Who says hunting is not a family friendly sport? I was fortunate to have the opportunity to spend quality time with my Dad, Lino and Uncle George on a trip to the North Queensland Gulf Country. It was a mixed bag of an arsenal, with dogs, firearms, bows and even fishing rods getting a workout.
We hit the ground running, with six boars taken on the first day with my mate Luke’s dogs ‘Legs’ and ‘Roper’, and my dogs ‘Bow’ and ‘Ted’. After a day fishing Luke spotted a boar just 10 metres from the ute, dozing in a dry creek bed. He ambled off on hearing the ute, but I managed a good lung shot at 20 yards. Unbelievably he continued walking, finally pausing for a 40 yard sharp quartering shot after almost losing him in the long grass. I later took a sow at 25 yards after stalking through a dam as she was feeding on a dead boar carcass.
The next few days were a mixture of work and play, with outhouses being built, fences being mended and lawns being mowed. There was also a fair few fish hooked and pigs shot, mostly by Dad and Uncle, who were making the most of their last few days up here. The ‘Scum Frog’ soft surface popper was the star of the day, luring some nice saratoga and catfish. Uncle shot his first boar as it was running from a dam. It ran a good 200 yards and died literally on the roadside, where it stayed for the photo. Dad took his personal best Gulf boar on this trip also.
My compound bow got another run later in the week with 3 boars and a sow taken in one day. We watched a mob of pigs swimming, and a boar was taken from 20 yards as he emerged from the dam. None too impressed, he wheeled around, trying to rip out the arrow, then glared at me for about 5 minutes before turning broadside for a second shot. Next up was a young sleeping boar with a big attitude. I shot him at 20 yards, and he went down after a charge at me. The final boar I followed for 3km along a game trail. He kept just out of bow range. I could see he was approaching a herd of cattle, and they were likely to spook so it was now or never. I upped the speed and walked straight toward him. He luckily turned broadside for a lung shot at 25 yards. He was my personal best boar and a fitting end to a great trip that saw everybody leave with trophies, but more importantly beaming grins and great memories!
Look out for the full story in an upcoming issue of Sporting Shooter.
One of the better boards taken on Christie’s 2015 trip to the Gulf.
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