A quick tale of two pigs...
I went out laying poison baits for foxes today on contract for a couple of landholders whose lambs are due. All up it's about 9000 acres so I need to kill a lot of foxes to make an impact. I prefer to trap but trapping just doesn't cut it on that scale. Anyway, the boars in this area often move into near the lambing paddocks to position themselves for the easy pickings living or dead lambs offer. I'd been talking to one of the landholders about pigs in general and what different sign indicated. When I met him at the house yesterday he said he'd seen some sign down near the creek beside his main lambing paddock. "Based on what you said, I think it will be a boar on his own."
I got most of the baits laid and went for a look myself.
There was plenty of sign but the breeze was going the wrong way. I passed the area and swung around into the breeze to give the dogs a better chance and almost instantly Dave and Mary went. It was only a couple of seconds and they were in the thick bottlebrush on a rough little boar. He was nothing special but tough and with the little bit of dancing around He was on the deck.
While I was feeling happy with myself I got a text message on the phone from a mate of minewho has a couple of young dogs from my yard.
He'd been out the night before and caught a few before his kelpie (a sheepdog) bailed up a big fella. Dama was on his own with a big pig the kelpie was stretched controlling when his 12 month old Jack (out of my Suzie) came screaming out of the dark and smacked onto the pig. Adama told me it was a struggle for the young dog but he held firm and the knife was pushed home.
It was a barra (castrated boar) and weighed on the electronic scales came in at 127.2kg liveweight (279lbs). A good boar for the young dog to hold. (The pig bottomed out the farmers scales pictured and was transferred to the electronic scale to get an accurate reading.)
This is Jack (brown dog) and Jess (grey) with the kelpie.
So two pigs, one small, one big and a long way apart but I like to think I had a hand in both of them. That's what I tell myself anyway...
