It can't get better than that.

[xlr8scotty]

Was an epic hunt with good mates and great game, here's a few high lights.

The 2016 rut was spent hunting the majestic red deer with mate Wayne Preece on one of his concessions. Accompanying me on that trip was Luke Sampson a regular hunting companion. During our stay, we were both successful in taking a mature red stag each and also meeting a Danish man named Frank Morbech who was assisting Wayne doing some guiding during the rut before returning home to Denmark.

Over the week we got to know Frank pretty well and while he had done some hunting and guiding in New Zealand he had never hunted pigs and was really keen to hunt some, so I invited him out to Australia for a week of hunting big cranky boars and wild billy goats that I have good access to. I also invited Luke as he was a good mate and would save some time as he lived in Dubbo and would be able to bring Frank out to my home town of Cobar in western new south wales.

This meant flying from Denmark’s winter with temperatures of minus 10 to 15 degrees to the harsh Australian outback with temperatures in the mid 40’s. He just so timed it beautifully with an impending heat wave to hit us in early February 2016 with temps averaging 46 degrees for the week with a top of 50 on one of those days. Now that’s a swing of 60-65 degrees. Crazy.

Holy hell the game was going to be hitting the water big time with the hunting going to be super-hot and epic, I just hoped we didn’t cook Frank in the process. It was going to be one monumental acclimatization process. The big day finally arrived and we departed on our journey after introducing Frank to my family then saying good bye.



We arrived safely and called into say Gday to the owners before setting out to set up a couple of blinds and hides to use in the coming weeks’ worth of hunting. The plan was to hunt from the blinds on the water in the early morning for game until it really heated up and then driving from water hole to water hole and walking in to check the water for wallowing pigs and then hunting the nearby shady tree’s that a pig will seek refuge under from the hot sun.

With the temps we were getting along with the long day light hours during summer you could hunt like this from around 11am right up until dusk at around 9 pm of a night, but we generally hunted to about 6-7 pm before sitting on a tank in a good position for the remainder of the day on a tank that we had not hunted that day. That was the plan for the whole week other than swapping hunting partner’s and as you will see in the coming photos it proved to be a very successful plan indeed.

Being three hunters and for a week we took many a feral animal that there just isn’t enough space on the internet to write about it all, so I will keep this to a few special hunts and trophies for myself and frank. I’ll let Luke tell his story in due time but he got the nick name of the “goat slayer” taking 5 exceptional trophies on the first morning of the hunt all before 9.30am with billys ranging from 36 to 39 inches.

So, after unloading our gear and setting up camp we set up the blinds and had enough time for a quick hunt at a spot not too far to travel to so the three us headed out with Frank and I to hunt one bore while Luke would venture a bit further to a dam to sit the last couple of hours of light.

Franks first boar.

Not long into the hunt some pigs started turning up mainly sows and young but then a mature boar showed up and he was on the sniff of the ladies so I sent Frank in on his maiden hunt on the big lignum warrior.



Frank got in nice and close using a tree as cover but the boar did not present a shot, I could just imagine how his heart rate was increasing by the second in anticipation of it forthcoming and soon enough it did.



With the buildup and hype, he misjudged the distance and shot just under the big fella’s brisket with him and his lady not sticking around for another chance. His disappointment soon weaned off as I spotted another and even bigger boar coming in down the tree line towards us so gave him the heads up and sent him for round two, ironically this fella came in to the same wallow and Frank did not have to move for the stalk but had to wait until he finished having a wallow.



He patiently waited and soon enough got his chance as the big brute stood up quartering away just perfect for the recurve to flex its limbs and send down some carbon on a mission of seek and destroy.



This time his shot was spot on and the big beast let out a growl and a roar and spun around on the spot like a bucking bull looking for his tormentor before taking off down the track for about 60-70 meters before coming to a halt and succumbing to a well-placed broad head. I raced over and congratulated him and said the shot was good and that he went down. Man, he was pumped and thanked me no end.

Franks first boar and what a way to start.





During photos Luke turned up as well and congratulated Frank on a great first of species.



Frank done a good autopsy of his first boar for future reference before I showed him how to knock out the jaw of which he was real keen to and eager to do. We returned back to camp and had a few beers to celebrate before cooking up a feed and reminiscing some more, it was a great day.

Franks first billy.

The next day had Frank and I hitting up a tank we had set up a blind on. We checked the water and found no sign of the swine but settled in as we could hear bleats coming from the surrounding scrub so some goats would soon be upon us. Now Frank had not hunted a goat as yet so as my guest I said get stuck in as a reasonable billy started down a pad that would pass us at around 20 odd meters.

