Table of contents for January-February-March 2020 in Bacon Busters

Born and bred in Shellharbour on the South Coast of NSW, the environment was perfect for the watersports of surfing and fishing, but rugby league, boxing, running dogs and heading bush was always on my agenda. I was fortunate enough to have an uncle that was a very keen and knowledgeable dogman and hunter. On school holidays, my Pop, Uncle Matt and I would regularly venture out to the wheat-belt country in Central NSW to see him. The pig numbers were absolutely insane. He showed me the ropes at a very young age including dogging hogs, dressing them for the chillers and some very handy tips in the scrub. I remember one of the first things he taught me and that was if you ever got lost, your dog will…

I received a text from Boozer Wednesday night asking what I was up to this weekend, as he was keen for a run in the hills around the Hunter Valley on the Friday night. Numbers were down in this area due to drought, wild dogs were eating our young pigs and the ever-increasing hunting pressure was consistent. We had managed to catch some big boppas this year on the back of some hard work though! We set out just after dark with Paul’s nephew Zane and he was keen for a big night. Arriving at the first block, we snuck down onto a little creek flat that had a big gully running off it, where we had some luck previously and it wasn’t long before the Kelpies were through the…

LANGLEY SISTERS SHEENA NICKNAME: Sheenz JOB: Miner/fisherman LOVES: Fishing, pighunting, hanging with friends & family, animals, rodeos HATES: Heights BIGGEST BOAR: 75kg, but I’m more of a numbers girl, the more the better! FAVOURITE DRINK: Vodka & orange juice HOBBIES: Photography & cooking IDEAL DATE: Fishing and beers IF YOU WON $1MILLION: Pay off my family bills, buy a marlin boat and a pig rig! JADE NICKNAME: Jadey JOB: Fisherman LOVES: Family, friends, fishing, camping & hunting! HATES: Cane toads BIGGEST BOAR: 50kg FAVOURITE DRINK: Mango smoothie HOBBIES: Dancing IDEAL DATE: Beach at sunset IF YOU WON $1MILLION: Invest it PAIGE NICKNAME: Paigey LIVES: Katherine, NT JOB: Governess HOBBIES: Playing sport and hunting BIGGEST BOAR: 80kg FAVOURITE DRINK: Wine LOVES: My dogs & spending time with good mates HATES: Ill-mannered…

It was build-up weather in the Top End, with humid, hot conditions, above average temperatures and with rain a couple of months away, the landscape looked dry and bleak. As a result, the hardiness of the marauding, resilient weather-weary pigs was only matched by the unwavering tenacity of those who walked the semi-dry creek lines to find them. As water was harder to find than an eighteen stone feminist with a sense of humour, my mate Neil, the dogs and I continued to trudge through the hot sand of the semi dry riverbed hoping our luck would change. At a small, narrow tract of brackish water, we pulled up for a short much-needed drink break. If we thought we were doing it tough, the lack of water and oxygen had…

“Bindi shot off after the 60kg bugger and the feral could move”! It had been a long stint with no luck lately. Two dry runs with dogs working hard for no reward, then a third run without even a jump. It was getting to me, but we were off again and the dogs were keen when we arrived at the property. I had a chat to the cocky who filled me in with, “I haven’t seen a pig in two months”, so, I am thinking, here we go again! I cruised out just after dark and drove around for hours with the dogs not even looking like jumping, so I called it a night. I was up just before the sun to do the rounds again and nothing! Time to…

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Daylight savings is here again, which means more time to chase boars after work. It’s such a great time of year where the days are longer and warmer. We’ve been lucky enough to get onto a few more properties and catching some good pigs. Its so rewarding exploring a new block and finding out what’s actually been there, especially when you come across two 85kg boars less then 1km away from each other. I’m wanting to take advantage of the last opportunity to talk to you guys about what is known as ‘The Black Dog’, and I'm pretty sure most people would know I'm not talking about a black pig dog either; I'm talking about depression. I think this is the perfect time while so many people are struggling with…

GARMIN TRACKER DEAL Brisbane Hunting Supplies has a deal that is great value with all the necessities and a bunch of FREE stuff included. From $1150, the deal includes Garmin Alpha 100 Garmin T5, BHS stainless steel collar protector, Screen Protector, Glow in the dark silicon case, Tuff Skin long range for collar, 16inch flexible long range for handset, BHS XS Gear Bag, Olight HS2 Head Torch, BHS key ring, Engergel 60ml, Western Warriors DVD, Reflective collar strap, BHS stubby cooler, Piggin_is_Livin & BHS Decal! Call Brisbane Hunting Supplies on 07 3467 2904 or see them on Facebook! HOGS, DOGS & QUADS GAME ON TV Bryce and Matty from Hogs, Dogs & Quads have been working on something extremely exciting over the past year and have developed a new site…

The 3-day drive to The NT with my mate Dave was less than inspiring, as driving that 3000km each year never seemed to get any more exciting. Finally arriving at our mate Gary’s place, also the home of the famed ‘Rocky the Gladiator’ and his wonderful wife Gina, we were glad to be able to relax with a cold beer or three. Gary had organised a hunt for us at a friend’s property and all we had to do was have a relaxing afternoon and then sort out what we had to take in the morning. Leaving early with the buggy on the trailer behind us and the dogs in the dog box, a couple of hours later found us driving up a dusty track in the buggy searching for…

Mounting our trophy pigs is something hunters do to remember their hunts. Looking at that big boar on the wall with a nice set of ivory protruding his jaw always provides a topic of conversation. The workmanship of taxidermy is an art and there are many taxidermists throughout Australia who are experienced in the field of preserving animals in their natural state. Mick Formosa is one of them! He is a mad keen hunter and taxidermist who has a sharp eye for detail and mounts everything from Wild Australian animals including pigs, deer, buffalo to name a few and an array of overseas game. If you catch your next boar, get onto Mick and he can run you through the process of caping and field preparation! For more information, call…

Well its now at the sticky end of the year up north. The pigs don’t move much during the 40+degree heat, so bagging a pig or two is just a matter of being near water, not really what I call hunting, but anyway each to there own! Chloe and I have been doing our usual mango orchard hunts with pleasing results and this year I decided that I would try my luck with a crossbow. When I was younger, I used to hunt with a recurve bow and had some great results, however being over 50; I reckon a crossbow would be a good change. My first real hunt saw a good hooky boar walking towards a dam and although I wasn’t exactly quite ready, I managed to get a…