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Quality, not quantity. Thus far this statement has about summed up the week pretty well. A few nice animals, but not a lot of them and today was no different.

This morning Paul T was really struggling after the big day recovering his buff and he opted to stay back and not come out. He also had a heap of business issues he needed to get on top of. Sometimes no matter how far you run, that dirty word that is spelt W O R K can never be escaped.

Our old mate Lemmi was with us after bringing Paul back from his barra hit out. Paul got his barra by the way, so he was a happy man. He also managed to eat 9 huge mangoes, so the quality comment goes out the door on that front.

This morning we went straight out the back of the property to walk a creek. Lemmi and I went one way and Paul and Alan went the other. Lem and I walked a heap and only saw a few cows and a small bull. As we reached the car we met Alan. No Paul was to be seen and he said that he had cracked a small bull after being frustrated all week and wanted to get one on the ground.

Off we went to help with the recovery. We discussed the decision on taking a small one along the way and wandered if it would be bigger or smaller than Paul T's one. Well, we saw the buff and we saw Paul and we thought hey it's not too bad. As we got closer we knew it wasn't bad at all, it was a bloody cracker. Paul had taken a smoking bull and was pleased as punch. Alan videoed it too, so again Paul has some more great footage for the next DVD.

The boys were walking the creek and decided to cut up and over a green ridge to glass both sides when not 50m off the creek, Paul saw a lone bull. He went up to get a better look at it and out of the corner of his eye he spied another feasting on the sparse, but rich pick that was growing out of the recently burnt off ground.

He got in pretty quickly to just 20 yards and had him head down feeding. Drawing back he picked his spot and let it fly. The arrow punched through in behind the shoulder and out in front of the opposite shoulder. The bull lurched and stopped and then ran into a tree, sending many leaves flying and adding a bit of drama to the scene. The bull then went on his death run and sat down in perfect photo position as he breathed his last. The autopsy confirmed the Blackstump had cut through the aorta and pulmonary artery. It also took out the front of the lung, so this bull was gone before he knew it.

Here he is

The entry wound

The exit wound

We set about the task of taking his head and checking out the wound channel and then Paul had the pleasurable task of carrying the laden lump for quite a ways. Still, to the spoils go the victor and Paul was certainly on a high today.

A happy and heavy walk

We looked for more buff but none were found. The bulls are very, very scarce at this time of year on this block and time is running out for me to find a decent one to shoot. I am not fussed either way, but it doesn't mean I am giving up as we have tomorrow and now potentially Saturday morning if we choose to stay.

From there we went and looked for some hogs before tending to the capping and boiling of the horns. I stayed back to boil the horns while Paul, Alan and Lemmi went for a look for some pigs. Alan took a couple of younger pigs and they were back just in time for a last light walk.

Paul and I took off with the camera to a carcass dump that the farmer was using as the place is bone dry at the end of the dry season and the cattle have had a tough year. As we approached, we could see we were a little late in turning up as there were already pigs on them. I crawled in and got to 30m while Paul waited over my shoulder with the camera at the ready. I drew a few times at a nice boar, but the animals all spooked as I was lining him up.

A sow came around to get my wind and I drew on her twice in case she blew us out. Always better to crack them before they get a chance to stir them all up. They will settle quickly to few pig squeals after a broadhead, rather than a few blown warning huff and run after a good whiff of human scent.

The sow was lucky this day and she cut in front of me and settled to my left. Then it was just crazy as pig after pig rolled on in. There was even a bunch of little ones that were no more than 4 inches high. As I was watching their antics, a big bushy tail appeared in the background. A nice boar had rocked in and he did all the right things and came right to my side of the mob. I drew again and just as I lined him, they all spooked again. The wind was slightly shifting in its mildness quite a bit.

I was cursing but didn't move as they all jostled each other to move back in. The big boar came straight to my shooting lane at 30m and Paul had the camera right over my shoulder. I drew and he stopped and looked at me. Just as he did I touched off and banged in him in the shoulder with the arrow stopping on the opposite leg. The boar went to run but lost his legs as the arrow had taken out his heart.

He was a good pig and weighed around 80 or so kg so I was pretty happy with the end of the day.

Paul Woods took his game with the following set up.

Bow used is a Hoyt CRX-35. Set at 73lb at 29.5".

Arrows used Carbon Express Piledriver 450's fletched with 4" duravanes.

Up front the broadheads used were 165grain Blackstump Bushmaster vented with 100 grain steel screw-in broadhead adapters and alloy inserts.

Total arrow weight was 720grains.

We will be out again tomorrow for what will be our last day, unless we decide tomorrow night to go it again. Cheers all