#009 Conversation with a Pig Shooter – Hunting with Stu
Kayaking for boars
Hunting life
I’m Stu from Sydney and what got me into hunting was that my father had a company called High Country Safaris (approx 1969 to 1974) that catered for hunters, fisherman and outdoor enthusiasts. His main clientele were Americans on R&R from Vietnam. I wasn’t even a teenager so I was heavily influenced by what Dad was doing. I suppose it was a natural thing to start hunting myself.
I think my favourite thing to hunt is the African Cape Buffalo. I have only shot one and I have it on the wall at my sisters place. However, I never tire from hunting pigs especially an old crusty boar!
Hunting techniques
Normally we only hunt in the daytime (we rarely go spotlighting). However, as a young boy I went out with Dad plenty of times after foxes as they were good money in the 70’s.
I like to hunt on foot by stalking through the bush. But we use a quad often when a lot of country needs to be covered. I like to get dropped off on the quad then do a walk and get picked up so I don’t have to walk out and back. On the properties we hunt this is very successful as you can see in my YouTube videos (link at bottom of post).
That’s the other thing while I think about it. I use a Sony Action Cam and it sits on the side of my head on a headband giving the first person shooter angle, which is pretty cool I must say! If I see pigs or a boar my first thought is to turn on the camera and then forget about it until the action is over.
Having said that I am aware that the camera is filming and try to keep as steady as possible, as the end product is to watch a nice steady stalk and not a lot of unstable jerky movements.
In the past I used to get as close as possible then turn the camera on. This often meant missing out on the action as the pig/s took flight with time only to shoot and not video.
Kayaking for boars
Generally I take a kayak for backup, as an alternative to the actual hunt (as we rip around on quads or stalk through the bush as a general rule). However if it’s summer, when we get back and others want to while away the hotter parts of the day in the shade. I go into predator mode and head down to the water and kayak for boars during the hottest time of the day.
It is very productive often shooting pigs within a couple of hundred metres from starting my paddle. Because pigs come into water all the time I can paddle up and down a water course and see pigs constantly! Late arvo is also very productive as the old crafty boars come into water late.
I have thought about spotlighting along the water at night. But as everyone knows it would be very eerie with possible zombies about ; )
I paddle slow and steady and try to keep to one side of the waterway so that I don’t stand out too much. When I am closing in on a boar, it depends on the cover or shade leading up to him. If he is wallowed facing me I like to close the gap from the other bank keeping to the shadows or overhanging branches. If there is more than one pig, I picture what will happen and I foresee a cunning plan. I.e. I will shoot one outright, then another on the run as it decamps the scene often making for a memorable action clip.
The thing about kayaking for boars is that your hunting area is reduced to the course of the waterway. However this also means that you have 2x hunting areas to scan. The left and the right bank. Often either side of a waterway will have completely different country. If it is thick then I often get out and push into the bush a few hundred metres looking for pigs in their hideouts.
If there is a constant wind direction I will paddle into the wind. However, if there is no option but to paddle with the wind I will fly up to the end or turn around point then take my time coming back with the wind in my face. Having said that the wind can change constantly along a waterway so if I feel the wind on my neck then I stop and often get out and have a walk around until the wind is back in my favour again.
It is very important to paddle slow and steady. Listen to the sounds up on the bank. Constantly look along the bank where the water meets it especially around low branches or logs coming up the bank. I have had boars jump up after I have past them only to notice that I missed seeing a recess or something like a tussock of grass hiding a wallowing boar.
As I round a bend it opens up new areas, I tend to either use binos or my rifle scope to do an initial scan of the banks way up front. If I see a boar and I have the rifle I still like to get as close as possible within reason. I.e. if there is a high bank I will often have time to drop the paddle and shoot if I am sighted prior to me getting into position.
I have shot a pig on one bank and then noticed another jump up on the opposite side! If there is one there are others. Don’t fall into the trap of focusing too much on the pig way down the waterway as you will pass the close ones.
Sometimes I will get out of the kayak and stalk up on a boar on the bank, especially if the wind is going toward him as I want my scent to go up the bank. This is a ‘spot and stalk’ method and all I do is walk off about 30 metres then along paralleling the bank until I reckon I am in line then head back to the bank. Be prepared to cop a charge as if you approach a boar from the top of the bank his only exit is straight up through you!
