Hill billy capers

[Outlaw Yogi]

Ever eaten snake, Hoppy?

No, not yet .. although I have had the opportunity a few times, I still had meat at those times, and generally wait til I need/want meat before killing my dinner.

I recently ate a Bearded Dragon, tasted like turkey.

Snakes are now part of my superstition. If I see two snakes (individually or together, makes no difference) while hunting I go home, because I won't find any pigs.

[IQS.RLOW]

Fuck...that would cut your hunting days out by a fair whack

[Outlaw Yogi]

Fuck...that would cut your hunting days out by a fair whack

Did several times in recent months. But when it's stinking hot and not much rain about the pigs are pretty thin on the ground anyway.

And now .. to paraphrase Carol Ann from the Poltergeist movies .. "They're back"

[Sun12thJan14] Pig wallow 1 (@25%) + text.JPG

Found this at a dam near the rear of my block. So put my cams and knives on, went into the forest, and within two minutes found a big sow with two suckers. She was a spotty (Wessex I think) X black. One sucker was like her and the other a tan/light brown colour.
Put the dog onto her, they all went into the lantana and I couldn't find a way through. So called the dog back and went around.
Fred tracked her up a gully on the other side of the flat and then on a track up a hill/mountain. Found a Bloodwood a boar has been using as a rub tree. After a few hundred metres I decided not to go up the mountain, so went back to the creek to continue to an old miners camp pigs seem to like.

Monday arvo Fred found two young 30-40 kilo pigs, one spotty and one tan/light brown (probably from same sow's previous litter) and chased the tan one, but I couldn't keep up. Lost them part of the way up a side creek.

Yesterday arvo found this in the forest about 3 km from my place.

[Tue14thJan14] Wallow, SF1, #3 (@25%).JPG

[Outlaw Yogi]

Glad I've got a smart dog ...

[Sun12thJan14] Yabbie 1 (@25%).JPG

[Sun12thJan14] Fisherdog 5 (@25%).JPG

[Outlaw Yogi]

Some people only let their dogs hunt pigs, but if you're stuck for food and there's no pigs, you go hungry.
Where as a multi-hunter can catch you a rabbit or goanna, or .....

[Sun12thJan14] Mud face 11 (@25%).JPG

[Sun12thJan14] Yabbie 5 (@25%).JPG

Spent most of today pricing compound hunting bows, as some mates are keen for bow hunting.
But first I'm getting Fred a brisket plate for protection. Not a full chest plate as they restrict movement a bit and I want him to stay quick/nimble.

[Outlaw Yogi]

The sights must be fantastic. Hope it lasts, particularly when mining gets going seriously on your land. Do you get any payment from the mining companies or can they just drill wherever they please for nothing?

It's very unlikely any mining companies will or would mine my land because it's Freehold, which means they've got to pay me compo, and the gold concentration too low compared to other sites in the area. They're targeting Leasehold sites because they only have to pay the govt royalties, and want the sites bearing 6 ounces a tonne, but will still mine at 1 ounce per ton.
Which means moving 28 tonne of rock and dirt for aprox $1400 worth of gold, less expences probably means $1000 return.

Gina Rhinehart's proposed coal mine at Bucca has pretty much everyone in Avondale and Winfield participating in a 'Lock the Gate' campaign ATM.

Kato works on a cattle property at Childers now ...

[HB] Kato 16 (cut @ 50%).JPG

[Outlaw Yogi]

Snakes, hate the bastards.

How aggressive are they in reality?

Depends on size and breed. Black snakes are shy. I've had an 8ft Red belly watch and wait for me to pass.
Brown snakes over 4ft get agressive in hot weather. Taipans are said to be agro, but I've had a 6+fter watch and wait.
Small Taipans tend to get out of the way.

Do you just have to be constantly on your guard for them?

When it's hot, they tend to be everywhere.

Do the dogs keep you safe?

Some dogs give warning and harrass them (eg Rocket - Wolfhound X Dingo I had)
Fred originally stamped and chased, but now gives them a wide birth.

Since your on your own in the middle of nowhere, what is your strategy if you get bitten?

Try not to get bitten. Carry restrictive bandage in hunting bag. If possible, ring 000 on mobile .. lay under truck parked at road.


Cool camo, hey ?

[Thur16thJan14] Baby Dragon 3 (cut @ 80%).JPG

[Outlaw Yogi]

Fred tracks and bails pigs in the forest.
Thursday arvo he chased a red wild dog.

[Fri17thJan14] Fred's armour 10 (@25%).JPG

Saturday arvo, walked down track from gully flat to creek bed.
Black snake beside track ... Mnn, bad sign.

[Sat18thJan14] Red belly @ miner's camp #1 (cut @ 50%).JPG

Within seconds Fred has pig bailed in lantana under big fig tree.
I enter lantana via track/tunnel cut previously to access figs ...

[Sat18thJan14] under Cluster fig @ miner's camp #2 (@25%).JPG

[Outlaw Yogi]

3ft high X 4+ft long black beast with testes size of tennis balls ran away.
Followed up side gully and part way up mountain, then returned to check site ...

[Sat18thJan14] Pig nuggets under Cluster fig @ miner's camp #4 (@25%).JPG

Cluster figs look like ...

[Wed22ndJan14] Cluster fig @ talings mound 3 (@20%).JPG

Site overview ...

[Wed22ndJan14] Cluster fig @ miner's camp 5 (@25%+marked).JPG

[Outlaw Yogi]

It's very unlikely any mining companies will or would mine my land because it's Freehold, which means they've got to pay me compo, and the gold concentration too low compared to other sites in the area. They're targeting Leasehold sites because they only have to pay the govt royalties, and want the sites bearing 6 ounces a tonne, but will still mine at 1 ounce per ton.
Which means moving 28 tonne of rock and dirt for aprox $1400 worth of gold, less expences probably means $1000 return.

Oops, that should have been .. but will still mine at 1 gram per ton.

Anyway .. if it's not hot, it's windy, but it won't rain. See storms coming my way every so often, but I don't get a drop.
The storms go around me. So I'm still pumping water from Gin Gin Ck into 200 litre drums on the back of my truck.

The snakes never stop coming though ...

[Tue28thJan14] Brown snake in my camp 19 (cut @ 50%).JPG