end of the water. Mark snuck into about 240y and put a sidewinder right through him.



We continued on and Phil , battered and Shell almost drove on another good boar sleeping on the side of the track as they crossed a dry channel. Battered got a solid hit on him and the pig staggered off to the right in the scrub on the creek bank. What they did not know though was that as they all stared to the right Mal could see from our Toyota behind them a big Dingo loping off to the left. He’s yelling “Dog, Dog!” and pointing left and the rest of us are yelling “Pig, Pig!” and pointing right. I got a look at the boar as he wheeled away to the right and behind the vision of Phil’s Toyota so I helped him out with a .358cal anchor.



The day got hotter, we continued on across the Mitchell grass flats (stopping for a steak sandwich on the way) and for a while we found nothing, but had a good look around.



Then late in the arvo Mal walked up onto a dam as the rest of us leaned against the Toyotas. The cane grass rattled and a boar jumped out 10ft from Mal’s feet coming straight at him. No troubles with the boy’s reflexes though as he dropped him with a 150gn .308 from his Mk V Ultra-lightweight in a very fast move. He was pleased with himself... and just quietly so was I.



Two other boars had bolted at the same time – a smaller one out the back of the dam and a big heavy old bugger out to the left. I was swinging the .35 onto him when Quin and Berry appeared in the scope so I lifted the bolt and handed the gun off to Phil. The dogs grabbed him and after a short wrestle I stuck him; my best for the trip. I resolved take his jaw as a trophy of a really enjoyable hunt in country I had not seen before.



Mark, Phil, Lenny, Mal and Shelly then gathered round as I painstakingly took the old boar’s jaw... remember the other pig that ran out the back? Dale was running after it. We could see them perfectly; there was nothing but Mitchell Grass flats for miles and miles and miles. And Dale and the boar were seeing a lot of them. So we bet amongst ourselves who would win the race between Dale and the piggy – and should we put Dale down because the other dogs grabbed their pig straight away yet Dale was taking sooooo long? After about 10 minutes when they had nearly vanished into the distance Mal asked whether he should take the Toyota and get him. “Ehhhhhhh.... yeah”. So Dale did get his pig... eventually. He had all but run him down by the time Mal got there anyway.



The scenery was great and the company was better. The tally was only 6 dogs and 13 pigs for the trip - hardly amazing but I loved every bit of it. They must be happy with us there though as we have been asked back to thin out some more dogs. As usual we had a ball the whole time and we celebrated with dinner at the pub again with Phil and his family. Thanks guys... pity I had to get back to work. We packed camp early, hit the road at 5.30am and had breakfast at Eromanga before going our separate ways at Charleville. We turned North and the Savage clan headed back to Brisbane. Great way to be not working though.

bondy

[/quote]

You guys were busy Good to see a hunt report on here

Nice work.

Nice report. It's good to get out for a few days and do some shooting.