Keep your PLB on your person
Neil got a call to help out a farmer who was getting his pine plantations decimated by goats. Could we go out this weekend and sort out the problem animals. Yep no problems, Neil was getting over the flu and Wayne was the same. That’s ok I will potter along myself and see what I can do and hopefully get some legs for sausages.
I arrived on the farm a bit after 10am, loaded up the quad and followed the track over the first ridge. The fog was just lifting so I stopped and had a cupper and something to eat for 30min until the fog burned off to a beautiful day. I cruzed along the valley crossed the little bridge and headed up the track climbing steeply with the young pines down in the gulley to the left. I stopped and scanned the area for goats. Yes, there are a mob up on the ridge above. I was out of sight of them following the track until I popped around a corner and suddenly goats were bolting for the neighbours boundry. Stopping I leapt off the quad, unsling my rifle and spread the bipod on the carrier. Aiming for the lead goat I missed the first shot but made sure of the next few, emptying the mag and single feeding rounds until there was no goats in sight. Six goats down so that’s a good start.
The mob had split. A few went into the neighbours and the rest bolted along the ridge and had stopped on a point 700 mtrs away. Cool, I can sneak up a lot closer without them seeing me. A few minutes later I was down to 200mtr away and the goats were still on the hillside. Laying down with a box of ammo beside my right hand I dropped the first goat. A nanny started the rush to the right and I stopped her with the next shot which left the confused and not sure where to run. With the mag empty and single feeding rounds you make sure if each shot and soon I had 10 goats down around the hillside. The rest had finally got through the fence and disappeared into the pine block. I followed them through a patch of scrub and dealt to another two in there before climbing back onto the ridgeline.
Looking down into the bottom of the gully the rest of the mob were heading towards the neighbours. 300mtr away I didn’t have time to dial up the scope but used the 300 mtr cross mark in the reticle I knocked over the first one and kept going until 5 or 6 were down and the last couple disappeared around the corner. Good stuff, the barrel is too hot to touch I’ve got a pocked of empties and goat legs to pick up.
I took off 6 hind legs and strung them on a belt over my shoulder and headed for the bike and lunch. I stepped onto a sheep track and my foot slipped, I tried to catch myself with the other foot but somehow it got trapped and I fell with my right food under me and hearing something pop in my ankle. Shit that doesn’t look good I said to myself as I saw the right foot poking out at a right angle, that is going to hurt soon. Nooo my plb is with my pack on the bike I will have to crawl 700mtr to get it was my first thought. Ah you dumb shit it’s in your belt pouch where it always is. As I rolled over to access my belt pouch I noticed my foot got pushed back straight again. Whew that looks better but I sure as hell aren’t going to try walking. Pulling out my plb I flicked up the aerial and pushed the button. How do I know it’s even working. The light is flashing so I guess it is.
Sitting on the track I hadn’t moved and was not game to try. I took the bolt and mag out of the rifle and stowed then in my bino pouch. 30 min later I can hear a chopper coming around the hill behind me. Now that is a welcome sight. The rescue chopper hovers around the hill and I give them a wave and get a thumbs up from the pilot. They manage to get a skid on the ridgeline and drop off a couple of paramedics with a pile of bags. After accessing my foot and no pain it was decided to leave my boots on and get me on board. A farm worker saw the chopper land and came over to see what was going on. With his help they got me over the fence to a flat spot and the chopper came back in and landed half on the track and half hanging over the gully. The medic said they followed a line of goat bodies around the hill so thought I was not far away. 30 min ride back to base hospital, a few ex-rays and a plaster cast later I’m off work for a few weeks. They bloody well cut off my $60 merino sock.
Lesson for all. Keep your PLB on your person always.
Cheers Swanny