I stopped him with a bleat and as he came into anchor and he made no mistake putting one into the bread basket. The billy reared up and took full off full flight up over the bank towards some trees but was noted not to have come out as he had crashed down to the ground. He also was a pretty good first of species measuring at 34.5 inches.





Scott’s triple threat.

We could hear and see many goats coming into drink so opted to stay put as Franks billy was down and he wanted me to arrow a billy. We let a few mobs come in to settle things before another respectable billy came in and I made short work of him stopping him with a call and unleashing a 175gn VPA from rayzor vpa custom shop punching him thru the shoulders. He turned and bolted down the embankment and started nose diving and hitting the turf at the bottom.





https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ9njaxgRfY/

With this billys demise as he was the first in the long line of goats coming in, the rest stayed and milled about within range. Frank was soon on the prod wanting me to get another as he was really impressed with how my first billy went down within 20 meters after impact so I picked out another nice specimen that would suit the bill and let rip at 25 meters with this one only making 2 meters before collapsing.





https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ_xUx8Ahue/

With that we got some photos of our billys, capped the horns and got the legs of the billys for some dog tucker for the owner. It was really hot and the goats just kept on coming in whether we were there or not just to get a drink. During the process of removing the legs I was keeping an eye on my surroundings and the goats coming in and happened to look up and see the big telltale sign of a big billy making his way in.

He was swaying and rocking from side to side as he started to amble in from behind the next mob. I said to Frank to get his bow as he was a cracker billy for sure and would be pushing high thirty’s and maybe even 40. “Nah I don’t want him, I have the one billy, you shoot him as I can’t take him home”, I replied that he was a really good goat and he should have a crack at him and expressed this immensely but he would have nothing of it so I promptly got my Hoyt locked and loaded and got into position.

This mob came in another pad that would be a bit further but still within range. As soon as he crested the bank he stopped on queue surveying the other goats around and I drew back, he was around 30 odd meters and just as I was about to release he started walking again. I followed him with my pin and he finally stopped again but I misjudged the distance oh so slightly and hit him low or so I thought. He turned and came straight at us before stopping and turning broadside, by then I had another VPA on its way.

After the second shot he made a very short distance and was succumbing to the shot very quickly which led me to believe that the first shot was not as bad as I thought. I wasn’t too far off the mark with the size department either with the big fella stretching the tape to 38 6/8 of an inch. A fantastic start to the day with Franks first of species and three top goats falling to my arrows with two trophy class and one record.









https://www.instagram.com/p/BRtoUH1gyNS/

Another really good billy came in a while later and I said to Frank, you have to have a crack as this one mate. He was very wide and was definitely giving 40 a really good nudge. He was coming in from the opposite side of where most of the goats were coming from so we had to try and tip toe around all the goats seeking refuge and shelter in the trees around us.

This effort had all the goats stamping and snorting as he tried to get in front of the mob moving in that contained the big billy which was still unaware of the danger, but you don’t get big by being dumb and he soon heard and seen all the others on edge and stayed out of his effective range with the recurve. Guess he’ll get a bit bigger then.

[xlr8scotty]

My big thumper billy.

The next day I was with Frank again but at another property and a great tank that has proved good in the past. We had many a sow and young come into water but no big mature boars but it was still a great morning with several mobs of goats coming in to keep us occupied and alert but just no shooters until I looked up out into the distance and seen a slight shimmer of light that could only have been the sun shining down upon some goat horn, and was some impressive horn spiraling high above the head of its owner.

This one was in a small bachelor mob of billies but was coming in on the far side of the paddock which had a trough and a fence between us so he would obviously go to that. Frank did not want him so I was up and put on a sneak around the dam and up and over the fence and made my way towards the trough using a poly rain water tank as cover.

On my way in as the poly tank being the only cover available one of the lesser billys may have got a glimpse of me as I tried to take a peak around the tank. The big fella seen his change in body language and once again used his smarts and stayed put in some shade about 120 meters out. Eventually the billy that spotted me relaxed and they all came in for a drink except the big fella. He was smart.

After they had all quenched their first and returned to the shade that the big fella was under they bedded down. So, I devised a plan to back track using the poly tank as cover and then circle around down wind and make my approach via a red sand hill nearby. It was still early in the morning and really heating up and with a pretty reasonably strong wind however it was very hot. From atop my red sand hill I pinched some photos of the big fella and he was truly remarkable.