Kayaking for boars down a western waterway is very relaxing with the smell of the bush, red river gums, birds, goannas and obviously pigs. It is a different way to enjoy the outdoors and see a property that you may have hunted for many years but from a different perspective.
I don’t really participate in any non-hunting related shooting activities, but I did have had a crack at skeet shooting for a while many years ago.
Equipment
My firearm of choice is a 30-06 bolt-action Ruger MK II topped off with a Burris Full Field II. I like to sight my scope in at 30 metres which is approx where the path of the bullet passes the line of sight. This allows a precise group and the bullet (depending on the weight) to be spot on again at 200m as it comes back down from the trajectory or culminating point. I use this set up mainly for pigs. Generally most shots are at running targets and less than 100m. However, I have my fare share of extremely close and extremely long shots.
Another good firearm is a 12ga Adler A110 lever-action shotgun. Perfect for pigs. I use a full choke with 00SGs (9 pellets) or SSGs (18 pellets).
I was given a a 30/30 lever-action Winchester from Dad Christmas of 1976. So it has seen a lot of service. It’s loaded with 170gr silver tip expansions and devastating on pigs.
I’ll reload when I have 100 spent cases so then it is simple to buy 100 projectiles, 100 primers and a kilo of powder and I crank out another batch.
Kayak
I use an old Australis white water kayak. However, I reckon the sit on top type with a moulded seats are the go. Mine actually doesn’t have a rudder which is great for a fast turning. But without the rudder it is shocking when I have both hands on the rifle, as it will turn with the wind, so I am constantly correcting it which adds to the difficulty I suppose, haha.
Equipement
I always take water, spare ammo and a phone or radio just in case I need assistance or get injured. If you have mobile access then phones are great as you can send pics to those in camp of your success haha.
I do have a dog however, it’s a lab and it’s a city slicker dog.
Vehicle and setup
I actually don’t have a hunting vehicle! I actually have an old Toyota corolla hatch, haha. We do however have a Kia Sportage but it is only front wheel drive, but it does have roof racks for the kayak.
I do want to get a second hand 4×4 one day. But access to our current property is sealed roads and a dirt driveway to the homestead. If it is wet then we camp nearer to the homestead. However, my hunting buddy has a 4×4 ute so sometimes we meet up at the homestead and load all the stuff together and push into the interior of the property.
My mate has a quad bike so I am restricted to either sitting on the back or using it if he want to walk.
I have flown across the world to hunt, however I think the furtherest I have driven is approx 1,000km.
Camp setup
Generally we setup in the shearers quarters or camp setup/swag. My mate usually brings all the cooking stuff so that is sorted, which is great!
Food is usually fresh venison from past deer hunts and good cuts of beef.
Culture
I hunt for pest control, mainly pigs but I am a past trophy hunter having hunted in Africa and New Zealand.
Hunting is a passion that is difficult to put into words. I enjoy the outdoors clear starry nights and a good camp fire. I like the smells and sounds of the bush. Just great to revisit our primal past. One can learn no harm from the hills. If I am to bow my head let it be from a lofty mountain range.
If I had to explain hunting to someone that has never hunted before, I tell them that they are actually a fellow hunter but their flame does not flicker as much as mine. We are all from primal beginnings and city folk/non-hunters still have that flame inside as they all do something toward hunting like going shopping or hunting for a street address or enjoying the taste of home grown vegies etc.
The benefits hunting and shooting in my mind as a modern hunter is, it does wonders to get out of the office or city and just explore what the outskirts; state; country or world has to offer. Hunting is open ended in that it allows the hunter to fall as deep into it as they dare. Some hunters only ever plink rabbits but love the rolling hills in which their quarry lives. Whereas other hunters travel to places only hunters will go like East Equatorial Africa hunting Bongo or the Brookes Range in Alaska after Mt Goat etc.
What’s got me hooked on hunting is that every human is born with a flicker of primal instinct to survive. In days gone by everyone was hunting or gathering. I grew up in a fishing, hunting and outdoors family so it is who I am and always will be. I suppose if Dad was a boat builder I would own a yacht.
My favourite part about going out bush is to be away from the constant humdrum of modern society.
Politics
My thoughts on firearm ownership in Australia is that we have state and territory laws that are so different from each other which is a bit stupid.
