Ned Makim 116 Posted July 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 Dom that photo was taken in the Nundle area and it was definitely cold... And Archie the winter in my area brings the pigs out in the open more. Their feed needs are higher and there's less to eat in the scrub so they tend to venture out further and stay out longer. In really cold weather they will lay up but a freezing night here is often followed by a bright clear day so you can get them out for a bit of a sunbake in the mornings. Cheers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ned Makim 116 Posted July 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 G'day everyone, Got out for a run yesterday afternoon and night. We expected to get five or six because there have been a few seen on the property. Dry conditions to the west have forced the pigs east and into some new country where they had not yet settled into their hidey holes and routines. The result? We caught 27 including a two or three decent boars. The pigs were everywhere. I was with Luke (who features earlier in this thread) and Joey and I was very glad to have a couple of fit younger blokes doing the hard work I can tell you. I haven't seen pig numbers like it for 20 or 30 years. They were appearing in the oddest places and at the oddest times too. Probably the best boar. We drove in to the property at about 2pm and almost immediately picked up two sows camped in a gully. With them on the back we headed up higher in the hills and within 20 minutes had another three. To say we were surprised is an understatement. We split up with Joey on the quad and Luke and I in the truck. In another hour we met up again and Luke and I had another three and Joey a handy boar. We had nine and were feeling like we'd had a great run...Down from the hills and the sun was dropping in the west. The cool was rapidly replacing the thin warmth of a winters day here and even more pigs were on the move. We approached an oats crop and another five pigs were grabbed in the space of a couple of minutes. Unbelievable. Then onto to a lucerne paddock and a decent boar was standing right out in the open. Down he went and within the next half an hour we caught another 10. By now we grinning like idiots. We had 24 pigs. One more paddock to check and three more pigs including another decent boar...27 all up. Freakish run and I was stiff and sore from the physical work involved but I couldn't have been happier. I could write about it all for a day and still not get through what is was like... Luke and the second best boar. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dux 5 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 Jazzed just reading about it, woot! thanks for taking the time to share your pics n experiences! ATB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
staffs riffraff 1,068 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 Talk about happy as a pig in shit lol I will get over there one day ned problem is I wouldn't want to come back. Thanks for keeping the post going and good luck with the pup Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bird 9,861 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 good post Ned, KEEP THEM COMING MATE Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ned Makim 116 Posted August 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 (edited) I've been back out to the spot I missed the big boar to see if I could work out what his movements were (pattern him...). I could see he had been back but he was not on offer that day. Still it was a nice day out and a good walk for the dogs. That's Trevor (above) having his first proper walk in the bush. He went really well. He has a lot of will that pup and his brother Clive has already grabbed a pig. At 14 weeks, we are happy with that. Wasn't a big pig but it would have dressed 20kgs and wasn't happy about being grabbed so the little bloke did well. The next pix is of some of the country in which the big fella operates. That's Roger in the bottom right hand corner of the shot. If I get half a chance at the big pig, Roger will have the ticker to stop him... Edited August 13, 2011 by Ned Makim 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ned Makim 116 Posted August 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 This next pic was taken the same day. It's a mob of wild (feral) goats that have appeared on the place in the past 12 months. It is open slather on these. You can't go hungry in Oz, there is a lot of meat walking around... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ned Makim 116 Posted August 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 This is last night's effort (well early this morning actually because we got him after midnight). My mate Luke had seen some decent tracks in the bush not far from where he lives and invited me out for a look. The short version is we walked in on two different tangents to where we reckoned the boar was feeding and kept in touch with handheld UHF radios. We also have each others dogs on our tracking receivers so we can see what's going on just in case using the two-way will give the game away. Anyway, Luke is only 28 or so but is no joke in the pigdog world out here and his dog Saus (short for Sausage as I think I've told you before...) nosed a good bloke heading out of a harvested corn crop and nabbed him one out. Good dog that Saus... That's me claiming Luke's glory... And this is Luke doing most of the work carrying the boar out. The boar dressed 73 kgs and he is entire on Luke's back in the pix so would have been plus kgs (more than Luke weighs...give that a try in hilly country you blokes). I did what I could and carried in two shifts for about 100 metres but Luke did 400 odd metres in a couple of efforts. Luke's not a big bloke but he is an uncomplaining worker who gives it what he's got. I am still expected to do what I can but the young blokes are generous to me because I am not nearly as strong as I was. There are rules in pig chasing in Oz and sharing the work and not whinging about it are two of the most important... Cheers and thanks for the continued interest in the thread. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Big game 1 Posted August 13, 2011 Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 (edited) Gday Ned, some top pics once again Ned. Trev looks as though he has big socks on . His not a bad size at 3 1/2 months. Well done Luke & yourself with that catch mate. I remember Doing things like young Luke !! About 15 years ago, Now it hurts just lookin at that pic. Again top hunt mate. Cheers Dom Edited August 13, 2011 by Big game Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ned Makim 116 Posted August 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 My old dog Cathy died the other day. She was 13 and a half years old and had been retired from catching pigs for some time. She was in the top five of all the dogs I've had or bred in 35 years of pig catching and for ages was in the top two best I'd seen. She was the mother, grandmother, aunt, great aunt and so on and so on of every one of our dogs. Arrogant, ridiculously tough, and could find pigs in any country. She was named by my daughter Madeline who was 8 when we got Cathy. Mad is now 21, that's a big chunk of a person's life to know a dog. Cathy could be trusted to catch rough pigs for my boys James and Paul when they were young and would have died rather than let them get hurt. You get incredibly close to dogs that put their life on the line for you and Cathy was one of those. I buried her in a spot I have had ready for 12 months and I will never forget her. Cheers. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Big game 1 Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 Sorry to hear mate. R.I.P Cathy Dom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gitano 17 Posted August 21, 2011 Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 Sorry to hear about Cathy, Ned R.I.P. girl Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Duncan 802 Posted September 21, 2011 Report Share Posted September 21, 2011 Such dogs stay with you forever. RIP Cathy. D. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hullhunter 219 Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 shame mate its allways crap to lose a dog at any age just be fortunate she lived a full life and you had the pleasure of owning such a dog and you got some good pups of her. R.I.P Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chriseden 5 Posted September 24, 2011 Report Share Posted September 24, 2011 What was the breeding of that bitch Cathy? shes a dead ringer for a boxer lab smithfeild beardy I used to have Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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