Well at the behest of Lapua I submit these photos for you guys and a bit of a story....

On the weekend 2-3 Aug this year I went into Arhnemland with my mate and fellow NE member 'Nothing'. The task was simply to nail a pig or three.
Normally this would seem like a walk up start but on the last three occasions we have had zero success on the pigs but shot some great Buffalo, pretty good booby prize!
This was the final morning of the hunt and Nothing and I had been given pretty clear guidance that anything black and nasty was to be removed. Sounded fair enough.
We arrived at the edge of a beautiful swamp still greener than the MCG before the grand final just before dawn. we could already make out shapes in the darkness in the middle of the swamp eating away unaware of our presence.

As light filtered through the trees we were sitting under we watched as buffalo started to come off the swamp into the paper bark. We ended up stalking a couple of small bulls just to test our skills and to hone up for larger animals we expected to find as we got further away from any form of track.

After stalking a large mob of buff I found myself monkey running between two paper barks only to have a calf come within ten metres and try and suss me out. The wind was in my favour so I held as best I could a statue like pose that lasted for approximately seven minutes. Nothing was behind me by about ten metres and was able to sit on a nice soft bit of earth and watch me attempt this twister like position. Being a great mate he did not laugh out loud.

A very large bull came into view and started to mate with a few of the cows about seventy metres away but not offering a clear shot. The herd was growing uneasy and the little calf finally got it that I was not part of the furniture and bleated and ran. That was it! I was off, the herd headed up a gully and where partly due to my superior uphill speed, and mostly because bovines have trouble moving it up rocky hills I caught up with the herd. The big bull was gone but a smaller bull was clearly evident. I went into a sitting position on the side of the gully and took a bead on the bull. I squeezed the trigger and I could see the bull had taken a good hit right on the shoulder. He turned and dropped into a small basin out of sight. Nothing and I followed him with Nothing staying up high and me going into the undergrowth with the trusty 404.(Our rule is very simple the guy who has first shot keeps the trophy, any shot after that is anyone else’s until the animal is down). Nothing could see the bull and placed two quick insurance shots into the buff and he was down for good. A nice little bull, he had a bit of potential but we were told to them them out so that is what we did.

As we walked out we decided to walk up a little dry creek in case a pig had been lying doggo. I walked up the creek it self with Nothing walking to my left so he could get the pigs as they came out. About one hundred metres up the creek I looked to my left and to my astonishment was a bull looking at me! I took two steps out of the creek line as he got to his feet and started to move. I snicked the safety off and the 404 was swinging by itself. I touched of a round and the buff slid into the dirt!! Quiet a site as he was starting to get his speed up. Not more than one second later I heard the boom of Nothings 30-06 and the solid thwack as the 220 grain soft point hit home. Turning I saw Nothing grinning like a Cheshire cat! He had shot an elusive pig we had come to find!

We congratulated each other on a fine hunt, two big 'black nasties' down within a second!!! The Ivory on Nothing's boar was fantastic and I was very happy with my bull. The big bull would have to wait luckily I am going back in a fortnight........

[image]

[/image]