Table of contents for April - May - June 2017 in Bacon Busters

G day All, I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year. The Christmas holidays were a very relaxing one for me. I haven’t had a holiday from my day job on the trains since our family trip around Australia last year, but I was able to spend some quality time on my RDO’s, which was excellent. On the hunting front, I’m constantly watching all the photos, emails and posts come in on social media on a daily basis and I’m pretty jealous of some people who have been getting amongst them. Some hunters standout from others and they must have excellent areas to hunt as the big boars turn up on a weekly basis. Good luck to all those ultra-keen piggers’; it’s great to see results when…

I was out on an afternoon hunt checking a paddock close to the river. Hunting along a small sand hill that had a few good lays, it looked promising, but nothing was about. Some good sign was spotted, but that was it! I had a look out into the paddock where there was a small clump of lignum, so I headed on over that way. A mob of sheep had already taken off and a few roos were hopping away. At the lignum, there was fresh sign everywhere, so I rode around checking in each patch when I noticed this big bastard out chewin’ on some fresh green grass. I poked on over his way until he heard the quad coming and he took off. I gave chase and let…

My good mate Paul and I set off before sun up so we could get to the gully before the temperatures got too hot. We walked this ridge where we had been seeing fresh diggings when we heard some commotion and the dogs had this spotted fella trying to make his way down the gully between the berries. Unfortunately for him, he had our old dogs hot on his tail. We were happy with him and felt it was getting too warm, so we started to make our way back down to the vehicle. We were walking along having a chat and then realised the two finders hadn't been seen for a bit. All of a sudden, we heard some barks sound out from around the other side of the…

My name is Justin Otto and I live in North Queensland. I'm a dairy farmer and on my days off, I try and catch a boar or two. Most of the country I hunt is around the Burdekin River area and also in the cane, bush land, mangroves and other private properties. I hunt with good mates Damion Reid, Aden Taiters, Joshua Hook and Tyron Messer. I use dogs as it’s the best way to get into the thick stuff and I love dogs in general. My lines of dogs I use are a mix of renowned breeds with my main bitch Sacha, who is a Ridge-back/Wolfhound/Dane. My main holder Blacky is a 48kg dog and one I bred myself. He's a Wolfhound/Brazilian Mastiff X with a bit of Greyhound.…

With the Polaris RZR in tow and the guns packed, the 300km trip further north than initially planned was happening for our annual pursuit for hogs. After other commitments, our hunting party had decreased from four blokes to two. Richard & I were still keen as mustard to get away for ten days thinning out the feral population. Upon arriving at our first destination, it was evident that the drought had taken its toll in NW NSW with the Namoi River & surrounding paddocks completely dry. With no substantial rain since we started hunting here three years ago, we could only look around in disappointment, albeit nothing compared to the disappointment the farmers & workers in the area must face on a daily basis. Drought or no drought, we were…

“After hearing stories of crocs and buff, to say I was cautious would probably be an understatement.” I've rattled up a few pictures of my hunting adventures since moving to the territory a year and a half ago and thrown a story together to explain my experience. Hope you enjoy! Eighteen months ago, I got the call I'd been waiting for; a job in Darwin had come up and had my name on it. I was excited! I'd always wanted to get up to the NT to try out the hunting and fishing in front of me and the opportunity to get paid to do it arrived. The plan was to stay in camp for three months, then move the wife and kids up. It's a bit of a struggle…

There is always a bit of excitement that comes with the adventure of getting access to new country. We were excited alright; I had spent days travelling over thousands of kilometres of corrugation’s in the old red 80 series with my wife Rachy and our two daughters Mikaylee and Elliana. As we drove over the cattle grid at the front of the homestead, I could see the relief come across Rachy’s face and the kids were overwhelmed with excitement. We pulled in for a chat with the cocky Tristan, who turned out to be an absolute champion bloke with a beautiful wife and a couple of little tackers who hit it off with our kids immediately. While the kids played in a truckload of sand, Tristan gave me a run…

NUMAXES 250 DOG TRAINER Stock-Proofing a dog is important for avoiding the attack on that ‘wooly pig’ when out on a farmer’s property. Many dog owners and trainers don’t need a great deal of range or don’t need multiple collars operating from the one handheld unit! If this description fits you, then the Numaxes/Eyenimal 250 remote dog-training collar will suit you. It has sufficient output for harder dogs, is waterproof and has a range of up to 220metres. The 250 has replaceable batteries, so it can be changed in the field with no need for recharging and at $219, it won’t break the bank budget! Check out more information or to order your new remote system, see www.dogmaster.com.au  or FREECALL Dogmaster Trainers on 1800 300 364. THE PIGHUNTING…

When it comes to good Aussie tusky boars, I’ve caught my fair share of them in all areas of Australia. A few years back, I hunted with a bunch of good mates in the far Western regions of the NT and we smashed about 40 tusky boars in a few days! From Cape York to the Gulf to far Western NSW and the Great Divide, one boar comes to mind and this is him pictured! He was a tonner from the Hunter Valley that I caught with a good mate. I actually videoed the hunt and it’s funny to watch. After following a few mobs from up high one afternoon, my mate & I decided to go in on two boars that were a major standout. Both had exceptional shoulders,…

