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"The Storm Gods"

Mid way through our hunt watching a field only a couple hundred metres away from the Barwon River, a very ominous cloud front began to move in on us.

This photo from the roof of the landcruiser from our ambush/ viewing point.

But things start to darken. the cloud is actually rolling in rapid turns and "Thors" chariot wheels rock the sky with thunder.

Orion wisely decides to start driving around the edge of the paddock. We have at least 2 kms of soft worked soil to reach a track partially worked soil and partly just plain old black soil.

Within 400 metres the rain begins. Big, heavy drops that hit the bonnets with thuds. The thuds turn to a din. The cattle in the field begin to run. We begin to slip and slide, the wheels turning. Reaching the track we make a little better time but already water is beginning to collect and form deep puddles. If we stop we will spend the night in the 'cruiser, maybe the 'cruiser will stay put for a while.

Coming to almost a stop several times we reach the trees and ground not worked by the plough. Slipping and sliding we reach the bitumen road and the gate. By now the sheet of rain is moving sideways and in a second I am soaked through, managing not to coat my whole body in the black mud and stay upright.

A few kms along the highway and we reach our turn off. A less than fun kms or two to the quarters, we do just manage to stay on the track dodging a few trees that have already fallen.

So is this to be the end of our hunting. The tracks will certainly not be usuable with the deluge and the property is much to big to walk to anywhere worthwhile. The power goes in the night as trees fall on the power lines in many places.

The rain breaks during the night and the morning is hot and sunny. No hunting today but maybe tommorrow.

the hot sun bakes the surface. Hunting is on again. And now we have the advantage of seeing any new pig tracks. Surprisingly we find them in all sorts of unexpected places, so the few pigs are quite active for those with eyes to see.

***

After the storm. A promise of better things to come.

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John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"