Bulldust and boars...

[Benny Nganabbarru]

After knocking-off from work on Friday arvo, my mate Tony Jensen and I took-off for a weekend adventure on a cattle station a few hours drive away.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

We caught-up with the manager, and trundled-off to set-up camp.

This photo shows a station track; a bushfire came through, and they contained it on one side, saving the adjacent paddock:

[Benny Nganabbarru]

As usual, the bulldust was spectacular and magnificent:

[Benny Nganabbarru]

A few months ago, I put the cheque from a TBM story toward a new longbow from Howard Hill Archery, a 75#, 70" Wesley Special.



Early on Saturday morning, I got my first chance to blood it, when we stumbled across a snuffling boar in the cornflakes-like leaf litter near a swamp; luckily, he was making more noise than I, and this allowed me to close the distance to about twelve metres. I drew, anchored, aimed and let fly, and he fled the scene with my fletching sticking out - possibly a tad far back. We found the blood trail, and marked it, opting to continue our hunt and pick-up the trail again later.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

We soon found this fellow, which Tony stalked. The wind gave him away, and the boar fled.



The wind continued to mess-up our best-laid plans for the remainder of the weekend.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

While Tony was stalking the boar above, I was playing with the camera, and photographed these buffalo wallows as well:

[Benny Nganabbarru]

As we neared another swamp, we bespied some brumbies, and Tony went in to try for them. He ended-up stalking them around to the left, and I bespied some pigs snuffling-in from the right. By the time I could move-up, they'd all gone past toward Tony and the brumbies, except for one tail-end boar, which I smacked in the ribs at about twenty metres. He was in trouble, and stopped in the savannah fifty metres away, confused. I closed to about twenty-five metres and hit him tight behind his right shoulder, but strongly quartering-away. I followed discreetly, watching through the binoculars, wishing he would go down. There was lots of blood, but I didn't push him, again choosing to give him time - not a pleasant feeling, to have two uncertainties playing-out at the same time.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Not much further along, we saw a few buffalo, and Tony crept-in as far as he could (his brumby attempt had come to naught).





Again, the wind gave him away.

[d. ward]

Outstanding as always.bd

[Benny Nganabbarru]

As Tony came back to where I was with the back-up rifle, I motioned that just behind me a boar had come-in from the savannah to the edge of the swamp, and that he should have a go. He crept over, then signalled that it was the second one that I'd hit. The boar was resting in the water, pretty crook, but very close to where I'd left my bow and arrows in order to escort Tony toward the buffalo earlier. So we both knew that Tony should try to end it then-and-there. Tony got to about twelve metres, and drove a STOS-tipped Douglas fir arrow made by TradGanger Joe Lorenzen into the rear flank of the boar, angling toward the vitals. Penetration from his 80# Australian-made Barry Johnson 70" longbow was excellent, and the boar jumped-up, ran a few steps, and expired in the water.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

The day was getting quite warm, and we knew we had to cover a fair bit of country back to the Toyota, as well as follow-up the trail of that first boar. We hiked back to the ribbon, and began carefully following the splashes and spots. My nervousness suddenly gave way to relief when I saw the boar well-and-truly dead just sixty metres from where we'd tied the ribbon. We weren't able to pose him nicely, as by this stage he was quite stiff. It was my first pig with a D-longbow, as well as my first animal with a wooden arrow that I'd made, as I've only just learned how to make my own. I was, and am, very pleased!

[Benny Nganabbarru]

When we staggered back to the Toyota (that Old Man Sun's a killer!), the ice-cold ginger beer in the esky tasted real good!

By the way, the string on my longbow was made by TradGanger Graham Bunting (UKarcher), who donated it for this year's St. Jude's auction! Thanks, Graham, it worked a treat!

Over the next day or so, we did see some more game, but our chances were blown by the errant and fickle breeze.

Here's a last photo of a sleeping boar about to catch a lungful of Tony's body odour:



Now, I need to go back to work to recover from the weekend!

[Curveman]

Great story Ben, Congratulations!!!

[rastaman]

Thanks for sharing the story and the pics Ben!

[Ben Maher]

                   
Northern Ben,
as usual great story, great pics and glad to see that you've joined the back quiver and Hill bow and boar club !!!! really good stuff buddy. looks like a good weekend!
did you end up put silencers on the string ? bet you didn't eh....
congrats mate !

Southern Ben

[Owlgrowler]

NICE!   I don't quite share your enthusiasm for bulldust though! ha

[4runr]

Great story and pics Ben!

Thanks for sharing!

[Guru]

Most excellent brother...congrats to both of you        

Looks like a great place for adventure      

Always enjoyable reading Ben...thanx

[piggy]

Well done Lads some fine boars.

[Apex Predator]

Awesome stuff as usual Ben!