Hey guys.
I was meant to put this up for a while just never had the time to sit down and write everything down.
Last January I had the opportunity to go back to Europe for 6 months and work at the one of the largest taxidermy workshop. Also as usual when we go back I get roped in at the family farm, had to squeeze in a few compulsory family visits and any remaining free days I spent hunting or travelling the country with my boy.
Having friends makes it easier to stay away on extended trips, having friends from gamekeeper school makes it easier to access hunting. I keep forgetting how easy we have it here, going back each time is a good reminder to how lucky we are when it comes to having public land that anyone can hunt on.
At the taxidermy shop I learned heaps from all the guys and gals, the team got a huge amount of combined knowledge. They allowed me to work with them on a couple of interesting species along with the run of the mill deer, and exotics.
Hunting was pretty hard but still good. The country had to cut back their wild boar numbers due to ASF, we were allowed to shoot anything but decided to only take boars. Due to the constant pressure on the porcine they turned nocturnal in most places so hunting for pigs starts a couple of hours before sunset and ends as they go to bed down around sunrise. Previous years we have seen 3-4 good sounders and a good number of boars while covering (stalking) about 200ha in 3-4 nights. This time in 14 nights covering over 300ha only seen 3 boars 7 sows and 2 piglets. Those 7 sows should have at least 5-6 piglets each
The rising number of Golden Jackals also having a huge effect on the pig population, they are very effective hunters. These cunning predators been on my list to catch for a while but somehow I can never get the time off when the conditions are right. Last winter there was no snow which makes spotting them at night almost impossible, had a couple of friends setting up dead pits to bait them with the mild winter they just weren’t forced onto bait. Spent a few days chasing them again this time but won’t bore you with the stories of my unsuccessful attempts.
So after all those nights only got close enough to 2 boars. The first one was too close to the management boundary so I thought I will head shoot it and missed like an amateur. He stopped at the neigbours side for a good minute listening and probably thinking what the hell was that then trotted away. All we found was a bit of skin and brisket meat so I have pulled that sot pretty badly. Went back the next morning to double check or findings and we came to the same conclusion. After 26 years of hunting still bugs me for days when I stuff something up
The second one was more of a chance encounter, we have been out on crop protection duties sneaking along a 50m wide forest strip between 2 fields when the boar decided to step out of the scrubby undergrowth and take a game trail leading him along the edge towards us.
Don’t know why but pigs are the only species that I still get excited about when up close at night. This chap got close enough that you could tell it’s a boar by the half moon light. So pulled the trigger on him, when he turned broadside. He was 94kg gutted.
From April onwards we spent the days looking for roe bucks, also 2 of my other friends been scouting on 2 different management units for me but nothing have turned up that would have matched my criteria. Seen over 20 bucks while I was at home on the farm but all either too young or the standard 3x3. So this time I came home without a roe deer.
This just reminded me of a story I started to write about one of the trips a few years back when we had quite a bit of success with roe deer. Will probably finish it the next rainy day.