What I’d like to see changed is that there was talk of a national firearms license so lets do it as it would make things so much easier not only for hunters and shooters but also the police and registration.
I will vote for a pro-gun political party when it comes election time, the Shooters, Fishes and Farmers party. As they seem to be level headed and are all about looking after the hunter/shooting enthusiast.
If hunters and shooters want to further protect firearm ownership in Australia they just need to be responsible with the privilege of owning firearms and being able to go out and hunt.
Story
So many hunting stories but I reckon the one that sticks in my head for life is my Cape Buff hunt. It was in 1985 and I was living in Townsville North Qld while working in the army. I flew to Sydney and hooked up with Dad and another mate. We flew to Perth then direct to Harare, Zimbabwe. We hunted plains game for 7 days and we all took several species each including; Greater Kudu, Impala, Bushback just to name a few. During this hunt we met a guide who was so impressed with us Aussie hunters that he offered us to accompany him to the Zambezi Valley to hunt big game. Obviously we accepted so off we went.
I hunted Cape Buff for approx 4 days and had my heart set on a minimum 40 inch spread which is the trophy standard apparently. On the 4th day we found a herd of approx 200 buff so we moved in down wind allowing the buff to close the gap toward us as they fed. We picked out a good buff and just needed it to present for a good shot. I was using an open sighted (express sights) 458 loaded with 500gr solids. As the buff were slowly getting closer the others were slowly enveloping us and what made it worse was that there were white egrets on some of the closer animals and they were looking straight at us! Something was going to happen very soon.
Eventually the buff that we selected turned broadside on and my guide said shoot! At approx 30m I held the sight low and behind the shoulder aiming for the heart. When I fired all hell broke loose, with animals retreating, birds flying and adrenaline flowing freely. The guide said that he saw dust kick up past the buff and thought I went over the beast! I could not believe it! After inspecting the area for sign of a hit I was down on myself as there was no blood and the animal looked OK when it ran off!
We decided to try again and followed the herd and did a similar stalk to get in close and again in front of the herd. This time a buff was chosen and we let it come to approx 10m! I fired and then jumped up and reloaded and fired again as it was trotting away. At the shot the buff cartwheeled and went down. The guide told me to reload and we cautiously moved up on our quarry.
One of the trackers ensured that the animal was dead then became very excited. He grabbed me and pointed to the underside brisket just behind the front legs. There was a trench that looked like a red hot poker had branded the beast, however, it was my first shot that missed! This was the same buff! I was so happy that I had actually caught up with the one I missed but also happy that I creased the animal enough to leave a tell tale mark and that I didn’t go over the top but missed the vitals by inches.
This was my last animal taken on the trip and the Head sits above the pool table at my sisters place.
Conclusion
Appreciate the responsibility that having a shooters license holds. It only takes one idiot or a lapse of professionalism and it can bring down a state full of responsible shooters.
We have been given the privilege to hunt so a respect of the animal hunted is a must. Take the time if available to place the shot. If the shot doesn’t present itself then be happy to lift the bolt and let the quarry disappear. I take a bottle of port into camp for the sole purpose to toast those pigs that got away during the days hunt.
Please check out my YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI7bNyuDVBUnacJb85WlUSg for great hunting videos, I’m always uploading new content every month!
Regards Stu.
Hunting – it’s in my blood, its all I know
Hunter life
Carl here AKA Leeroy, I’m from Roma Queensland and I love to hunt. I have been hunting since I was a child.
My Uncle Mick was a keen accredited shooter and hunter. He got me hooked on the sport from a very young age. I’ve hunted all across varying parts of Australia, from Northern NSW, Central Qld and as far north as Cape York.
Living in Roma hunting is very common, so I never have to explain myself to anyone for hunting or shooting. My partner is on board as well because she to loves the outdoors.
My favourite species to hunt would have to be pigs. I probably spend about 80% of my hunting at night and 20% during the day. When I’m specifically chasing pigs, I take dogs (occasionally I would shoot them, but that would only be while I’m harvesting). When hunting with the dogs we are either hunting off a ute or out of my Polaris Ranger 570 UTV/side by side/all terrain buggy.
I don’t really participate in any non-hunting shooting related activities. Once I went to a charity shotgun shoot once. I think I was better at drinking the beers than hitting the targets.
