handload testing turned hunting

[bsrecurve]

went out to a new place not far from town on the weekend to finish off my OCW load testing for the remaining pills i wanted to try in my 223. didn't end up doing that straight away as i decided to go out and check out the paddock with all the channels while it was still earlyish in the morning. slung the ruger hawkeye 308, jumped on the DR250 and off i went.
things were looking good when i scared a small family mob accross the river (into another property), and then immediately stumbled on this little boar. he was a dab hand at the old cat-and-mouse game, and took me a while to get into a good position for a shot:



half a K later i spotted this lot - got between them and their preferred escape route, but they kept going past me anyway - dropped the 3 biggest sows of the group and let the rest of them off the hook:



checked some very thick lignum nearby, which looked like the sort of place where an older boar would hang out on his own, and found this very cranky fella. i got too close at one stage and he was just about to charge so i had to jump on the bike and take off because i couldn't get the rifle ready in time. he was in poor condition and had issues running/walking properly. nothing great in terms of tusks, but he had me going for a while....



went off to check a dam on the way back to the car. the owner had said to shoot any goats i saw, as he was sick of them hanging around this dam. i'm a nice guy so i decided to help out. after the first shot, intervening scrub ruined any chance of getting the others, and it was time to head back anyway. a good tally for the first 2 hours on a new property though....



did some of my OCW load testing. laying prone in the back of the bike trailer - not ideal, but as good as i could manage at the time.



went back there on sunday to finish off the last batch of reloads i had to try out. decided it would beb a good idea to check that dam again, and it was. just as i was coming into the dam, i spotted this sow walking at a leisurely pace from the dam - about 200 yards away. i opened the bi-pod legs, went prone and sent a 223 remington 55gr factory load (one of a few left that i wanted to get rid of) behind her front leg. she did the spin routine, and i gave her a quick follow-up shot which probably wasn't needed.  i was happy with how the remy 700 in the wild dog stock performed  in the situation.



all this, within 15 minutes of town where i live....
life is good in Longreach!!!

[Bigeasy]

I'll bet you throw one heck of a Bar B Q....

Larry

[Graybeard]

They generally don't eat them down under but just leave them to rot.

[Jacko]

Don't worry if you cant get the rifle ready to fire quick enough Brian , use it as a club - works with Brigalow self bows so why not a synthetic rifle stock  That cranky Boar looked like he was real crook mate , I wonder if he was an old fella , how where his teeth ?

Would a rifle scabbard or a set of holders on the handlebars be a better option than slinging the rifle when on the DR

Bigeasy and Greybeard , personnally the only time I eat wild pig from the western regions [ as per east coast ] is in the middle of a good season with lots of herb and grain crops on the menu and only the young ones or if one has been captured and feed up . The folks in Europe eat quite a bit of exported wild pig from Australia , if you foks saw the hard country and carrion and other garbage the pigs up bsrecurves way diet consisted of in other than in the very rare good seasons you would not eat em either . The Cocky's are very firm about knocking over ferals that eat the available feed too help them earn a sparse living , there is not many rich landowners / land mortgage owners out west !

Even the Goats are very rank unless you are eating the young ones before they reach breeding age . . The perceived waste does not sit well with me but it is necessary . I am still a bit upset with myself for knocking over those 5 Goats last Saturday . Australia is a vast land but it's habital and fertile land area is small , we have 21 million people , about twice as many as we can actually feed in my veiw and I'm being generous. There's more pigs and goats than people by a very long way wrecking the enviroment for whats left of our native fauna and flora . Hence one reason for the culling culture that exists .

But yes on occasions we do have one hell of a BBQ , wish you folks where handy we would have you round , no shrimp though - there Prawns here , out West the fresh water crays are called Yabbies and they are a treat on the Barby .

regards Jacko

[Graybeard]

I wasn't judging just commenting to him on what I've read from you guys as to what you do with the ferals once shot. I do understand they are all imported and not native to your country and thus have no natural enemies to keep them in check. I just wish I was able to help you guys out with herd control duties. 

I've had prawns and they are both huge and delicious.

[bsrecurve]

Perry - his tusks were fairly thin and short - not what i would've expected from an oldish pig like him - must have been diseased i guess....
i sling the 308 cross-body with the rifle at my front, barrel up. this is the best method i've tried so far on the bike. When i get the rossi trapper 44mag, i'll rig up some kind of holder across the handle bars - should be much faster to get into action. and mate - i wouldn't feel bad about those stinkers mate, you did what came naturally. nothing wrong with the odd slaughter IMO. i'm sure there will still be plenty of goats next time you go there. any more news on the 1080 drops in that area?


Graybeard and Bigeasy - Jacko pretty-much summed it up. The pigs out here are NOT what i'd class as eaters. for example, when i went to set that sow up (the last pic) for a pic, i noticed what looked like very large grey/black ticks crawling all over her - hundreds of them - not a pretty sight. i think they were actualy a type of mite, and have heard about them before. there is no farming of crops at all out here - only grazing of sheep and cattle. a grain-fed pig would be a much better proposition for the table.

pure and simple destruction is the name of the game, and i enjoy it thoroughly.....

[Jacko]

Thanks Greybeard , I did not take your comments as judgemental I'm unfortunatly aware that anything on the net is there for the world to see and open to misinterpretation .

Brian I guess I'm just gotta harden up mate , a .44 mag 16" Rossi will be a top stuff for running round on a bike . I saw your question on AHN , reckon a front mounted scabbards the go . I know I'd stack it big time sooner than later and damage my rifle if I rode with one slung across the front of me . The .44 mag's recoil will surprise you with full power loads in a light carbine like that , still surprised about it in my 1894 Marlin . Go a tang sight on it though , it's unreal how fast you can sight game through one and with practice shoot with both eyes open . I was impressed with how easy shots at running game where with it .

regards Jacko

[Chappers]

hi all, just a quick post for Graybeard. 


ill be posting more when i pick up and dust myself off,
Cheers

[Jacko]

Lookin for the gravy Chappers  Bet that was a fine meal .

regards Jacko