Table of contents for July - August - September 2018 in Bacon Busters

G day All, Here’s to another issue of BB! It has just dawned on me that this issue gives me ten years behind the helm of being Editor. I can still remember prior to 2008 when I was freelance writing for a few magazines including Sporting Shooter and Bacon Busters and approached by my previous publishing boss. A short meeting in the city with an opportunity offered to me as Editor had me smiling with excitement! I lathered the offer and have enjoyed every minute of the adventure since. Sometimes stressful working deadlines, but the contacts and meeting hunters from all over the globe have made the job very satisfying for me. You can’t beat meeting people from all walks of life that have the same passion for our sport…

It was competition time again! The local Clare school runs a Boars and Barra competition to see who the best of the local hunters is keen enough to get out and get dirty for some cash prizes. The previous year to this, we come second with the biggest boar and were hoping to do one better with both the biggest boar and sow. After thinking about this comp, we had a favourite area in mind that held some good pigs, but as we all know, it all comes down to right time right place. We planned for a late afternoon hunt with our dogs, Roughy, Rio (Roughy’s son that is only 12months) and Bash, who are all a mix of Bully/Boxer X. The areas that we planned on going to,…

TRAY LIGHTS There’s nothing worse than trying to find your dogs on the rear of the Ute from the side mirrors or fumbling around with ammo trying to load your rifle without any light. Lights mounted on the headboard or roof/ canopy can be a lifesaver and help in so many ways! Tray lights mounted to the headboard of your Ute have come a long way and there are some really neat looking lights on the market. The technological advances of LED’s have just about overtaken halogen lights. This LED technology has given us brighter lights, longevity of working life and energy saving factors. As seen in the images provided, some innovative designs include the tucked away light mounted off the top headboard; the recessed design, so nobody or their…

During the wet, a mate and I wanted to go for a big walk and have a look at some new hilly country as this is where the pigs congregate to higher ground. We walked up a hill and there was this big steep valley. Making our way down into it, the dogs had taken off running down the little fresh water creek. We could soon hear the dogs had pulled up a good pig, but it turned out to be only an 80kg boar. It wasn’t long until we were running after the dogs again and this time, he was a cracker 120kg beast. The dogs did well again!…

1. What is involved in obtaining your Game License to hunt in NSW State Forests? A: The process of getting an R-license is fairly simple. First thing to do is become a member of an AHO (approved hunting organisation). There is a big list of all AHO's on The Department of Primary Industries website. The two popular ones that are used are SSAA (Sporting Shooters Association of Australia), which I use and APDHA (Australian Pig Doggers and Hunters Association. The AHO's give you all your public liability insurance. Once you have joined an AHO, you will be given a membership number, which you will need for your R-license application. Once you have your membership number, head onto The Department of Primary Industries website, click on ‘get a hunting license’, click…

Over here in the Southern parts of the USA being Western Texas, its rough, dry country. However, the wild pig population is escalating and they populate a vast area all throughout Texas. We typically hunt with Curs. When they bay up to pigs, we lead in the Pit-Bulls for the catch. Most of our Curs are Catahoula/BMC crosses. We were filming for a hunting show of late and I’d been seeing the big white hog on several trips out to the ranch. We hoped to get some good film of a large boar for the hunting show. As it turned out, Coby turned the hounds loose and within minutes we were bayed on the large boar we hoped to catch. The dogs rolled out over a mile to the next…

I had the day off, so quickly decided to hunt a creek system not far up from the quarters. I had checked on a few cattle a few days prior and found a few of the remaining spots with water still about along the creek. I also checked out a couple of good lays at one particular spot not far from some thick Mulga cover. I hatched a plan to follow the creek around with the dogs, and then I hunted along for a bit not seeing much when I slowly poked into the area with the lays. Cattle were moving around everywhere and I managed to catch a glimpse of a small pig making haste for the Mulga. I started to head that way when two other pigs flew…

I cant believe its already May! This year is going fast. It’s crazy how much the weather can differ from town to town, as the cool weather has only just started for us in the past week. I’ve been hearing from mates in Orange, NSW and they have been rugged up for nearly two months while we have been able to run around after pigs on bikes in shorts and shirts. It’s crazy how much the weather differs! With the weather being so dry and not having any rain, the pigs have been harder to come across, but when you do come across them its been worth it. I recently lost my best mate due to an illness. He was my first piggin’ dog, but not just that he was…