Shooting equipment
For profession kangaroo harvesting I use a bolt action Tikka T3 .223 fitted out with a Hawke Sidewinder 6–24×56. It’s a relatively inexpensive scope that has never let me down and allows me to shadow shoot. My spare harvesting rifle is a bolt action Howa 1500 .223 with a Leopold scope, because you cant be a professional without a backup.
It’s always good to have a .22 for on farm kills such as sheep and pigs when the need arises. I’d recommend something like a bolt action Browning T-Bolt with a Hawke 6–12×50, that should handle most of those tasks.
My current spotlight setup is a roof centre mounted Powa Beam 9″ HID. I find the HID is great for picking out the pigs in most terrain due the whiteness of the HID light. If your harvesting it can make the roos skittish though.
I recommend getting a bi-pod. They are great for sighting in your rifles.
Dogging
My favourite type of dogs are Wolfhound x Arabs. Trackers I run a Garmin Alpha 100 GPS tracker with TT15 collars.
You should always run full chest plates on your dogs. I have a couple of FNQ plates from when I lived up there, but my current choice are the Duncan’s plates.
My dogs can usually run all night because I keep them nice and fit. However, if there is poor weather they will obviously pull up a bit sooner.
As I mentioned before I run them off the back of my ute or off my Polaris buggy. I normally let them free jump unless I’m training some new pups. I never have them locked up because I feel they work better that way.
When it comes to dogging my tip would be; don’t give up on your dog. The more they do the better they get. You can’t expect them to be a superstar overnight.
Culture
I shoot to make a living and I hunt for pest control. My harvesting is mostly commercial for the box. But occasionally I make jerky out of the young sows.
If I had to explain hunting to someone that has never hunted before, so they could understand, I would tell them benefits to the country, conservation of grazing land and as well as the crops. It’s also important that they understand the need to cull numbers to a reasonable level with humane methods. But because I live in Roma I rarely have to have this conversation.
In the modern day I feel the benefits of hunting are harvesting wild meat before it is culled by inappropriate methods. But for me personally I make an income, get a lot of enjoyment out of it, the conservation side of it, physical fitness and the social side.
What I don’t appreciate is the discrimination, particularly by people that don’t know anything about the industry. Of course there is the wear and tear on the vehicles and sometimes injuries to dogs. So I do everything I can to protect my dogs by providing the best food, fitness and treatment. But at the end of the day they absolutely love it, if they didn’t I wouldn’t do it.
I will never quit hunting and shooting because its in my blood, its all I know! I love being in the bush, I live here and I love it. No need to go to the “Outback” I’m already there.
Politics
What are your thoughts on firearms ownership in Australia currently?
I think there is a problem in Australia with firearm laws, because people are making rules on things they don’t know about or understand.
I’d really like to see changes to the laws regarding categories of firearms. Those licenced to hold a firearm should be able to hold any firearm. For example an A/B licence holder should be able to hold a category H firearm.
What can hunters and shooters do to further protect firearm ownership in Australia?
if hunters and shooters want to further protect firearm ownership in Australia they need to be an ethical and responsible firearm owner. Number one thing: invest in proper storage.
Vehicle and setup
My current hunting rig is a Toyota 75 Series Landcruiser.
For the bar work I’ve fitted it out with an ARB bull-bar, side steps and a tow-bar. Also it wasn’t complete without custom dints in driver side doors from multiple kamikaze kangaroos.
In-cab I’ve added an after market sound system, UHF and switches for everything. Off-road equipment I’ve fitted is; 9000lbs winch, snorkel, 2 inch lift kit, dual batteries and a light bar.
The tyres have been upgraded to Federal Couragia M/Ts they are unreal I have not been staked yet!
Fitted to the cab are shooting rests on drivers and passengers sides, with a rifle holder on the outside of the drivers door. A center roof mounted Powa Beam 9″ HID spotlight.
On the tray is an accredited macropod harvesting rack, a small dog box and tray/work lights for getting the job done.
I also have a 2012 Polaris Ranger 570 UTV side by side. It’s fitted out with a UHF, gun rack and a roof mounted spotlight.
Camp setup
I don’t have a camp setup because all my hunting is within 200km of home and we always return after a trip. It’s one of the biggest advantages of living here. But if I’m on a hunt I’ll take a 25L esky strapped to the back and a flask.
Conclusion
My one piece of advice for Aussie hunters and shooters is to get permission, and have fun. If your given the chance get to Cape York – the hunting lives up to its reputation!
