SSAA NSW

AHN Corner My first hunt With thousands of members active on AHN each day, there is a well stocked library of hunt reports from all over Australia and around the Globe. Whether you're planning your next hunt or just passing time you will find dozens of reports at AHN. Early one Sunday morning we packed the car and headed off, this was to be my first ever hunt and my husband Daniels' first in the Northern Territory. 30 kilometres down the highway and 80 kilometres' of dirt road later we arrived at the area Daniel had permission to hunt on. My first impression was "how could anything live out here"... it was so dry and had recently been burnt off. After dropping in to see the traditional owner we set off down the dirt track to the first of several billabongs that held water all year round. Daniel assured me that if we were to find pigs this would be where they would be. The contrast between the dry bush and the bright green areas around the billabongs was startling! There were birds everywhere! Jabirus, ducks and all manner of flying, squawking birdlife screeched into the air as we rounded the bend onto the billabong. Rather than get straight into the pig hunting we decided to settle down for a while and have our lunch while Gracie, my old red cattle dog patrolled the edge of the waterhole and chased Plovers, Daniel kept a wary eye out for crocs. Daniel wandered around in the mud on the edge of the water and muttered that there were "plenty of hogs around here." He pointed out some very large pig tracks in the mud and showed me what the difference was between fresh and old sign. Whilst he was paddling around in the slop getting more excited by the minute I took out our digital camera and snapped off a few dozen shots of this beautiful, peaceful area. Once we were fed and watered we hopped back into our Nissan Patrol and headed off towards some scrubby area on the other side of the billabong which Daniel thought might be where the pigs rested up in the heat of the day. He instructed me to keep a close eye on the reeds and water's edge on my side of the truck in case a pig was hiding as we went past. As I watched the edge closest to me, Daniel scared the hell out of me and the poor dog by screaming PIG right in my ear! He pointed right across the billabong and about 250 metres away a big, light coloured pig was slowly making its way back into the scrub where Daniel had thought they might hole up. He stamped on the brakes and bailed out of the truck quicker than I have ever seen him move in my life! As he jogged forwards to get a clear view of the pig I watched him stop, draw back the bolt on his old 308 Ruger and take Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. rest on a nearby tree. A few seconds later and BOOM!! Ten thousand birds I hadn't seen clawed their way into the air with a cacophony of sound. I am sure I heard Daniel swear as he clean missed the pig! You could almost see the question mark appear above the pigs head as it struggled to figure out where the noise and splattering mud had come from. I heard the bolt rattle back a second time and again, BOOM! The now very worried pig staggered and fell as the sound of a solid hit came back across the water. Daniel ran back to the truck and told me to keep an eye on the spot where the pig had disappeared while he drove like a demon around the billabong. As we moved off I saw the pig struggle to its feet and stagger slowly towards the scrub line. I had picked a small tree before we tore off as fast as the diesel Patrol would carry us and told him to stop when we drew next to it. As I handed Daniel his rifle he swung open the door of the Nissan and attempted to launch himself out of the truck in a dead run to find the pig and quickly put it out of its misery if it wasn't already dead. He stepped out of the truck, rifle in one hand, forgot to put his feet down and fell 3 feet face first into the mud!! SPLAT!! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry but as he staggered to his feet, covered in mud and with nothing hurt but his pride he turned back to me and said "that's why I don't carry a loaded rifle." Laughing like a hyena, I pointed out the spot where the pig had disappeared. While I waited with the dog, Daniel fired a final shot into the pig. It was all over but the vision of him going face first into the mud had me laughing all the way home. I have been on many more hunting trips since then, watched him shoot many more pigs, donkeys and buffalo but that would have to be the funniest and most memorable. Sandy (SMB) 6

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