Pig hunting using dogs in Nz

[toolebox 1,384]

Edited June 28, 2021 by toolebox

[toolebox 1,384]

My son only came out pighunting twice ,once when he was 7 years old then when he was 27 ,he as pictured gave it a good effort while I cut a track ,making sure there was nothing that could cause one to trip up ,at times we would carry a pig for hours ,usually up hill ,that sorted the men from the boys ,but it was just a form of madness that takes over us when we are involed on our sport .We all do it  period ,you guys digging holes for hours  just to get a coney ,now thats madness .lol .The last picture speaks volumns ,but it would happen again the next weekend .Years of this has left me with a dicky back ,major nerve problems  in my feet due to lack of oxygen in the blood stream  getting down to my feet and im in need of two part replacement knees ,but I chose the sport & would do it all again tomorrow ,its no good saving ones self in life ,its a one off ride with no returns .I still hobble along walking alongside the dogs its what Im about ,its me warts & all .

Edited June 27, 2021 by toolebox

[toolebox 1,384]

This big old forestry boar jumped off the bank pictured behind me, landing in the middle of a road, ripping his bottom lip and jaw back to eye level and knocked himself out for 5 minutes, and lay in the middle of the logging road. A couple of dogs followed him over but were unhurt. Once he came to, it was battle on again, until I arrived and used  my knife. The big black dog, pictured

at the bottom of this post  (Bull Mastiff x)died after his battle with a good boar single-handed out of hearing, late in the day. He wasn't wearing a tracking collar, so since we had no clue as to his whereabouts & it had become dark, we decided to withdraw & come back early the next day. By a stroke of luck I happen to look sideways as I was crashing down through the  "thinning's" (The cut down trees & branches when the block is thinned ) and spotted him camped up under a bank, while I carried him out, and made the truck , he died before I got him to a vet. He was a goof ball, fun-loving, cool dog, so it was a sad day, when we lost him to the sport.

Edited August 3, 2022 by toolebox

[toolebox 1,384]

Big steep thick country ,the pigs were sharp in this country ,they had to be ,as each weekend there would be a party of hunters ,armed with their permit looking for them ,once started the bigger pigs would run down around and back over their own track ,at times they ran for miles ,they had to get smart fast or die.

Edited June 27, 2021 by toolebox

[toolebox 1,384]

The fawn dog with the pricked ears between the two brindle hounds was a bull kelpie & was killed by the black boar above .Since we chose not to carry a firearm we had to have enough dogs to get the job done as at times the pack would be spit and chasing two pigs at the same time .A old boar with good tusks that I thought was dead ,waited untill I reached down and grabbed my hand and bit the end of my trigger finger down to the bone and pulled it almost off ,the end was left hanging there with just the bone poking out ,a quick repair job with the dog gear  saw a couple more pigs caught ,later the long & short of it is I spent 3 days in hospital as a result of hunt .When I was younger a boar ripped open my wrist & drove a dirty tusk up under my knee cap ,requiring a hospital visit for repairs & I remember the blow it felt like Id been hit with a sled hammer.At the time we just viewed all this as just bussiness as usual,its what we chose to spend our spare time doing ,its what made us what we are today ,its what we are all about ,all over the globe  people shape and mold their lives around outdoor pursuits ,we are no different .

 

Edited June 28, 2021 by toolebox

[Tyla 3,179]

Good write up mate. I've had a go at it on trips over there and it is exciting stuff, the hills are epic though and the carry out can be tough.

Beautiful country and good looking dogs

[mr moocher 695]

that was good going that pig looked a handful