A good friend of mine asked if I was keen to bring my dogs down his way for a hunt?
"Hell yeah!" After several sleepless nights the day finally arrived. On the road at 4am arrive at the gate 3 hours later where I meet up with Andy & Garreth.We then drive into the forest half a kilometre or so and let the dogs out for a run and make our plans for the days hunt. The forest is well established and has a net work of roads through it, with the wind coming in from a Northerly direction we decide to start hunting from south eastern side. The method we're going to use is refered to here in New Zealand as bonneting ie: the dogs hunt of the vehicle bonnet (hood) or as I prefer of the dog box on the back of my ute - utility vehicle (pick up truck) 20 minutes into the hunt Spook & Whiskey jump and head into the pines, I let my other two dogs out the box (Lass & Brin) and they too head into the blackberry choked young pines. 15 minutes turns into 20 and then the sound we've been waiting for! a dog bailing a pig. We were just about to head into the pines to get the pig and Lass has another pig bailled in gully between us and the 1st pig.I get to within 5 or so metres of Lasses pig and it breaks from her almost running me over in the process, this pig made good his escape not ot be seen again! In the mean time the other dogs had the 1st pig under control and I soon finish it of with my knife. We get the pig back to the ute and continue on our way.
A few K's on after catching our first pig we come across some sign of a large pig most probably a boar, at this point we decide to let all the dogs out and hunt on foot. After walking half a k or so the dogs are starting to show interest and are soon in the scrub looking for the boar (fingers cossed). 5 or so minutes pass and the dogs are all back apart from Brin a few more minutes pass and we here a bark from Brin then all the other dogs take off and a few moments pass and all hell breaks loose as all the dogs start bailing. We run down the road and find the dogs bailing a good sized boar on the edge of an old skid site (log processing area). The boar is chasing the dogs around trying to rip them with his tusk! On my arrival he turns his focus to me only to get stopped in his tracks by my trusty Marlin 45/70. We check the dogs over for injurys and find none! thank goodness for that! The boar I'd caught prevously in this forest ripped Whiskey badly requiring vetinary treatment 50 or so stitches! We load the boar onto the ute have some lunch before continuing on.
2 or 3 k's later I spot a large boar scooting across the road, Spook and Whiskey hadn't picked up on it so I let the other dogs out and take them all up to were I saw it head in. All of the dogs go in after the pig and after 5 or so minutes they all come back except for Lass. Whiskey takes of down the road and disapears around the corner next thing a pig squeals out! we run down the road and into the blackberry and find Whiskey,Spook and Brin holding a nice fat young boar in goes the knife and we have another pig. We walk back up to were the bigger pig had run in and hear Lass pull up a pig and start bailing the other dogs all head down to back her up but the pig breaks before they get there, we wait hoping she or the other dogs pull it up again. 20 minutes latter all the dogs are back. Deciding that we've had enough excitment for the day I put all the dogs in the box and we head for home.
