I quietly slipped in behind the tank and sat there and glassed the area for a while to see if any others would turn up. Now I’m not one to sit there and wait for them to come to me so off I trod into the stand of timber where the two billies the day before had appeared from. The timber stand consisting of Box Gums is fairly open with dead wood lying about shows distinct pads from the goats over the years making their way to water from deep inside the stand. Over a slight ridge the countryside changes to thick Mulga stands up to 3 metres tall perfect goat country. Fresh tracks and droppings now evident on the refreshed ground after the rain shows good prospects on what it might hold. Mulga shrubs debarked and thrashed from billies rubbing their horns are now evident as I push in further, then a faint sound of a mating billy (that’s music to my ears). Carefully edging closer and closer to the sound I can now see smaller billies milling around on the outskirts of the poor nanny jammed in amongst the logs surrounded by two bigger billies one either side of her. If you haven’t experienced billies rutting the nannies it’s nothing short of gang rape to a point they can kill the nanny by crushing and trampling them to death as evidence of this one backed into a hollow tree.
At the centre of this ritual stood two decent billies who would challenge any new billy that entered the vicinity of the nanny, one was black smallish in body size with a good spread and the other white with tan slightly larger in body size with what appeared to be not quite a good a spread. As I quietly slipped in with an arrow now nocked on old faithful waiting constantly as the outsiders waiting for the nanny to break cover circled and feed on the Mulga branches around me. Trying to move in undetected can be hard but careful foot placement with the volleys you are actually able to feel any twigs that might crack and give away your position and slow movements when they are not watching is the key to success. Now only 6 metres away from the action my chosen billy the black one was on the wrong side of the log only offering the top of his shoulder and his mate perfectly broadside to me in full view.
I must have waited for 20 minutes hoping that the nanny wouldn’t break cover and change location as I’d come this far and was so close. I could see his head and horns clearly and I thought what a great opportunity for my first trophy goat with the longbow. I watched as he then presented his rear end to me and preceded to pee all over his front legs (Mental Note: If you get him don’t grab him there!!). Finally he spun broadside and perfectly exposed was his neck to his backside at 6 metres instantly the longbow arched and a 700 grainer was on it’s way clean through his chest. After the shot he just stood there wondering what the hell just hit him when the nanny broke cover heading south with 12 to 15 billies in hot pursuit crashing through the Mulga like a freight train. Old Blacky decided he wasn’t going to miss out and into the mosh pit he went as well out of sight. Slowly edging into the new scene of the crime only 40 metres away from the last one I could hear the clashes of horns and snorting as the new contenders challenge the white and tan billy. I could see the blood trail that appeared on the red dirt heading into the mosh pit and knew too well Blacky’s not going to make it. I sat back and waited for the nanny to change locations again as not to spook the billies from the area before going in a bit deeper and hopefully claiming my trophy billy. Finally as they crashed their way to a new location another 40 metres away I slowly ducked in and scouted the Mulga. There he is laying perfectly head still raised and eyes open in the Mulga, cautiously I closed in with an arrow nocked watching for any ear flickers and chest movements, nothing I’ve got him.
I took the time to sit and admire him whilst I had smoko looking at his horns and thinking how great it felt to shoot the longbow again. After taking his head I had decided to move westward through the Mulga in search of some more rutting billies that I could hear in the distance. Stopping every once and a while to photograph other goats going about their business oblivious to my presence.
Ahead I could hear a commotion and made a v line directly towards it with the breeze in my face. As I approached the area I was able to use my binoculars as the Mulga subsided into Box Gum country with spatters of Mulga and some sort of small pine it seemed. Directly ahead was two mobs of billies 30 metres apart attacking two separate nannies but this time it was different I thought there was no Mulga to hide behind between me and them buddy. There would have been 30 odd billies of all ages, colours and sizes 60 odd eyes looking fantastic this is going to be a challenge. I dropped old Blacky’s head on the deck and GPSed his location and slowly made my way into the boys and girls. Slow and steady, slow and steady using every bit of cover I could until there was no more. I was only 40 metres away now and eyes were everywhere. I edged in closer trying to be a tree and got to a point where I was standing tall in amongst some small dead timber. I could see two large white billies one in the mob on my left and one straight ahead lying on the ground looking straight at me chewing away contently. The one on the left was a large billy with sweeping horns and had curl while the other was wider with not much of a curl. It was either of these two I thought and I can honestly say that all others just seemed to disappear from my mind. All of a sudden there was a crash bash and the nanny on my left broke cover and come straight at me under the log and to my left knee with a black billy with trophy class horns in hot pursuit. This is it I thought I going to be the log she hides under and he is going to bowl me clean over sideways. As she almost brushed up against me the look on her face was priceless Holy Crap that’s not a tree and she peeled right, with Blacky up her backside it was his turn to do the facial expression and peel left bounding over the log and doing a high kick with his back legs like a steeple jumper. Now this event made all on edge and the game was up I thought as they all starting snorting trying to scent that strange looking tree thingy. The large white billy on the left now joined the mob straight ahead of me and as cunning as a fox he stayed on the far side of the mob constantly looking away and then like a flash pin pointing me every 10 seconds trying to catch me out. I had decided he was the one I wanted this cunning old stinker.
As the nanny being attacked tried to relocate all hell broke loose and it was a massive readjustment of structure but she had no where to go she was surrounded but what it did do was provide me a 4 second distraction enough to close the gap to within shooting range of the mob. The old white stinker with long sweeping horns was still on the opposite side of the mob and still eye balling me. Waiting, waiting then as Moses parted the sea all the billies protecting his side view parted and there appeared his large white body now at 28 metres broadside. Instantly I drew the longbow and let rip with another Vic Ash arrow taking him clean right behind his front leg and low. He let out the most incredible scream that silenced all others in the area and within 3 steps was at full speed running straight ahead. I took chase immediately sending billies in all directions but my eyes were fixed on where he had entered a small patch of Mulga, there he was 50 metres from where I had hit him down for the count gasping his last breath. The arrow had perfectly taken out his heart and his raping days were now over. What a trophy for the longbow I was ecstatic to say the least what a stalk and what a result.
Too Be Continued
Topic: An Aussie Hunting Story Part 2 (Read 159 times)
