I was doubly lucky in that I was drawn for a second time for the balloted hunting several years later. Again at Boole Poole National Park so I could use some of the knowledge of the park from the previous hunt. "Blond Bay" was also available for balloted hunting, and actually was the original area before Boole Poole was opened to balloted hunting but I haven't seen that National Park (yet!). Hopefully one day I will.

None of us scored on that hunt, it was much wetter and a lot of hog deer, about sixty were found, had reportedly drowned in flooding a few months earlier. But even without success in getting an animal we still had a good time. Three of us hunted from the camp and another guy had access to a hut and a private block neighbouring the park. Good blokes. Will tell more of that story later.

But it is very lucky to be drawn twice like that. Many guys enter these ballots every year and have never been drawn. Still for ten bucks it is very cheap and you have to be in it to have a chance.

Mick,

YEP definitely younger and greener! And I was pretty "green" on that hunt suffering from the effects of glandular fever. But that definitely made sitting still and quiet a lot easier too!

Looking back I made a few mistakes. I look at how far forward I cut to extract the lungs. Gave the taxidermist some extra work too. I hung the stag by the antlers to let it drain out a bit. It was a requirement that only "field preparation" could be done to the animals (ie gutted and cleaned) before they were officially inspected, so the animals were kept intact until then.

I was lucky on that hunt in one of the fellow hunters offered to give me a ride back to the mainland in his tinny, hard to get off an island otherwise!

500Nitro,

Thanks. Would do it again too if I got the chance. I love hunting hoggies and they aren't bad eating either. I would take a doe too. They would look nice as a full mount, but I am already suffering from a lack of room to put the "trophies"!