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First Traditional Boar Harvest - Pat McNamara

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Rob DiStefano:
First Traditional Boar Harvest
by Pat McNamara

 

Over the last couple weeks every now and then I would catch a glimpse of a lone dingo trotting past my back fence, only 50 meters from the house. Usually around 9 to 930 am, twice I have raced out in just my boxers, [not a pretty site] armed with my switchback. I have gotten into about 60 meters, but then he would disappear into the long grass.

 

I thought, don’t worry your day will come. I decided to set up a tree stand two days ago on the back fence, wired a bit of carcass to the steel post and mounted my Moultrie digital game camera, hoping to catch a few shots of him. I went and checked today and found that some of the meat had gone, plus I had numerous pictures of this dingo on my camera. I was excited, so I said to myself, time to get up there, but you are going to use your new 60lb recurve.

 

I only received this recurve a couple weeks ago, first time really trad shooting, except about 20 years ago I did have a longbow, but she broke. I have been practicing every day on my 3d deer and large boar up to about 15 to 18 meters So this arvo after having a dozen practice shots, I walked the long 50 meter walk to my waiting tree stand armed with my Samick Equus  60lb recurve and some hair shaving 125grain Outback Hunters broad heads fixed to carbon shafts, naturally fletched with feathers along with my video camera.

I was up in the stand about 5pm, with a good strong east wind into my face as I was perched up about 4 meters high. I checked everything into place took some footage of some little finches and refocused the camera on the carcass. I have a young dog, scar who is about 3 to 4mths old, she decides she wants to check things out, I give her a warning and she runs back inside the house fence and sits and watches. About 30 minutes later I notice a black tail wagging over the dam wall, I think its scar and I mutter to myself you will be in trouble when I get home.

Suddenly looking up I saw another 6 to 7 dark shapes emerge out onto the dam wall. I have company. Here’s 7 to 8 good size fatten up hogs feeding only 50 to 60 meters away from the house and coming my way. I turn the video on and start filming. They end up turning and feeding away down the dam wall and out into the paddock. I decide I better get on down and have a go. I leave the video behind, strap the back quiver on, place an arrow on the rest and proceed to follow.

The grass is mostly about 2 ft high to 3 ft in patches as I see the black shapes disappearing and reappearing. They are feeding with the wind to their back, which is perfect for me, as I stalk along closer, using small bean trees as cover. I close the gap on a small boar to 15 meters and continue to get in closer as he his busy rooting away the soft ground. There is a good size boar another 10 meters in front, but to be truthful, first time out with my recurve, I was excited as and was happy to take this fella closest to me.

I am now only 8 odd meters away, with a good quartering away angle present. I draw back, anchor, concentrate on a spot behind his back ribs and release my arrow. The bow is ever so quiet on release and the 28 inch shafts buries deeply into the young boar. He lets out a squeal runs 30 plus meters, pulls up and down he goes. Meanwhile the larger boar and party don't really know what is going on, they have a little scuffle, pull up and look around, then casually move off feeding again. I thought about going after the big fella, but I hadn't recovered this fella yet, and I was happy as to put a good shot in on this young boar.

I waited a bit and then moved across to where I last saw the young fella, arrow on the rest, ready if need be. I searched up and down a few times and finally found him just on the other side of the barb wire fence, arrow still intact and deeply buried in his side. The feathers were a bit worse for wear, but that's easily fixed later on. I was totally excited, as this was my first shot at game with my new trad bow and I had made a clean one arrow kill. You have to be happy with that.

Thought I would share my first trad moment with you.  Cheers - Pat McNamara.

 

Archers see how accurate they can shoot at distance - Bow hunters see how close they can get before they shoot

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