@RerouteToRemain @evergreenrider @CorninginChristianburg @Robocok @Zanderlini @El_Dyablo619
So we ran a bit behind schedule got out there at 3:30pm. We saw one piglet and by the time I got around there with the shotgun it had vanished into the scrub, we saw a big one run into the creek we got down there and it had done a houdini on us.
We didn't see much else during the day time hours. I was wearing my mates military noise cancelling that use microphones to enhance every other sound you hear. First time wearing them so for the first 40 minutes or so every time my beard stubble rubbed my vest I was flicking the safety off on the 12g.
I got used to it and we decided to grab a spot light off my dad and headed out again at 7:30pm. Night had fallen well and truly by then and a full moon was coming up. We climbed up a tree we had found during the day time hours next to a some feed another hunter who hunts on our property had put out and waited. Moon got higher and it got easier to see, ready to light up the ground with the spot light. I could hear everything I felt like a super hero, I could hear pigs in the creek next to us trotting along (The scrub is so dense there it would be dangerous both falling down into the creek/coming across a boar that's hiding) so we just stuck it out in the tree.
We hung out in the tree and heard a huge big calling off in the distance (as well as wild dogs that started howling, we were a bit concerned by them as they kept getting closer) The big one went under us (we could just make it out in the moonlight) and we though "It'll go to the feed so we'll wait a minute" I took the safety off and we lit up the feed spot. Nothing.... prick had gone under and kept going (The wind was very hard but it was swirling, so it might have picked up our scent and just known we were there).
We heard 3 other animals go under us, they were definitely pigs but other than their walking they made no noise. We were a bit weirded out about how silent all these pigs were tonight usually they're grunting but these ones maybe because of the full moon were apprehensive about making too much noise.
We saw another piglet in the moonlight but didn't want to fire in the hopes that more would arrive.
By about 8:30pm, we could see something in the feed, it had been there for about 15 minutes. So I took the safety off turned the red dot off and braced myself (with thoughts of "If I fire this fucking thing from this angle I won't bee in the tree after") My mate lit the feed up.... It was a fucking possum, annoying but not what we're after. We climbed down the tree at 9pm and started the 20min walk back to the car.
As we went back something very fucking big ran across in front of us on the headset it sounded like a horse (there are horses in that field but they can't get to where we were) we lit it up and saw the big ass of a pig vanish into the scrub. Another missed opportunity.
9:20 we got back to the car, unloaded the guns (In Australia you have to travel with the bolt out of the bolt actions and for other with the magazine or ammo in a separate compartment to the firearm). As we drove back to my mates house (he lives 15 mins from my parents farm, I live 45 mins away) we spotted no joke about 15 pigs/piglets heading into the fields. WE would have loved to light em up but I couldn't get a hold of the guy who owns the land on the phone to get clearance to shoot.
All in all we spent 6 hours out, fired 0 shots and missed a few opportunities. Last weekend we got 12. This weekend we got zero, the thrill of the hunt.
We have decided to ditch the .223 and simply roll with shotguns from now on, the scrub is too thick from the rain right now that the only pigs we are really seeing are 20m in front of us. When summer comes and the grass dies off we'll probably bring out the ranged guns again, but right now it's just not feasible, the grass has grown close to 7 inches in a week.
