Boars in Oz

[Gitano 17]

Ned

 

I have seen on a NZ site, Monteria boar hunts, that a few of the guys have been looking into publishing their boar hunting stories and experiences. I think they have been costing the whole enterprise and maybe even approaching publishers to see how to go about it. Perhaps thay could give you a bit of advice- they seem sound enough blokes.

 

One question about your line of dogs. How is their nose? I notice there's not much bird dog (only the Pointer in the Bull Arab outcross) so I was just wondering how well they hunt at distance?

[Ned Makim 116]

Ned

 

One question about your line of dogs. How is their nose? I notice there's not much bird dog (only the Pointer in the Bull Arab outcross) so I was just wondering how well they hunt at distance?

 

Their nose is shit hot. That's the point of these dogs. They wind scent off the truck up to two kms and that's in rough country. On the flat they will go further. There are a lot of myths about finding ability in dogs perpetuated by 'breed enthusiasts'. All dogs have the same genes it is just a matter of what is dominant and recessive. Further the studies into epigenetics show that even with dominant and recessive genes there is a further chemical switch which determines which genes are 'on or off'. It's a topic on its own but the key to it all is simple selection. If you cross dogs, you see which ones work the way you want then follow that line. Crossing danes, wolfhounds and/or Eng bullies can activate dormant genes. We know that sort of stuff out here because everyone is a dog breeder and no one believes 'experts'. The crosses in these dogs were done a long time ago so the selection for nose was done then. I just follow their nose, good finder to good finder and away you go. Anyone can do it if you have the work for a few dogs to see what's what.

Cheers.

[Gitano 17]

Ned

 

The activation of dormant genes thing is something I have seen time and time again. My work has taken me to a lot of different places and, whether it be in S.America, mainland europe or Asia, I always love the way that locals have their own working dogs based on supposedly useless breeds-often Eng Bullies, sometimes Boxers, Bull Mastiffs etc. We tend to write breeds off owing to the very harmful decades of show breeding but, in my experience, a lot of these supposedly shit breeds still have some very good blood running through their veins that can be activated by people who know what they are doing. One of the best catch dogs I've ever seen was a BT/Boxer cross, neither of them from working lines-it was an accidental breeding but the pups were quality athletes. Now try convincing some people that two such useless show breeds could produce something worthwhile in a hunting sense!A lot of people will not believe that a good boar dog can be created without APBT. It drives me mad.

 

What I particularly like about the Oz/NZ dogs is the breeders ability to bring out the desired qualities without recourse to buying in Dogos at 2K a pop(although I know this happens as well...)

[Ned Makim 116]

Ned

 

The activation of dormant genes thing is something I have seen time and time again. My work has taken me to a lot of different places and, whether it be in S.America, mainland europe or Asia, I always love the way that locals have their own working dogs based on supposedly useless breeds-often Eng Bullies, sometimes Boxers, Bull Mastiffs etc. We tend to write breeds off owing to the very harmful decades of show breeding but, in my experience, a lot of these supposedly shit breeds still have some very good blood running through their veins that can be activated by people who know what they are doing. One of the best catch dogs I've ever seen was a BT/Boxer cross, neither of them from working lines-it was an accidental breeding but the pups were quality athletes. Now try convincing some people that two such useless show breeds could produce something worthwhile in a hunting sense!A lot of people will not believe that a good boar dog can be created without APBT. It drives me mad.

 

What I particularly like about the Oz/NZ dogs is the breeders ability to bring out the desired qualities without recourse to buying in Dogos at 2K a pop(although I know this happens as well...)

 

Anyone who says a good pig can't be without a dash of APBT doesn't know enough about dogs or catching pigs. It's as simple as that. The whole pig catching game in Oz was built on Eng bully boxers and some of them could find like crazy. You could do it from show stock now, might get good workers first cross, second at the latest. These are just the facts based in decades of doing it. Once you stop looking at conformation and colour and start looking at what dog does what, it all falls into place. Anyone can have their own line of workers of any description. To suggest otherwise exposes the theorist as an armchair hunter with limited experience of dogs and catching things with them. The only other possible explanation is that the theorists have another agenda, usually involving cash... Beware the experts, test all theories for yourself. Otherwise you risk being in some sort of dog cult ha ha.

Cheers.

[Ned Makim 116]

Back into the swing of things after last weekend's disasters...