As you can see he dwarves his compadre, I’ve got time on my side and catch a break as the rest of the mob his with slowly stand and feed off with the big fella just staying behind by himself as he has not had a drink as yet. I ever so slowly get into 35meters and the last of my cover and wait and wait and still wait. Man, it was like he knew I was there and was waiting for him to stand for a shot so he stayed bedded down.

The sun was beating down on me with the ever-persistent summer flies hammering every crevice upon my body for moisture. My heart was racing and fingers tensing on the string waiting for a shot that was just not forthcoming until he readjusted his stance and opened up a shot angle for me thread a vpa thru.

I had the distance and went about my routine and readied for a tough shot as they wind was still pretty strong. Soon I was anchor and floating the pin over my spot when he looks up at me so it’s now or never so the concentration is working overtime as I did not want to fluff it and wham the Easton axis 260 is away and punishingly hits home. The big billy erupts from his rest and starts his escape but all to no avail as the razor sharp broad head had done its job magnificently.

The big white beast only made it 20 odd meters and crashed to the ground in heap, I was so excited and pumped and he got bigger and bigger the closer I walked to check him out, definitely no ground shrinkage with this fella. He later measured 39.5 inches for 123 points.







https://www.instagram.com/p/BQv4me-A_WF/

Not long after on another tank, I spot and stalk this fella and put him down.



https://www.instagram.com/p/BRkQi8XgU9m/

And later in the evening hunt I manage a sow, smacked on suspicion while bedded and a good little boar while seeing a few good hogs but getting busted by the wind.



FRANKS HOGZILLA

But in between me getting my second white billy for the day and a couple of swine Frank manages to bust one of the biggest pigs I’ve seen with an expert stalk and shot. We went into a paddock and decided to check a tank I’ve not checked for awhile as the approach in is always thwarted by a terrible wind. But today it was a good wind an allowed us to get in for a look.

It was very hot and some resident cattle on the dam spooked and actually took a great mob of pigs with them as they went on our approach. It was a bummer for missing out on the mob which had some nice hogs in it but when we finally crested the bank we seen a great big lump of a boar hanging about still.

He settled down for a quick wallow as he had the whole dam to himself and a young dead calf near the water of which he decided would be good to go over and have a chew on without the rest of the mob. I stayed put and watched on from a distance as Frank circled around to come up over the bank and put on a sneak.

And what a sneak it was timing it to perfection as the big brute rose from his wallow and meandered over to the deady with Frank hot on swishing tail. With not a tree in sight for escape he closed into around 15 meters and waited for a shot opportunity that soon came. Man, you could feel the excitement at being so close to such a beast as he came to full draw on his recurve and let rip.

The big boar roared and turned around to see what bit him and eyed off Frank for a jiffy, thinking he was going to have to dance with this behemoth for a bit I promptly told him to stay still over the radio and then the big fella erupted into his final march dead on his feet. We had to get my vehicle in to drag this fella up to some shade for some fitting photos and memories. He was huge, well done mate.







https://www.instagram.com/p/BQzD5GNADSm/

SCOTT’S MUD MONSTER.

Heading back to camp Frank teamed up with Luke to check out some tanks while I headed out to check a bore that overflowed giving a nice area with some cool mud for a hog to come in for a wallow. And it sure didn’t disappoint. Finding a great spot near some logs I waited the afternoon sun to start making its way down and a great big lignum warrior materialized out of the scrub and headed in my way.

My heart rate quickened as he got closer, he was a solid hog and be lined straight at me and into a wallow that I had previously ranged at 19 meters. He came straight in and nosed down deep in the cool mud but did not offer a shot. Eventually he got up and went to readjust position and I had the Hoyt Spyder back in anchor in no time and let some VPA carbon fly. The arrow punched on thru his shoulders taking out his lungs, he erupted into a quick trot before stopping 30 odd meters later and falling over within sight.







I waited a little longer for some more pigs seen coming in and another boar did and went straight to the same wallow and smelt some blood from compadre and soon hit the trail.

The day ended up being right up there with the best with good game taken with great company.

The next day we all hunted together checking out another property but taking two vehicles leaving Luke’s at a spot to pick up on our way home. I’ve not hunted here for a while and we were given instructions to shoot on site what ever pigs we found. With all of us in the mix we managed a few sows and small boars found in the heat of the day as it hit 50 degrees this day. The hottest I have ever experienced hunting.

[xlr8scotty]

BOAR BANANZA

As we took two vehicles, Luke heading off to one tank for the afternoon and myself and Frank off to another location with me dropping Frank off at a great tank to be picked up later by me on my way back to camp. I had to go bush to bypass my tank so not to spook anything away from it to drop him off but it gave it more time during the heat of the day to really build up and ended up being an epic afternoon’s hunting.

