Boars in Oz

[Ned Makim 116]

OK. Clean enough to be in the lounge room again.

 

I'm just back from a night time run with local bloke Luke. Young family man, late twenties, with a couple of very handy dogs. And it's a case of one good boar in the chiller and a lesson from a better one.

We were hunting some of Luke's country in the hills on which the landholder has set up grain feeders for his cattle and sheep to put on a bit of extra weight for sale. The livestock love the feeders and so do the pigs. They have been travelling about 3kms to and from the their spot in the steep, thick scrub to the feeders on some of the cleared hills. Nothing on first pass but as we moved a bit further into the the property we thought we spotted a boar on another ridge. We had the spotlight on him a long way away but it moved like a boar so we started to negotiate the slopes in the Landcruiser to get ourselves closer. Luke's dogs Saus (as in sausage...I don't know why, that's just his name), and Animal jumped and ran straight at some calves in the dark. Straight to the calves, straight past the calves and up into the steep stuff. Now a tool like the Garmin Astro GPS dog tracking system is not authorised for use in Australia so we wouldn't have gear like that...but if we did it would have told us the dogs were 356 metres aaway to the NNE and stopped on a pig. We drove as close as possible to where the dogs had the boar and it was a top fight. Fat from the stolen grain and full of enthusiasm, the boar open Animal up in a couple of places. Luke climbed to him and grabbed the boar's backleg just as the boar put on a big downhill surge. Luke was pulled off balance and ended up under the boar. He didn't muck about and pushed himself out to the side with the dogs stepping on him to keep control of the pig. Back on his feet he called to me to help him roll the boar in the rough terrain. I came in from the side and grabbed a front leg and tipped the boar while Luke held the back legs. I had never worked with Luke's dogs before but Luke is no idiot so I knew the dogs were hard. They held well while I was within a couple of inches of the pig's teeth. Rolled, the boar looked a lot bigger than I'd first thought. Luke stuck him and it was done.

My dog Bob arrived late on the scene and we took all the dogs to a dam for a drink where we dressed the boar for export and watered the dogs.

While Luke's dogs drank, Bob drifted off up the slope. Again if we had the technology you aren't allowed to have, it would have shown Bob reaching out to about 200 metres out and still going. I started to climb. My dog, my job. The right equipment would have shown Bob hit a pig at 952 metres from the dam, up in some steep thick stuff. It was a horrible climb for an old bloke. Very thick in places (I just pulled two splinters out of my eyebrow). Bob was on the pig and was still (an estimated) 419 metres away. I pressed on climbing with Bob still on the boar, closing the gap and counting down the metres until I got within 73 metres. The boar broke and was stopped again a little further on. And again out 1.2kms now from the dam all uphill and most of it thick and ugly going. I got the gap down to 16 metres and saw the boar's back end. Bob was attached to the front end and this was a proper big boar. I mean a genuinely big pig. The weather was hot too and Bob was suffering. The boar broke from Bob again and it was over, the black dog was exhausted, had taken a belting and couldn't foot the big fella. I felt I'd failed the dog because he'd done everything he had to and I was too old and slow to get there fast enough. Very hard to take. Bob was very hot so I sat with him for about five minutes before turning back to climb down to the truck and Luke who was unclear on where I was...

About 40 minutes later I walked out to meet him with the news that I'd failed. He was philosophical and we got Bob down to water and a cool down. At the dam there was a super fresh wallow and some cracking big footprints. The boar had been on the dam when we hit his smaller mate.

That was the scent Bob picked up.

 

Sometimes that's the way it goes. Boars fight back and sometimes they escape, sometimes they kill a dog and sometimes they rip up a hunter so things could have been a lot worse.

 

We picked up two more pigs for the night after that, one was too small for export and the other dressed 33kgs. The first boar dressed 73kgs.

The big one I miss made him look like a pup.

 

Luke and the 73 caught by Saus and Animal.

 

 

Luke dressing the boar.

 

 

The boar at the chiller. Dressed 73 kgs...the heart lungs, liver and kidneys are left attached for vet inspection in the processing plant.

 

 

Saus and Animal. Good working pig dogs.

 

 

Cheers and bedtime for me. It's 4.30am Sunday here.

[ArchieHood 3,692]

Sound like you deserve a beer and a good nights sleep Ned, I like to climb and hike when i get the chance but have to remind myself that i am no spring chicken any more.As for the lost pig, its fighting for its life so you got to admire its courage.No doubt your paths will cross again .Go rest those weary legs. AH

[waidmann 105]

:thumbs:a great write up ned.

i'm sure you did your best to get to the dog and thats all anyone can do

 

i have to say having worked on boar that it takes some trust in the dog to get hold at the "dodgy end" of a seventy kilo pig

 

its a hell of a feeling to see your own dogs( or anyone elses for that matter!) getting "stuck in" and giving it all,whether above or under ground

they are the proper heroes of our sport

 

yis

 

michael

[Ned Makim 116]

:thumbs:a great write up ned.

i'm sure you did your best to get to the dog and thats all anyone can do

 

i have to say having worked on boar that it takes some trust in the dog to get hold at the "dodgy end" of a seventy kilo pig

 

its a hell of a feeling to see your own dogs( or anyone elses for that matter!) getting "stuck in" and giving it all,whether above or under ground

they are the proper heroes of our sport

 

yis

 

michael

 

Working dogs are definitely the heroes, we are the back-up.

Thanks for the comments. It's 8.30am Sunday now and I'm up again with SuperJen is listening to all the details while feeding me milk coffee. Yeah I know I did what I could to get Bob's boar but I still wish I was capable of more, a bit younger etc etc. All part of it. It's not pig shopping, it's pig hunting ha ha.

