To kill two birds with one stone (take the dog out for some exercise and do some target practice), Gabby, the foam pig and I went to the World War Two Manbulloo Abattoir (it supplied the meat for the war effort in the Top End, and is near the airstrip where US B-24 Liberators operated from on their missions over Indonesia etc.). The Katherine Trophy Bowhunters Club used to shoot here, until the '98 flood washed it away (and the club caretaker perished). Anyway, it is full of washouts and mounds, and perfect for shooting arrows. And there is plenty to sniff to keep Gabby interested and running around. For some reason, I felt like taking the Black Widow longbow for a spin, instead of the Silvertip - a change is as good as a holiday, they say. The foam piggy, by the way, is Australian-made by Mark Harvey, who runs the  www.tradbits.com.au  business. Apparently, he's even going to make a resting camel! So, here are a couple of photos from my afternoon.

Cheers,

Ben

good shooting Ben! wich kind of breed is the dog? looks nice and a bit dingo like...

She's a mongrel. A local tiler found her tick-ridden and near-dead when she was a tiny pup (typical camp dog style) and rescued her. He later had to get rid of her before moving, and we needed a dog for security.

Looks like the both of you had a great time      

Are you sure that's not a Dingo  

I don't think there is much, if any, dingo in her. Her ears are too floppy (although I'm no wildlife biologist, and wouldn't know a chihuahua from a St. Bernhard [well, maybe I would those two]), whereas a dingo sticks his right up and controls them really well. Here are a couple of dingo photos (the dingo is still alive and well - my mate missed with his wheely bow:

Hi cobber,

Well done on getting out and about mate. There is nothing like shooting a 3D pig in your own time and place.

Cheers for the pics.


ak.

Great pics and darn good shootin'!

Claudia

Cool pix buddy      

Good shooting Ben...but Gabby doesn't look impressed! What was the distance?  It looks like a fairly good ways away for the downhill shot.

I like your target and the other targets on the site that you provided. Foam targets with four legs are rare. The targets sold here have two legs and require a stake in the ground to keep them upright. How does the target that you have compare to the Rinehart, Mckenzie or Delta targets. Rinehart's are the Cadillac of targets here in the US. They holdup very well and the arrows pull from the targets very easily. Delta targets are on the lower end. They don't holdup as well but the arrows pull easy and Mckenzie targets fall in between. They holdup fairly good but require two men and a small boy to remove the arrows at times.

Good pictures...thanks for sharing.

Nice bow Ben & good treat for you & your dog. Mine retrieves my arrows by the fletch. When I pick up my bow she goes nuts. What numbers on the bow? Any closeups? Hard to beat your Silvertip but the BW looks nice also. You'll have to baptize the Hills next. Do you ever practice w/judos?

ohh man, this leafy suit in the flirring red desert must be like steaming youreself!

G'day all,

The pig is actually closer than it looks, no more than 18 metres - sometimes photography makes things look closer than they are, sometimes further than they are.

Yeah, I interrupted Gabby's sniffing adventures to call her over to sit for a photo, so she was itching to get back to it.

The only other target that I've had much to do with was a big boar made by McKenzie, I think. This target seems about the same in terms of foam density and ease of withdrawal of arrows. The costs of those US-made targets are pretty frightening by the time we get them here - this one really suits the Aussie buyer. The kids in my class at school really like shooting the pig!

The numbers on the bow: 64" one-piece PLX "Bocote", 78# @ 29", shooting 30" CX350s with 100grn brass and 200 grain heads. This bow has provided me with my most success, and my first pigs and camel. I do most of my practice with matching hex blunts and milk bottles, or leaves, or dried cattle paddies, or clods of dirt.

I think Dave probably was warm, but the suit is made of mesh, so it wasn't that bad.

They got a feral cat!!!!  And a rabbit!!

Thats it...where's my credit card!

I'll take a mongrel over a pure breed any day..Very cool...

Ben, you always share the most interesting adventures!

Looks like a good time!  

Looks like loads of fun to me, thanks for sharing!!  

Great pictures Ben! Thanks for sharing! Good shooting too. Very nice Widow. PLX?