The part of my hunting that I love is getting pups and young dogs going. Its easier hunting at times on the stubble and good country to hunt off the Ute in the scrub and the number of pigs is almost double compared to the hills! Hunting from the Riverina through to the Pilliga and out to Bourke, I've gotten amongst some good quality pigs. It's where I had my first Ute find with the dogs and had my first major vet run with Nala and Tikka a couple years ago while hunting out Pilliga. A few of my highlights that stand out over the past few years have been on a couple blocks I picked up to hunt by just door knocking and being straight up and honest with…

We want your photos! One lucky Sucker will win a FREE 12 month subscription to Bacon Busters. Send photos, contact & postal details to: Little Suckers Bacon Busters Magazine GPO Box 606 Sydney NSW, 2001 or email editor@baconbusters.com.au…

“We drove another one hundred metres and all three of them jumped off and bailed up a boar weighing in at 90kg+.” Being born and bred out in a small rural town like Adelaide River in the Northern Territory was something I will always cherish. I've lived there my whole life with my parents and siblings. During this time, I met my fiancé and decided we would go work as station hands. I work as a station hand on two large cattle stations in the Territory, both situated 300km from one another. Being a female, living and working on the land is something special to be apart of. From the people you get to work with, to the place and being able to do a lot of physical work is…

Keep sending in your best pig photos for publication in the next issue. Mail them to: Pig Pix, Bacon Busters Magazine, GPO Box 606, Sydney, NSW 2001. All pics returned after use.…

“For a short distance, the younger dogs were just happy to be out of the dog box.” After a few months deliberating, I finally had my workaholic mate Phil as a passenger in the mighty Honda Pioneer 700 side x side, heading to a likely spot. In the dog box with three of my pan licker's Dash, Grub & Rocky (the little Gladiator) sat Phil's German Short haired Pointer, Samba. As this was Samba's maiden outing, we were both keen to see how she performed in the field. Hopefully, my main dog Dash a proven bailing machine could impart a bit of her knowledge to the pigging virgin. Luckily, we didn't have to wait long to find out. Leaving the Honda in a small patch of limited shade, we…

Whilst sitting back on New Years Eve and reminiscing about the hunting I did in 2016, I thought I’d send in a few photos of my next generation of hunters (my kids). We travelled a few hours from home; halfway up the Cape, even got stuck into the ferals in the sugar cane, fruit orchards, and local rainforest and even just down the road in 2016. We had a good year with the dogs and caught some really nice boars. My Kids have both got the pigging bug and they are in the truck as soon as I look at a tracking collar. If I pack a swag, they run and pack theirs, so they don’t give me a chance to leave without them. I’m showing them now, as it’s…

NICKNAME: Jack'o HOME TOWN: Darwin, NT JOB: Tour guide on the jumping crocodile cruise on the Adelaide River and driving boats. LOVES: Hunting with mates HATES: Getting bogged (especially on a beach with a rising tide). BIGGEST BOAR: About 120kg FAVOURITE DRINK: A cold can of Captain Morgan’s Rum IDEAL DATE: Take me somewhere on adventures and I'll have a smile on my face! BACON Busters the original and the best! WINNER! 'STICK'EM IN STYLE!' PRIZE PACK WWW.STICKEMINSTYLE.COM .AU…

The Boys were always a bit unsure/ scared of the dogs and pigs, but were never unsure as to where we would find a good boar as this was their country.They've lived here all of their lives and know their country better than anyone. From blades of grass moving on the floodplain against the wind to a flickering ear in the mud, nothing got past these boys. Their eye was so in-tune, it made you feel as if you were blind. With the quad loaded with a dog and knife, you knew that a feed was expected upon your return. With the extensive knowledge of these local boys, a feed was never far from home, whether it was geese/Barra or pork. The elders always gave their order as to what…

“Three pigs trotted toward us and I told Steve to relax and watch as I took aim.” So this is how we started, six guys, one property and all the same intentions; to belt as many feral pigs as possible and have a bloody good time doing it. Destination: Cunnamulla, Queensland. Starting point: Melbourne, Victoria, so we had a long drive ahead! We made it in seventeen hours, which wasn’t too bad. After unpacking and setting up for our six night stay, we then had a plan to hunt the afternoons and early mornings when the November heat would be at it’s lowest. We would then cover all the creeks and dams and use the quads to flush out pigs through the lignum patches. It was two years earlier that…

“We have made an awesome pigging team up here in the NT now.” There’s nothing better than knocking off work on a Friday, having a few beers, plating up the dogs and smashing some tonners in the plantation and bush that surrounds us. My partner Terry, his brother Trev, Trev’s missus Anna and I have made an awesome pigging team for a few years now up in the NT and our main dogs are two 40kg English Pointer/Harlequin Dane brothers, Storm and Buster. Their sister Spartan, Costa and new pup Boogie, with mum Cougar keeping them all in line! We are lucky enough to live in a remote community in the NT, so we don't have to drive through Macca’s, but we drive through anything we can; Beautiful billabongs, epic…