We plan to launch another raid on the next full moon and see if we can bump into the big bloke again.

Cheers.

 

As for coming in from the front on a boar, it is certainly the least desired option but I trusted Luke to have decent dogs and committed myself on that basis. I wouldn't do that with everyone...

Edited February 6, 2010 by Ned Makim

[Blacksheep 6]

Very intresting thread ,just read all 7 pages

Thanks for posting

[Ned Makim 116]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

 

Just to clear up any possible misunderstanding...when I had my spit a little earlier about getting a strange reception on the forum at times, I wasn't saying this site had more than its share of geese writing about things. It's the same in all aspects of life (there will be idiots) but the idiots do seem to surface more on internet forums because blokes don't have to deal with other people face to face. I don't mean about drama, I just mean that most of the people on forums wouldn't adopt the same tone if they were looking at the man. I'm a bit confused about what someone would get out of being disrespectful on a forum. It seems unmanly to me. Anyway, just wanted to say there's nothing wrong with This Hunting Life, the mods and admin have been very relaxed with me and the people who have responded to this thread have been nothing but interested and open. So thanks for the support

Always keen to talk about hunting and dogs ansd our experiences over here.

 

Thanks again for the interest.

 

Cheers.

Edited February 7, 2010 by Ned Makim

[waidmann 105]

agreed on that bud.

i'm sure that most of the slagging off/bitching that drags alot of threads down would not happen if the people were not anonymous( user name).most would not be so quick with their views and slow with their brains if "stood in the pub".

i'm sure most sites have the same problem.

 

atb.

michael

[Ned Makim 116]

Now for the latest generation of dogs in the Makim dog clan.

 

This isn't all of the potential breeding stock but it is representative.

 

This pix shows Gina, BJ and Barney. Gina Is Russell Kelly, BJ is Kevin Hannah and Barney is Scotty (Kelly's brother) over Pepper.

 

 

Gina's sister Daphne owned by Scotty S is also on the roster based on her efforts and style so far. None of these things are set in stone, still depends on their performance over time. Their brother Hassle owned by Brett K is also on the list.

 

This is Suzie and BJ both Kevin x Hannah's.

 

 

This Del, BJ and Roger all Kevin Hannah.

 

 

And this is another one of Suzie the Kevin Hannah stand out at this stage.

 

 

Barney and brother Stan (who is working in the Scone area of NSW Australian...very steep...ATM) are 16 mths (Born on October 14 2008.

 

Gina, Daphne and Hassle are 14 mths (born on on Dec 1 2008.

 

All the Kevin Hannahs are 11 mths (born on Mar 13 2009)

Edited February 8, 2010 by Ned Makim

[waidmann 105]

handy looking dogs bud so they are working at 14months? do they tend to double up at that age or straight in on their own?( i'm thinking more of pure strenghth rather than heart/prey drive although they do look very strong already )

 

they all look fit and healthy and would be a credit to their owners

 

michael

[Ned Makim 116]

At 14 months they are finding and smashing whatever sized or attitude pig they hit. Certainly grabbing one out. Some of ours try to find and will lug up from four months, we just don't let them go on their own. By seven or eight months they should be lugging (grabbing the ear) and trying to find otherwise we are looking at them...

You try to nurse them a bit but sometimes the rough pig chooses them. They learn a lot from big sows that bite them and little athletic boars that spin and belt them but can't cut them up much.

Cheers.

[waidmann 105]

having always worked with small dogs i have found the sows more dangerous(a boar will "shove and tusk" which generally throws the dog away a sow will bite and rag the wee dogs,often smashing them up quite badly).the idea for us was to "move them to the guns" and i often found that two dogs would work together and spin a pig( one at each end,one sounding off the other grabbing a leg/tail or just ragging his arse end untill the pig turned.then they would change over.............

only packing in when "stand loud" was given,normally wounded/pigs with experiance of dogs( and driven shoots!) these would be covered and held.naturally needing 3or 4 of the wee dogs depending on hold/size of pig and its heart.

 

i had a german pointer/lab/bavarian mountain hound who i would use for rough shooting,bloodtrailing and general hunting buddy who had perfected the "nose hold" on pigs.i never had the opportunity to get him on anything over50kg though.

 

i would shoot where possible( 9mm para or 8x57is) but found as soon as the dogs knew i was there they would get a bit more confident and go for it

the germans have a thing called a "sau feder"( like a lance,6ft long) which allthough cumbersom is a good tool.the old boys can seperate the atlas vertibrae in one poke

good to hear about the dogs bud

[Ned Makim 116]

Interesting stuff. Pig hunting is so different all over the world. If I won Lotto I'd travel the world chasing pigs with dogs...

I've seen a sau feder. Magnificant piece of cutlery. A bit much for me to use but still...

Cheers.

[rickymac14 3]

Interesting stuff. Pig hunting is so different all over the world. If I won Lotto I'd travel the world chasing pigs with dogs...

I've seen a sau feder. Magnificant piece of cutlery. A bit much for me to use but still...

Cheers.

good logging ned really interesting hunting trips you have read your blog over last 2 nights brilliant!! makes me want to have ago ha ha

[big chris 0]

just read back to back. awesome thread. and i like the honesty in your posts ned,

credit to you and your dogs, can i ask. that i saw earlier in the thread that you were very impressed with a friends dogs. do you think these situations has influenced the way you breed your dogs or has the same 'mould' always stayed true?

 

 

thanks for sharing your thread.

 

chris

Edited February 9, 2010 by big chris

[rascal_2005 79]

probaly the best reading iv ever had.

 

john boy