A hunting we shall go..

Discussion in 'Turf and Surf Hunting and Fishing' started by Andy the Aussie, Oct 30, 2016.


  1. Andy the Aussie

    Andy the Aussie Monkey+++ Founding Member

    Soooooo....just back from a week out in the far west of my state, I only venture out there is the warmer months every few years as I much prefer hunting (and being) there in winter. This is the same place I was about 2months ago and got stuck up to the axles. It was still wet in places and it rained again the night I arrived. I have been going here now for about 30yrs and it is probably the wettest and greenest I have seen it !!!! What that means is that the deer are bloody hard to find as they don't need to venture out of the thick scrub for food or water. Such is life.

    After about 9hrs driving I got in late on Friday afternoon, unpacked, snake checked the house and pretty much went to bed !! I even managed a bit of a sleep in the following day. My oldest/longest friend was to join me on Saturday so I basically bummed around the house for the day waiting on him (he arrived about 1400hrs).

    That time was mostly spent touching up a few knives...

    [​IMG]

    Once he got in we got him unpacked and organised and ended up sparking up the house fire as it was quite cool. He and I are off to New Zealand hunting next year and discussed walking way out in the back blocks of this property and spending the night, just for the sake of it, we both packed accordingly and once packs were organised we settled in and promptly drank a bit much...LOL

    Next day we decided to start walking about mid-morning with a view to finding one of the tanks (dams) hand drawn on a sketch map we had. It was also getting hot (as was to be a theme for most of the week). In this country water (or the lack of it) is the most dangerous thing (besides me before my first coffee). Anyway we set forth and after several hours and about 13km we found the tank we were looking for (well actually we didn't, we found a new one that was not on the map but which was in the end only 500m or so from the one we WERE looking for). At this point I realised I had maaaaybe underestimated the amount of water needed so we both did a bit of a resupply from the tank.

    That's the mate crashed out in the grass...

    [​IMG]

    Prettiest tanks I have ever seen out in this country...

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    Looking back down toward the tank we really were seeking (and into the area we spent the night)...

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    The fire the mate boiled up his tank water on ( I camped on a log with my little MSR Pocket Rocket) ...

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    Kelty pack and Sako..

    [​IMG]
     
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  2. Andy the Aussie

    Andy the Aussie Monkey+++ Founding Member

    So we moved a few hundred metres away from the tank (about 1/2 way between two) and picked a spot for the night to get set up, the mate promptly got a brew on...

    [​IMG]

    Home for the night in the late afternoon sun...

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    We them hunted off around both tanks but other than 'Roos and Emus there was not much about...wandered back to camp and started on dinner...

    [​IMG]

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    Not long after dark we both called it quits, a bit sore and sorry as "we are not as young as we once were"...!!! Mosquitos were a great annoyance all bloody night and I had got a little sunburn on the neck and hands that was also a pain. It was not the most pleasant night I have spent in a sleeping bag !!!

    Just after first light we were up and packing. I knew I should also have been drinking more but there was a long hot walk back yet. We took a different route back on a bearing to where we had left the truck, this one took us through some of the thickest country on the place and added considerably to the walking distance (as there is no "straight line" option !!). All told the walk back was about 5hrs and the GPS told us that the round trip had been a little over 30km. Certainly a good stretch of the legs and gave a bit of insight into some things we need to change up before next year's trip. Out of interest, I drank the last of my water (and was a spot dehydrated) as we drove back in.

    Walking through the bush the mate spotted a small brown snake that I (carefully) snapped...

    [​IMG]

    ....I grew in confidence when I realised it was NOT a baby King Brown. (It is in fact a Burton's Legless Lizard I believe).
     
  3. Andy the Aussie

    Andy the Aussie Monkey+++ Founding Member

    Once back in at camp we got a good bit of water in and started to think about a decent lunch. The mate had a small boned venison shoulder from out hunt in September so he attacked that with whatever herbs he could find and added a chopped onion and some oil then wrapped it up for a bit...

    [​IMG]

    Then lit a fire under some steel plate out in the yard and added the meat to the hot metal...

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    And the result was delicious....

    [​IMG]

    I will say we both turned in early slept well that night !!! We were also a bit lazy and passed on the following morning's hunt.

    Instead we went to toy at the makeshift range we have. He wanted to check his .270's zero and me some loads in both the .308 and .300Win.

    Oh and there was his flintlock (with a beautiful "flash in the pan" on display)...

    [​IMG]

    I took the .300Win out last trip to test some loads and was really disappointed, barely held 2 inches, came home and dropped 1.5gns of powder (still a little over max load) and got this...

    [​IMG]

    ...so that will do !

    We both went for hunts in different directions in the afternoon and I saw sweet bugger all, he saw a good number of deer and shot a sow.

    While I was out I did see lots of dragons out and about, two were particularly Zen about me crawling up to them...

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
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  4. Andy the Aussie

    Andy the Aussie Monkey+++ Founding Member

    Unfortunately my mate got a call that evening and had to pack up and head home Wednesday morning.