I had great confidence in this spot from past experience so loaded up another four additional arrows in my back pack and they sure came in handy. I circled right around to get the wind right and snuck on in finding pigs here, there and everywhere.



I had to take my time and glass every likely looking spot sneaking past family mobs aplenty. I eventually got in in on the dam’s bank and had no less than 6 pigs around the edge in the water and a family mob upon the bank, they were the ones I could see but I was sure there were more out and about amongst the other trees and I was right.

But right now, I was closing in on a loan hog that gave me a good shot angle. Tip toeing into 17 odd meters I picked the spot with my binos and loaded up the Easton axis arrow and let rip, punching on down into the vitals making short work of the now known sow as was seen when it erupted up and over the bank to my right away from the other pigs. I left it be as I seen it go down for some photos later when time permitted.



https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs2LduuBesq/

That’s the beauty of the bow as the rest of the resting hogs did not stir. With the sow accounted for another arrow was loaded up and a sneak put on in towards another big ginger boar seen cooling down in the water. Navigating a big roo I was soon into 20 meters and once again used the glass to pick my spot on the big beast. The pin hovered nicely as I cut the shot with the boar bounding out of the water taking a few other pigs in the background with him.

I followed him up over the bank and found him down and out so set him for some pictures as he was in some cover and on the downwind side of the dam. I got some pictures as it allowed time for the area to settle down just a bit from his fast departure from the waters edge.









https://www.instagram.com/p/BRrDlXDAnrW/

This spot I set up as base camp with my back pack and spare arrows now used arrows after I reloaded fresh ones and set on the sneak for some boars. I had not gone 40 meters and found my next boar up and about nosing around. I got into 25 meters and let rip again with the Hoyt with this hog heading into the shade of a tree and fallen down.



https://www.instagram.com/p/BRIhiR0A-cO/

While this boar was slumping down due to the ill effects of the razor sharp VPA he disturbed another boar only about 5 meters from him so it was game on as I soon closed the gap on him and put one thru his vitals on a quartering away shot. He stood up and circled around for a few seconds and fell straight back down in his bed.



https://www.instagram.com/p/BRK_oxmg6Ul/

Since they were mere meters apart I got them together for little double up.



Well it was back to base camp again for more arrows and to drop off the camera gear before returning for my continuing assault on the hogs. The sun was getting closer to the horizon and with not much light left I checked the last few spots and you guessed found another boar so got around into a position for a sneak behind some trees and closed the gap to about 22 meters before he gave me a good angle to place an arrow into the vitals.





Well what an awesome day of hunting and what an afternoon. I got all my gear together and headed back to the ute before taking off to pick up Frank who had a good day as well getting a cracking boar from 14 odd meters with his recurve right on last light. Well done mate, it sure was a good drive back to camp reliving our hunts of the day and then telling Luke over a few beers back at camp again.





HOOKS AND HORNS

Today was our last days full hunting and it sure turned it on for me. It started with me heading out by myself to spot where Luke had got a few good billys a few days prior. In this heat they would be prime baits to lure in some hogs. I got to the dam at first light and went about setting up the make shift blind Luke had with some fresh branches as the resident goat population ate the first lot. Nearing some trees, I heard a squeal of some hogs fighting so ditched the branches and high tailed back for my bow.

There was not enough light to shoot as yet so I circled around to a drainage ditch with the wind in my face and waited about 70 odd meters downwind of where I thought the hogs were to be. Eventually they materialized and I started my stalk using the ditch as cover. So was into about 25 meters from the deadies and had a good-sized family mob squabbling over the carcasses with a good boar with big floppy ears and a big boof head at the back out of range.

I just waited patiently as a few lead sows had enough to eat and started for the water which would bring them past me. They came closer and closer which got the big boars’ attention and he decided to follow suit luckily for me but unluckily for him. The sows are about 15 meters from me and he is now several meters behind when there sixth sense kicked in they stopped.

The big fella reading their body language also stopped and turned around offering a quartering away shot of which I promptly took. It was still a bit dark so I marked the spot and direction of the shot and returned to the blind for a couple of hours in the hope of a billy.

In the end I couldn’t wait and had to go follow the boar up. I started out in the direction that the mob ran off and walked down the semi open creek in anticipation of finding the big beast, well I sure was disappointed. I searched up and down and zig zagged the way I thought they ran off real confident in my shot but all to no avail. So, kicking stones and dragging my bottom lip I returned to the shot sight to at least look for my arrow.