For those interested there is quite a bit involved in becoming an accredited kangaroo shooter. There is a TAFE course made up of 2 modules, a marksmanship test, an application for EHP licence, an accreditation for Food Safe QLD. During which, your rack and vehicle must pass rigorous standards, purchase; tags, return books, equipment and cleaning chemicals. All of these things come with a great deal of paperwork and of course fees apply as well.
Once all of this is done, shooters will then need to find ample property to shoot on. Land is becoming harder to come across so it is important that hunters treat properties with respect and always do the right thing, to ensure we keep a good name and that property owners continue to allow us to shoot.
Shotgun weddings
Hunting life
I’m Kadeja my friends call me Kadz. I live in urban NSW. I’m a mother of 4 and work for HPO – Hunting Properties Online. I also own a Wedding planner business. I am a hunter, a shooter, love fishing and love 4 wheel driving!
I tan my own hides and also have a blog on Facebook which is; The Life of a Huntress.
I grew up going on outdoor adventures with my Dad, mostly fishing and bush walking. We also had a veggie farm and it was always great being with nature.
When people first learn I hunt and shot, initially they are shocked. But then they understand when I explain how important it is to source healthy organic meat for my children and friends.
I don’t mind collecting knives. I like to have a new knife for each hunt, that way each knife has a unique memory from a particular hunt!
My favourite species to target would have to be deer. So almost all my hunting is during the day. Typically I would be driving and walking. If we shooting at night we use a hand held spotlight.
Outside of hunting I love going to the range to target shoot with my daughter. I feel it’s very important to include my family in shooting activities.
I have a Tikka T3 Hunter in .243 which is pretty nice to use and a Savage 22 Magnum that’s great for small vermin such as rabbits and foxes. One accessory I can recommend is a tripod, I have one on all my firearms.
What I love about hunting is it is the source of beautiful healthy meat. I’m able to source meat for my children and have a great story to tell. Also I get to teach my children how to be safe around firearms.
I won’t quit hunting because I love being outside in the country side. Sometimes it’s not about hunting, but the awakening of our souls. I feel alive and being there taking in the surrounding is just divine. Especially the fresh air and the smell of the outback. Nothing can compare to that.
Politics
I think it is important to have the right to own a firearm if you have a clean history and are a good person in the community and with people.
Some changes I’d like to see with the law is with the permits to acquire, as it takes forever to get one here.
I think it’s important to vote pro-gun as they are our backbone. If they can gather more input from hunters and shooters and have our words heard, they might be able to get more changes through. By abiding we shall conquer.
Best hunt
My favourite hunt was when I had my first Sambar Deer. No words could ever explain the shock and adrenaline that came to me once I knew I had her. It was amazing!
Shooting rig
My current hunting vehicle is a Toyota Landcruiser Prado turbo diesel. It’s fitted out with; bullbar, side steps, towbar, roof rack, awning, high jack, shovel, UHF, dash cam, 9 inch LED spot lights, all terrain tyres and a snorkel.
For recovery gear I got; recovery tracks, a huge tool box packed with recovery gear (all essentials needed if stuck or lost) and a first aid kit.
I’m still wanting to add; a winch, lift kit, bar lights front and back and a few other extra things to be added. Also I’m going to add a second battery soon to have more energy for the extra attachments.
It would be nothing for us to drive 9 hours to a hunt, so reliability is important.
Camp setup
Generally when we head out bush we just camp with swags and cook on the open fire with a BBQ plate or portable gas stove. I love my cooking, but mostly I heat up easy foods like noodles haha!
Finale
Being a hunter is about being considerate and cautious off your surroundings. Never leave the area unclean and always make sure you practice the highest level of safety and everyone around you is safe. Most of all always have a always have a plan.
Thank you for the opportunity, follow me on Facebook @kadzhuntress.
Regards Kadz
I named my son Remington…
Shooting life
Hey guys I’m Stirling from Perth, 34 years old and I work for Toyota. I love to hunt, compete in Sporting clays with Field and Game and recreational 4x4ing. I also do volunteer work with Parks department culling goats.
My Father got me into shooting. Back when I was a kid we would go and shoot 3 position .22.