    In our down time we (well he) had built a Yabbie trap out of some rubbish and we tried it with NO luck on the house tank. After he left Wednesday I rode the bike out bush and set it on another tank. Still not much in the way of game about.

    The following day I rode out again into the back (about 1/2 way out where we walked) and hunted back into the scrub...

    [​IMG]

    ...so that was the one shot I fired all week at a critter ... ;)

    On the way back in I decided to check the Yabbie trap and while there was not feast provided it did prove the concept...

    Trap...

    [​IMG]

    Yabbie...

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    .... that one went back into the tank for next time... ;)

    Once I finished out here it was getting HOT...so I ended up sitting in the shade back at the house and slowly started to get packed up. At one point I wondered over to the edge of the verandah and looked down, there a whole six inches lower was the front 8 or so inches of a Western Brown Snake poking out taking in the sun, he/she retreated back under the house before I could retrieve the shovel. It was just a reminder of what you already know out there, the snakes ARE there even if you are not seeing them (same weekend last year that got 4 IN the house).

    And alas by 0700hrs Friday I had to start the 9hr drive home...

    [​IMG]
     
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  5. rockriver

    rockriver Monkey+

    awesome! and great pictures.
    I have an associate on the perth side of the country.
    I could just hear his voice as I read your post..
    thanks
     
  6. Meat

    Meat Monkey+++

    Good posts. Like another world reading it. [afro]
     
    Ganado likes this.
  7. AxesAreBetter

    AxesAreBetter Monkey+++

    Crawfish. Gotcha. Cool, and well written.

    Now, for the important question...when you cook up that hog?
     
  8. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Yep, well worth the read. Beautiful country.
     
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  9. Altoidfishfins

    Altoidfishfins Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    Great post and photos. Great story too. Glad to see that you Aussies still have a few rights in the way in firearms ownership even if it's precious few, and that you're even still allowed to hunt. I just got a bit of an education.
    Oh, and I really like your gear and am jealous of your (looks like) Land Rover 4WD.
    Way cool mate.
     
  10. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    Great post! [winkthumb] yabbie? Aussie for crayfish or crawdad? It's always good to learn what other people call critters.[camping]

    I had no idea it was so green...
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2016
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  11. sarawolf

    sarawolf Monkey+++

    Loved the pictures of your hunt. I could just hear the accent as I read :).
     
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  12. azrancher

    azrancher Monkey +++

    That's an unusual Crawdad trap, how does it work?

    Rancher
     
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  13. Bandit99

    Bandit99 Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    Nice story with beautiful photos! Thanks!
     
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  14. Bishop

    Bishop Monkey+++

    I like the blade on the top left cool place to hang out the water holes do they have crocodile in them
     
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  15. Andy the Aussie

    Andy the Aussie Monkey+++ Founding Member

    Thanks very much all. There are much worse ways to spend a week...!!

    That is a Busse B4, one of my most used knives. Too far south for Crocodiles mate, you would need to drive about 15hrs further north.

    .... myself or no one I know will eat that rancid things here mate, I do like pork/baaaacon but the ferals carry a few too many nasties and are generally left where they land unless there is a chiller nearby who will buy them off you (mostly exported to Europe for sausage/salami etc)

    Firearm ownership here (by numbers) is actually believed to be higher now than it was prior to the changes in the laws in 1996, yes certainly different types of firearms but they are not really difficult to own provided you have no criminal record. I personally own 20 +/- including the handguns (I have not counted later), lots of people own many more than I. Hunting is probably easier than in many parts of the US. We have few or very open seasons on game and depending on state, can hunt on public land as well.

    LandRover....nooooooooooooo that's an 80 Series LandCruiser (Diesel) ;)

    .... I will have to post some pics/explanation up when I have a little more time mate.
     
  16. Altoidfishfins

    Altoidfishfins Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    Now you really have me turning green with envy. A diesel Land Cruiser, oh so cool - wish we could get the Toyota HiLux diesel pickups here. You can't kill 'em from what I understand.
     
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  17. Bishop

    Bishop Monkey+++

    Yeah the only thing that will take the stink out of a boar hog is a buzzard now sows and bars are good eating.
     
    sec_monkey likes this.
  18. rockriver

    rockriver Monkey+

    diesel... ? I didn't know there was such a thing in a Toyota!

    and I learned something about your weapons laws too.

    can you own a semi ak or ar as easy as a deer/hog rifle?
     
  19. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    A hunt for the ages....great story and pics!!!! Thank you for sharing.... [winkthumb]
     
  20. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Yep, Toyota makes a whole series of Diesel Pickup Trucks, for import to the rest of the world... Just not to the USA, due to our stupid EPA Regulations... I was looking at one, that was imported by an Ex .MIL Family, and got an exemption due to it being over 20 Years Old... Only had 87K Miles on it. 4X4 Extended Cab... Fellow wanted $17K for it.... Just a little to rich for us, though...
     
    GOG likes this.
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