I found my mark in the ground and started in that direction for about 30 meters and looked up to see my arrow sticking up out of the ground another 30 meters up the flat, at least I found that, maybe I missed I thought? As I got closer my sorry ass and spirits lifted as on the end of my arrow was the big boar that had gone no more then 40 odd meters and fell down in a small depression surrounded by some reeds. My arrow placement was spot on with it burying deep into his offside shoulder.













Nothing but the best with a VPA and Hoyt.

[xlr8scotty]

The boy who cried wolf.

We all met back up for lunch and then headed out to check a spot together. Now Frank wasn’t to keen on hunting goats and all week between Luke and I when Frank was with either of us we would send him into the water first for the pigs, when no pigs were seen he would come over the radio in his Danish accent “oh scotty, Luke (whoever was in the car with him) you need to come fast there is a big billy here, come get him”.

So, we would gear up in the average for the week 45 degrees and walk in the 400 odd meters to see a little 25-30 inch billy (were a bit spoilt) and then give him a tirade of abuse and lessons on what a good goat is and what it looks like, this happened all week and then happened again right now, it was a bad case of the “boy who cried wolf”, Luke and I just rolled our eyes and said “ here we go again”

A game of rock scissors paper ensued with me the unfortunate victor to walk in. I reluctantly leave the cool confines of the air conditioner and head out and find frank. Meanwhile over the radio Franks talked to Luke and assures him his a good billy so Luke also begrudgingly gets out of the cool car with his video camera and follows suit a 100 odd meters behind me.

I find Frank and sure enough his finally got it right and identified a big billy. A billy that I had actually given me the slip a few months prior, when I’m sure he was with another and that was his brother.



Well he was now by himself and following a nanny around who was playing hard to get and giving him a thirst. I had slipped in down wind and closed the gap waiting in some shade to about 30 meters from him when he spies some gum leaves fallen down near me and be lines it to them for a nibble. Anticipating this and when he goes behind a big gum tree I draw back out of view and he come around the tree to the leaves and then looks up at me about 12 meters from at full draw.

It can’t have been written any better as the 175gn VPA zips thru his chest and he makes a mad dash of 30-40 meters and just nose dives down into the ground. Finally, frank got it right and to boot watched it all unfold from a close distance as Luke videoed the hunt as well, a great moment together during the hunt.







https://www.instagram.com/p/BRQC71tAzDb/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFIWdlF2CGw

That afternoon Frank heads out with Luke while I head out the the spot of the boar bonanza for one last hunt, I get there and check the water and see some sows and young wallowing so leave them be and come across a spot where I got one of the boars a few days earlier and there is nothing left at all except two little pigs nosing around the site looking for a morsel or crumb to eat.



My arrows are 27.5 inches long and I was loaded up on my bow when this little hog walked into it right between the ears for a little fright. That’s enough shenanigans for the time being and with a 180-degree wind change today I go out to a big flat near the dam to glass any approaching pigs in the shade of some trees, it was my best option.

An hour or so later I spy a good boar come over the sand hill and meander down to the dam for a drink. I’m a few hundred meters away so as to get the wind right then gear up and start running to cover the distance as he goes over the dam bank. I close in as his departed and draw back at 30 odd meters before he moves and walk away.

I follow him and circle around using some small bushes as cover and close the gap to 16 meters before the Hoyt Spyder rolls into anchor one last time. The pins on his last rib as his quartering away and I trigger the release and my arrow darts out on point and takes out his vitals. He starts up a death run right past me and I can the air in his lungs venting as he runs past and he soon hits the deck with in sight.







https://www.instagram.com/p/BRl7CtFg310/

Wow what an end to an epic day and to finish off an awesome week with good mates and now lifelong friends. It can’t get better then that.



Scotts gear of choice.

Bow: Hoyt Carbon Spyder 80# @27”.
Arrows: Easton axis 260’s @27.5” with 4” killer vanes.
Sight: Spot Hogg Hunter Custom 5 pin, 20M (.29), 30M (.19), 40M (.19), 50M (.10), 60M (.10)
Rest: QAD Hoyt ultra-rest and cobra wrist release and Tactacam video stabilizer.
Broad head: Both VPA penetrator and VPA 175Gn from Rayzor custom shop with the CTR Punch footer cap.

[assassin]

Cool story and photos mate!

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

[Aaron]

Great stuff, lots of great quality game. Thanks for sharing.

[Brooster]

Awesome, very cool read and pics
Cheers Bruce

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk