I couldn’t believe my luck two nice billies with old faithful and after sitting down smoking two cigarettes and thinking about just how close I came to getting run over by a sex crazed billy and just how close he came to running into the sharp end of my arrow. I just laughed what a day! Now with Whitey’s head removed we both headed for Blacky’s position and then the painstaking trek out of there back to the ute at Little Goat Trough for a well deserved beer. I’d had enough and was quite pleased with myself after taking two with the recurve and now two with the longbow it was back to camp with fading light to gather more wood for the nights fire. With tea over and sitting back with another medicinal purposes only port I was dozing off when a bang and clatter noise just out of the fires light awoke me with a fright. What the hell was that? That sounded like my horns that I had hung in the branches of a tree only 30 metres from the fire. I flashed my head torch around the vicinity revealing a set of glowing eyes looking back at me, I got out of my chair and grabbed my big spotlight torch and lit the area up Swiper was up the branch of the tree stretched out stealing my horns!!!
Right that’s not on buddy as I grabbed the recurve out of my ute and then stuffed around trying to gaffa tape the trigger switch on my torch, whilst this was going on Old Swiper was now on the ground having a good old chew on my horns and trying to drag them away but was having a bit of trouble with the dirt clods that kepted hooking up on the horns. As I started to sneak in on him he was on edge and finally decided that I could keep the stinking old things and he bolted over to the dam bank just as I raised my bow Bugger!!
I regathered my prized horns and placed them higher out of his reach and sat back down with my port and dozed off again.
Awake again early snug in my swag and freezing outside I thought ok today I will take the Someone Else Bow (yeah it’s a self bow that someone else made ok). This bow was made by Denis La Varenne out of Osage Orange with a linen string, cow horn tips, no shelf and was 64# @ 26”. This bow hadn’t been strung since 2002 and has yet to claim any trophy. Now out of bed, billy on as a coffee is needed to warm the insides up and making breakfast I looked across to the dam and there he was Swiper the Camp Fox out of bed also. Right buddy I going to shoot you now and I did with the camera. I think Swiper might be a regular tenant and I am only the visitor so I’m happy for it to stay that way for now.
Time to string Denis and punch out some arrows into rubber Swiper, Hmm shooting off my hand, haven’t done that for a long time I think I need some sort of protection last thing I need is a war wound. But what can I use I thought? Yeah I know should work I’ll give it a go.
Traditional 100 mile an hour tape excellent.
It really is a nice bow and it would be great to take a nice trophy with it.
Grabbed my field points and cautiously pulled Denis back a couple of times just in case he wanted to smack me in the head, yep no worries then placed three nice arrows into Swipers boiler room at 15 metres, magic I thought. I loaded up my back quiver with 6 heavy arrows tipped with 190 grn Ribbies and jumped into the ute heading for my lucky hunting spot. Getting close to Little Goat Trough a black billy cut across my tracks, his black coat looked magic against the red sandy soil.
Parked the ute again in the spot only too familiar, grabbed Denis and we were off into the Mulga. This time everything was quite nothing stirred for ages as I strolled around finally I came across some goats with a couple reasonable billies. This mob though was in an area that opened right up with not a stick of cover and the nanny they were chasing wasn’t moving. I was standing 35 metres from them watching as they played the nanny tunes with their tongues when I caught movement out my left eye and by the time I looked I had just missed the other large white billy from the mob the day before cruise past me at 5 metres going in for a look. It was like I was the hunted as he came from directly behind me the area I had just come from. Bugger no chance for a shot it was too late. Slow and steady with no cover I was slowly closing the gap when I got busted and they all relocated to different areas. The large white billy followed the nanny along with smaller rivals off to the left. I waited 20 minutes for them to settle down and slowly I had another go at him. Slowly sneaking in I had more cover and a good chance at the big white billy this time. A smaller tan billy stood broadside at 5 metres which would have looked great but for the first trophy for the Someone Else Bow it had to be special. Now at 25 metres the big white billy finally stepped out broadside but was onto me ( I think it was the fact that the bow was so orange and stood out like Dog’s you know what’s) snorting and staring me down. It’s now or never as I picked a spot on his shoulder and drew Denis back with a heavy arrow (also made by someone else) and released. I couldn’t believe my eyes as the arrow flew through the air in 3 foot circles and I am sure I missed him by 6 foot. What the hell happened there!!! Old Whitey smiled at me I am sure and bolted.
Denis shot so well this morning then I remembered I grabbed the real heavy arrows, the arrows made by someone else, the arrows made by someone else that spined to 80 – 90 # no wonder they don’t fly real well out of Denis, should have grabbed mine you idiot!!! So it was a good day to have a sneak around and observe the goats as well as explore some other areas with the correct arrows but to no avail with only a few half decent billies sighted but not appealing enough to be a trophy just yet.
The last day had arrived just as cold as the others and I had decided this isn’t Denis’s time and it maybe the only bow I take on my next trip. So with recurve in hand again locked and loaded it’s in the ute again same spot, into the Mulga and yep straight into billies rutting again directly in front of me and another lot 40 metres to the left. I closed the gap on the mob in front to 10 metres with an unbelievable sight, an ugly faced black and white billy with support to the tune of 15 other billies were rutting on a little kid that was lucky to be 2 months old. As I watched him trying to get the little thing interested I had to hold myself back from smashing him with a 160 grainer. I didn’t want to blow the other mob on the left so I was stuck there for the long haul. The 15 billies milled around me in full view as I was on the wrong side of the shrubs again from 3 to 10 metres away with two trophy class black billies at 10 metres just happy to feed on the leaf litter. The closest billy a small grey billy was so curious with the strange looking tree with an SLR digital camera around it’s neck and funny coloured yellow leaves on it’s back he stepped closer and closer until I gave him what he wanted CONFIRMATION I WASN’T A TREE!! Off he went taking his mates with him still not really alarmed it seemed.
Now I back pedalled and came into the mob on my left with a slight breeze in my face to 15 metres, I watched as the billies challenge one another for poll position, there was nothing worth taking in this mob that was bigger than what I already had so I decided to drag out the small digital camera to video the ritual which even at 15 metres the velcro on the case was enough to alert a couple of the billies hearing. If I not going to shoot them I will shoot them another way so that I can show an up and coming young beginner bowhunter I know what to look forward to, the sights and sounds of clashing billies.
So it was back to the ute and after more exploring around the property I had decided I was content on what I had managed to take and the terrific sights I had observed and with the thought that maybe next trip I just might kick start the young bowhunters passion and a chance at getting his first trophy ever with the bow in this fantastic little hunting spot. As I packed up camp said thankyou to Lynden at the homestead and drove away I thought to myself
Yep all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!
Hope you enjoyed the journey.
Thanks
Darren
Topic: An Aussie Hunting Story Part 3 (Read 317 times)