Dad was from Singapore and ended up boarding at Scotch collage, so all his mates were farmers sons. So we used head out and get rabbits, foxes and roos. But it all stopped as I hit teenage years in 96 and we all know why, he only kept one bolt action .22.
My first gun was a Daisy lever action BB my Dad bought me when I was 5. Mum wasn’t to excited about it and I had it confiscated a couple times.
I didn’t pick the shooting back up until my Dad wanted to sell the .22 in my mid 20s. I told my wife that it was a family heirloom and its a part of my child hood (little did she know that it would start an Addiction that has consumed my life). She thinks I’m obsessed, I called My son Remington.
When colleagues at work and strangers first find out that I shoot and hunt they think that I’m sick or crazy. But I take it upon myself to educate them a on pest management and how invasive pests are. How detrimental they are to our fragile native fauna. I sell the fact I’m great for the environment and it usually works.
My favourite species to hunt would be foxes and that’s mostly because I have access to them close to home.
Mostly we hunt under spotlights at night but we also did a bit of whistling/calling during the day.
Other than that I’m a field and game member and compete in Sporting clays. I’m just starting to get in to long range and I’ve just set up a 300WM Remington Sendero. It has a Bushnell XRS Elite Tactical 4.5–30×50, Timny trigger set @1.5lbs, T2 muzzle break and bedded front lug.
Equipment recommendations
It’s always good to have a cheap .22 rim-fire for field basher. Great for quickly dispatching game, something like a Stirling MP14. They are also great for target plinking, like my herloom Bruno 1947 model 1.
Shotguns are another good firearm, I like to use a Beretta SV10111 for clays. If you need a field basher for things like; ducks, corellas, foxes and rabbits I’d suggest an Akkar for the task.
For an all rounder a Steyr Pro Hunter in .243 is a great cartridge for spotlighting and stalking goats and foxes. Fit it out with a 10 round magazine, Ziess Conquest 4.5–14×50 with Kenton Industries ballistic turrets matched to 95gr @3100fps and you will be seriously in business.
A good pig gun would have to be a Steyr Pro Hunter aswell, but with a red dot. Great for out of the vehicle.
Dedicated fox shooting an easy choice would be a Weatherby sub MOA fitted out with a Bell and Carlson target stock – Ceracotked in Cyotetan, finished off with a Leica Visus LW I 3–12×50. Fantastic piece of equipment for shooting out of the vehicle under light.
Stalking for goats, deer and pigs a good choice would be a Remington 1991 BDL with a Bushnell Elite 3500 3–9×40.
I think that would have you covered for most applications.
For shooting from the vehicle the driver has a roof mounted Lightforce 170 Custom HID Spotlight and on the rear a hand held custom HID spotlight. When spotlighting I use a 28 (parrot) caller from a blue-tooth speaker taped to the bullbar, Koplin gun racks, Leica HDB range-finding binos (the most bad ass set of binos for long range hunting).
Hunting life
I hunt to getaway and forget about life. It’s great for distressing and free dog food! But I mostly hunt for pest control and if a goat project comes up I take as much as i can carry.
If I have to explain hunting to someone that has never hunted before, I start by saying it’s not about shooting that comes secondary, it’s about being outside enjoying nature and understanding conservation. Most of us are far from yahoos or rednecks.
I then usually go on to say that most people are becoming aware of where their food is coming from. If they want to eat fresh, organic and free range then what better way to eat fresh, organic and free range… hunt… your now taking responsibility for yourself to get out there be part of nature.
Feral pest control is doing a good deed for farmers, country native fauna and Flora. If they saw the contents of a feral cats stomach, they would probably go home and kill their own cat.
As a modern hunter it’s becoming more comfortable, I wouldn’t say easier but the comfort of the gear that is available is awesome. From range finding binos that calculate bullet drop, thermal gear and clothing. But you still have to do the hard yards to get your quarry.
The positives I take away from being a hunter and shooter is the food, free free-range meat, the outdoors, getting away and being more aware of our environment and conservation.
Some of the negatives are being part of a small minority, which in turn has made firearm ownership taboo and being blamed for the stupid actions of a few.
I’m hooked on hunting because of the rush you get when you spot the game and start stalking. The heart pounding before the shot, nothing beats that feeling . Seeing and being in beautiful places, the adventure and the travel, that’s why I won’t quit.
My favourite part about going out bush would have to be the peace, the quiet and the stars at night.
Politics
Firearm ownership in Australia is almost a taboo subject, I believe that shooting should be taught in school. What I would like to see changed is that once you are licensed then you licensed, you are able to have multiples of a calibre and as many firearms as you can afford. Sound moderators to be legalised as its safety item. Because of the safety factor I can’t believe they aren’t legal.
I’m not big on politics but I’ll consider Shooters, Fishers and Farmers next because there is no one else really. I’d really like to see them try bring all shooters together. If we can ban together to make the vote count, 800,000 strong that is a small but major minority and should protect shooting in Australia.
Best hunting trip
I was in NZ for a ski trip with the wife and a another couple. We met up with one of the other couples uncle’s. His name was Ed and we got talking because I had made a comment when I walked out of the hunting and fishing store ‘that the arsenal is out of control…’ (I want to retire to NZ by the way).
So we got chatting, then Ed started to quiz me hard and fast. About what guns I have, what guns I use for what and how often I shoot etc., I said “what’s will all the questions?” Then he asked “would you like to shoot some goats?” I said “sure why not? Sounds great!” Ed said meet at this address tomorrow.
I rolled up to a small farm house with a big shed there I met Sam. Ed said “Sam will be your Pilot”. I said “Pilot” loudly. “Yeah mate.” He opened the shed door which was a hanger for an R22. We pushed the chopper out and I asked Sam “are you dropping me on a mountain?” “No mate you will be shooting out of the chopper!” “Get #%&^ed!”
We head over to the safe and Sam pulled out a HK SL8. To Sam’s surprise I knew what that was; semi-auto .223 with a 4x Leupold scope.
He handed me three 30 round mags and a couple boxes of .223 ammo and we hit the sky. I couldn’t wipes the smile off my face.
When we were in the air I asked Sam “you don’t know me, how do you know if I can do this?” “I will know is about 3 seconds! We are turning around in a second there are some goats. Don’t shoot the white ones!” and that was the only request.
So with the seat belt around my waist and my foot on the skid, I hanging out of this chopper like Rambo!
We would fly over the ridges and spot the white goats from hundreds of meters away (which is why you don’t shoot the white ones, so you can find them). We would go over a mob and then and come back at on them from below. This would force the goats to climb. Because they are climbing they are slow moving and at max 20m away, so not hard to shoot. All shots were lethal neck and head shots.
1 hour and 20 minutes later I’ve shot 86 goats. We then spend another hour collecting carcass’s for the farmer who turn them into dog food. It was hands down the most amazing random experience I have ever had. Not really hunting, more like fishing in a bucket, none the less an awesome story!
Hunting rig
This is my second Toyota Landcruiser 80 series. I work for Toyota so everything is done professionally. It’s a 1990 80 series turbo diesel 280,000km 3” exhaust and tuned to 14 psi @430nm.
It’s fitted out with; a steel bullbar, LED spotties, UHF, dual batteries with solar, Clisby under bonnet air compressor, 2 inch lift and 33 mudgrabbers.
The shooting system is Rhino roof rack Pioneer, with 4 shovel holders that holds the Jesus bar that goes around the back of the rack. Just loosen the shovel holders, pull the Jesus bar out and tighten the shovel holders up. Now you can stand on the tail gate safely.
This give us a standing bench-rest to shoot from, super stable and accurate. To the right of the rack I have 4 Kolpin gun racks to hold a rifle and a shottie. Along with 2 cigarette sockets (for power in the rear) for the shooters spottie.
I’m pretty lucky my closest hunting spot is 45min from home, but it would be nothing for me to travel up to a couple hours to go for a good hunt.
Camp setup
I’m a swag guy. So I always have my double swag on the roof and that way I always have a double bed where ever I go.
Kasler chops (bacon chops) always come with me. They are pork chops done in a bacon style. They go on the grill or skillet.
So usually I bring a camp stove or I carry an old BBQ grill and love throwing it over the open fire.
Conclusion
To the other Aussie hunters and shooters out there; educate and inspire people who don’t hunt, be proud of what and how you hunt, and don’t poach!
My next trip I will be hunting in Czech for roe and pigs in July.
Follow us @WHISTLING REDS. Follow the conservation efforts of my friends and I on Facebook @whistlingreds and Instagram @whistlingreds.
http://www.whistlingreds.com.au/
Thanks,
Stirling