 

Luke and I went for a look around some local sorghum yesterday afternoon and last night for two. We picked up a 35kg (odd) sow in the crop and a better (maybe) 50kg sow in the timber nearby. Both weights are estimated dressed weights as the pigs were unweighed.

 

We had Barney, MAry and Roger of mine and Luke's Buster.

 

Barney found the little sow but got hot doing it...no breeze in the crop that's for sure. And the bigger sow was found by Mary and Roger after a reasonable find out 500m or 600 metres in a fairly straight line into the timber from a different spot. I was happy with Roger's efforts although he again made a move to claim the pig. He did that with Wildy's dogs too (the dane deerhounds). Then Roger tried to get a blue (a fight) going with Barney on the truck over the meat. Gave us the chance for a bit of education but something I'll have to get on top of. Good news was Barney did not want a bar of fighting. Roger is Russell's grandson on both sides...by a son of Russell out of a daughter of Russell and the old dog was also capable of trying to claim a pig in his youth. Obviously a habit you can't allow to form so Roger has been through a bit of extra night classes in behaviour.

 

Luke's Buster did everything he was asked and is improving each time I see him. Luke can give his breeding but he's half Ian Colley dog and half Luke's Saus. Anyway Luke has recently got him back from the bloke who had him and has set about getting him polished. Beautiful type and is coming along well. Certainly will lug, had a red hot go at finding in the hot sorghum and learned a bit more about letting go on command.

Good type and Luke's doing well with him.

 

Roger and I and the bigger sow. Roger is almost 12 months now and 33kgs.

 

Luke and Buster.

 

Cheers.

[waidmann 105]

great looking dogs again ned

are the sowa suckling at this time of year? i expect they breed most of the year over there?

good pics!

 

waidmann

[Ned Makim 116]

The sows can and will breed all year round if there is enough food. Around here the populations are not stable and the pigs are harassed as pests so the mobs (sounders) aren't allowed to settle into routines. However, there are still discernible patterns because you will find the big boars with mobs rather than on their own a couple of times a year. We are heading into a time like that now (our Autumn) and another in August/September (last week of Winter and into Spring). Not always predictable but often fits that overlay. As I said, pigs are harassed out of crops and the landholders want them all gone so even sows with young are taken.

Cheers.

[ArchieHood 3,692]

Good to see the "family" working again

 

 

 

edit: UFC 110 in Sydney tonight Ned, You a fan?

Edited February 20, 2010 by ArchieHood

[Ned Makim 116]

Big fan. I like no excuses types of things. I have one son who is considering a run at the Ultimate Fighter series. I had a little time as a middleweight and James is better by far than I ever was. Untrained and undefeeated locally against multiples (three at once is his best so far). Very nice bloke but jumps up on matters of principle so you have to be ready... He and his 120kg brother have had some epic wrestles for fun.

Cheers.

[Effortless 0]

Ned,

 

what a cracking thread!!! Just bumped into it and read the whole lot, very entertaining, and shows us Europeans what we're missing. I love the look of your dogs... hard as nails, the lot of them. I'm a wannabe country boy and I've just got a Labrador pup to do a bit of retrieving on our local informal driven pheasant shoots, and what a contrast between yours and mine. Took mine along to a shoot when he was 5 mths, showed him a dead pheasant, and he got a bit frightened of it LOL!! God knows what he would do with a grunting snorting angry tusky wild boar trying to kill him... probably squeal for his mum and break for the horizon!!! Soft as you like!!

 

I had the best year of my life in Oz in '92. Bought an old Aussie army Series 2 landy, and drove around the continent, doing as much through the bush as we could. Met some wonderful bushies, proper salt of the earth, and ended up selling our Landy to a cattle station in the Kimberley, who wanted it for a bull catcher, as in your vid of the wild bull.

 

I grew up in East Africa, so have some experience of getting close (and uncomfortable) with Cape Buffalo, so I know what you mean when you talk about the look the bulls give you. Robert Ruark once wrote that the bulls always look at you as if you owe them money... I think you know what he means!!

 

Thanks for posting, and keep it up... makes for a great read!!

 

Effortless.

[Ned Makim 116]

Thanks Effortless.

