Pig And Boar Hunting Townsville Queensland

Thick pig tusks                                         3 1/2" pig Tusks                                Elizabeth's first pig

Pig and Boar hunting - older bigger pigs with longer tusks are more likely to be encountered in North Qld as the climate is more suitable for breeding and there is less hunting pressure, also the more readily available food supplies and cover provided by sugar cane crops produce some real monster boars.  PIG free range hunting, no trophy fees or limits on pigs taken , but we avoid shooting sows with pigletts. Hunting along the rivers and extensive wetlands of creeks, marshes, billabongs which provide ideal habitat for thriving pig populations.  Pigs are nomadic, opportunist feeders, rooting up the ground with their noses and teeth in their search for roots, grubs and worms, then moving on. For this reason hunting pigs is more a case of intercepting them on the move plus checking areas that they have occupied before, and local crops for fresh pig signs of recent activity. Rain will disperse the pigs,into new areas softened by the rain. Long dry periods will concentrate pigs close to water where the ground is still soft. Hunting pigs offers a real challenge, excitement and a degree of risk.  Pigs are one of the smartest animals, very secretive, with excellent hearing and scenting ability and they don't hesitate to attack when chased and cornered.  Their poor eyesight is their only weakness however they instinctively take the best option to avoid being shot and are difficult for young and inexperienced hunters to be successful with.  A light weight (3kg) short bolt action rifle of .7mm 08 or .308 calibre fitted with a 1 1/2 to 6 power telescopic sight or alternatively open sights are required for hunting pigs in cover where most of the shots are under 50 metres in amongst trees and bushes requiring snap shooting skills to hit running pigs.

Liams first pig hunt

Father & son's first pig hunt

The pig property is huge, One million acres with numerous swamps, lakes, billabongs, creeks and dams.

This large population of pigs haven't been hunted much and they are often seen moving around swamps, lakes and visiting dams during the day plus digging up hundreds of acres of soft damp ground.

Our usual hunting method is walk and stalk, if no pigs are in view and fresh sign present, we let the dogs sniff out the pigs, these dogs make no attempt to bite the pigs, just run them down and bark at the pig until we arrive.

During November, December, January, we can sit over the bore fed dams (no other surface water for many kilometres) in a chair under a shady tree with an esky and shoot the pigs as they come in to swim and drink.

There are great many dingos moving around the property in packs, and if you are quick and accurate with your rifle we should be able to collect a couple of scalps.

Jarrod & Son with Trophy Boar

Roy from Melbourne shoots swamp monster 19th September 2009

The pigs are on the move late afternoon, night and early morning and can be found bedded down in rushes and under small bushes, with the help of pointer dogs, during the day if required. Mobs of pigs pushed out of cover by the dogs disburse along their game trails, most of the shots are under 50 yards. (Iron sights or low powered telescopic sights are an advantage under these conditions) .Boars will bail up quickly with their attention focused on the dogs , providing shooting opportunities and excitement.  Pointers can flush dingoes and tree wild cats. Waiting over Dams Nov/Dec. Spotlighting from 4WD of an evening available. As to the best time for pigs:- January,February, March are usually too wet with flooded creeks and boggy bush tracks making access difficult plus pigs spread far and wide. April, May are good with mobs of pigs digging up the nut grass areas. June, July, August, September are comfortable and productive months. October, November, December are hot and dry with pigs concentrated near water and forced to wallow and drink during the day. This is a good time to wait on stock dams for pigs to visit, also dead cows are all the pigs have got to eat at this time. Sitting over these can be very successful.	Pig Tusk Trophy                4 Inches of fighting Ivory
Experienced clients have shot 20 or  more pigs taking trophy tusks over 9 inches in length during their hunt refer to "Grants Excellent Adventure" page 72 Oct - Dec 2008 Bacon Busters Magazine
Early morning on Camp Lagoon	Elizabeth's ivory tusk trophy shot 30th June 2009

Almost all the rain falls in the February wet season by March we know how much rainwater we have to work with for the rest of the year, good, poor or average.

The length of the grass doesn't effect the pig hunting success as I am using 3 or 4 English pointers that range out as we walk 500 or 600 metres either side so I am covering a 1 km front as we are hunting, the dogs are happy playful fellows with the best noses (after the blood hound) and have regularly wind scented pigs at 500metrs, they are athletes and can run all day.
 
They find and bark at the pigs until we arrive on the scene, the dogs often are running around bushes containing 20 pigs. I blow my dog whistle the dogs come to me and my clients can blast the pigs until they are dead or departed.

The big trophy boars are living by themselves, the dogs find them, the boars make short charges at the dogs until we arrive, I call the dogs off and you shoot the boar.

The hotter and drier it is, the harder it is on the dogs, however if you wish to hunt without the dogs late in the year is better as the cattle have chewed the grass down short, there is very little water and food for the pigs. The pigs are concentrated around water and any dead cows which are usually in plentiful supply during October, November and December.

You fly into Townsville hire a 2 wheel drive car the day before the hunt and drive to Charters Towers I will meet you at your motel the next morning and guide you to my safari camp.

If we want to hunt Chital deer as well we have to drive back closer to Townsville then you only have 1 hours drive to the airport to catch your flight. Fishing is near the deer hunting property.

10cm Ivory Tusks

Zoren's First Dingo 06-01-2010

Bomb up at West Lake 20-12-2009

Gary's Trophy Boar 20-12-2009

Bomb up at Horse Swamp 09-06-2009
Heaths First Pig Hunt

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