I think my dog has been poisoned! Let’s face it; dogs eat anything! Many toxins can be found both around your property, but also while out hunting. Some toxins such as 1080 can be extremely harmful, but even common things such as grapes and chocolate can be equally as toxic. Knowing what to lookout for could save your dog’s life! COMMON TOXINS: Many common toxins can be found both around your house and on properties. Toxins such as 1080, Strichnine, arsenic and common chemicals such as Glyphosphate (Round up) are all common chemicals that can be used on farms. 1080, strychnine and arsenic use is strictly controlled, which limits their availability and use. Many pesticides such as Frontline, Advantix and Ivermectin are all toxic when applied incorrectly or at the…

Sitting at home one afternoon, I was sipping on a cold one thinking about going for a run and looking for that big full moon boar. The cane cutting was in full swing straight behind my house at this time, so I knew one of these big fellas was going to be poking about being pushed out of the fresh blocks of cut sugarbush. I plated the hounds and set off on foot around 7pm that night. I had only had the chance to get around the bottom of the block when Sox (Wolfhound/Bullterrier X Bullmastiff) blew off on scent 130metres in the sugarcane. Watching the tracker for only a second… ‘Bang,’ the hit-up sounded and the fight erupted. Dropping my lugger off, I knew this beast wasn't going anywhere.…

OLD MAN EMU LIFT KITS Old Man Emu has released the latest application of BP-51 internal bypass shock absorbers engineered specifically for two of the most popular 4WDs to this day - Toyota LandCruiser 80 and 105 series. On offer are two different specifications suitable for 2 inch or 3-4 inch lifts. BP-51s for these kits have been tuned specifically to the vehicle geometry and weight. Extensive testing has been conducted to ensure optimum roll control while still providing a plush ride that the BP-51s are renowned for. Since the initial release of Old Man Emu’s internal bypass BP-51 shock absorbers for the LandCruiser 200 Series and HiLux in December 2014, the 80 and 105 series owners have been amongst the most excited and vocal 4WDers, eagerly awaiting development for…

Beers & Boars COMPILED BY COREY KEMPSHALL Well we all know what a long weekend means don't we! Chasin’ boars and sometimes catching the odd silly fulla that's not aware that the dogs are onto him. With a gut full of beers and a sober driver, Rich and I decided to hit up a couple of creek lines that had very little water due to being very dry. We hit a few 50kg fellas during the day with no sign of any big boys, so we decided to do a night run to see what we could chase away. It was a hot night and our chances were fading until it started raining; and as always, when you least expect it, it happens! We stopped at the back block gate…

“Okay, but it’s your last chance”, were the words I received after I advised my partner we should check one more water tank before heading back to the homestead, packing up and heading home for the weekend. I had not done us any favours this trip out west to a good mates property to help with the ever-increasing pig problem. My mate and I had enjoyed one-too-many drinks the night before and even though I had slept well into the morning, as far as the pig hunting time clock went, my head still pounded with every bump and the ever-increasing mercury now climbing into the mid 30degree mark near on 10am, did not help matters at all. Late in the summer, the little Suzuki bumped and jumped across the now…

I started hunting a good few years ago. It was around the time that GPS trackers weren’t a popular necessity and we had to solely rely on our hearing and gut feeling on where the dogs have run to. It was situations like this that a vocal dog was extremely handy as a holding dog could get into a lot of trouble, the longer he’s on a good fighting boar. Being from the Central NSW Tablelands area, my hounds have been able to hunt in an array of areas including the pine plantations, thick mountainous scrublands to the flat cultivation acres of croplands. It’s been here that my dogs have done their training and weekly jaunts out to local properties finding swine. In my early years, we spent many hours…

1. My dog has received a few skin rips (nothing major) from a boar. Should I use pink spray on them? A: Pink spray is commonly used by many hunters, but is also used by some veterinarians. It is useful because it contains an insecticide that can assist in preventing flies infecting the wounds. As an antibacterial, it is useless. I would use it on shallow wounds and cuts, but not when they are deep or require stitching. We often see dogs that have had purple spray applied and this can make subsequent repair of wounds very difficult, as they require extensive cleaning before repair. Remember to always clean the wounds before even thinking about spray because without getting rid of the contamination, any further treatment is useless. 2. I…

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.…

During our wet season, a mate told me of two young boars that had been in a soak for well over a month and they didn’t seem too concerned about tractors driving past them. Once it had dried out enough to drive in, I chucked a few dogs in and decided to see if they were still about. Driving close to the area, I could see that nearly every tree had mud rubs on them, so I was fairly confident we would get at least one! Only a matter of minutes later, the dogs left the Ute and I watched as this boar just stood up probably wondering what was running at him flat out; and by the time he realised he was in trouble, it was too late! I…