Re the dogs being hard. They are hard when the job's on but I don't want to give the impression they are all strutting around like tough guys. They are super relaxed in the yard. The neighbours chooks (chickens) get into my yard on a regular basis and make it out alive. They are single species dogs and are hard when required but 'off-duty' when not. I can't stand super high prey drive dogs. I just want them switched on when the hunt's on and switched off at all other times. They get a bit toey (keen) if they aren't hunted for a while but if worked on the usual weekly basis they just lie around and sleep most of the time. People from outside hunting see them and expect them to be killers or alternatively can't imagine they'd be tough enough. Again, that's the way with most decent pig dogs in Oz.

And just to underline for the new readers, this thread isn't to say my dogs are better than anyone's and certainly not that I am better than anyone. It is just about one pig hunter's dogs and way of doing things.

I really appreciate the replies from everyone too. I really pleased yhou blokes find it interesting. It's veryt interesting to me...

Cheers.

[COSH 14]

Thanks Effortless.

Re the dogs being hard. They are hard when the job's on but I don't want to give the impression they are all strutting around like tough guys. They are super relaxed in the yard. The neighbours chooks (chickens) get into my yard on a regular basis and make it out alive. They are single species dogs and are hard when required but 'off-duty' when not. I can't stand super high prey drive dogs. I just want them switched on when the hunt's on and switched off at all other times. They get a bit toey (keen) if they aren't hunted for a while but if worked on the usual weekly basis they just lie around and sleep most of the time. People from outside hunting see them and expect them to be killers or alternatively can't imagine they'd be tough enough. Again, that's the way with most decent pig dogs in Oz.

And just to underline for the new readers, this thread isn't to say my dogs are better than anyone's and certainly not that I am better than anyone. It is just about one pig hunter's dogs and way of doing things.

I really appreciate the replies from everyone too. I really pleased yhou blokes find it interesting. It's veryt interesting to me...

Cheers.

Great thread Ned, with some really good pictures aswell. I agree, and im sure most UK and Irish dog men will relate to this post, as we too treasure a friendly and balanced temperament when not hunting, yet once game is on the cards the swith has been flicked! Keep the stories and pictures coming pal, its great to see.

[forest of dean redneck 11,190]

keep chasing them ned

 

deffo agree a twitchy dog is stressfull to live with.

 

chain crazy is another term ive heard used.

[wee gemm hunter 8]

Sorry to hear about your loss Ned, but I'm sure you'r like myself, and have a wee greet when nobody's about then get on with it.

Some great pics and stories, A wee question Ned do you ever get bit by your own dogs when your trying to help out, as I've been bit on more than one occasion and I'm not hunting boar, it's always been unintentional on the dogs part though.

 

I was speaking to my sister the other night on the phone, she lives in Sidney, she was telling me her daughter's boyfriend's ranch in Cooma [i think that's the spelling] was over run with kangaroos, he has shot three thousand of the critters, over what period I don't know. There must be a market for that? anyway atb and happy hunting.

[Ned Makim 116]

Sorry to hear about your loss Ned, but I'm sure you'r like myself, and have a wee greet when nobody's about then get on with it.

Some great pics and stories, A wee question Ned do you ever get bit by your own dogs when your trying to help out, as I've been bit on more than one occasion and I'm not hunting boar, it's always been unintentional on the dogs part though.

 

I was speaking to my sister the other night on the phone, she lives in Sidney, she was telling me her daughter's boyfriend's ranch in Cooma [i think that's the spelling] was over run with kangaroos, he has shot three thousand of the critters, over what period I don't know. There must be a market for that? anyway atb and happy hunting.

 

I've never been bitten by the dogs on pigs but it could happen and has happened to other blokes. I think it has to do with the size of the quarry. You grab the back legs and flip the pig usually and the dog or dogs are on an ear each so they tend to be far enough away to not cause you any dramas. They also hold the ear without changng their grip once on so it's all fairly predictable.

I've done more damage to myself than the dogs have. I've stabbed myself twice among other things...

 

Re the roos. There's a market for sure but everyone has to be licensed etc. Pro shooters cull roos under licence for the pet food and human consumption market. Roo populations can explode because they are geared to breed up in good seasons and die out in drought but white settlement extended the permanent water into drier parts of Oz breaking the natural cycle for roos. Hence the need for management of the populations.

 

I'm guessing a wee greet is shedding a tear? Not ashamed to say I do. Get a bit embarassed about it because I don't want to be a girl but blokes here tend to say that a man who wouldn't shed a tear over the death of a good pigdog isn't the type of man worth knowing.

 

Cheers.