macka
16-04-06, 12:54 AM
By Casey McCallum
Leaving school after finishing year eleven I was keen to get my shooters licence and become a professional roo shooter. My uncle had set me up to do a week as an offsider with a mate of his that is one of the best roo shooters in SA. One night I mentioned about my passion for bow hunting and the bush and was rewarded with him telling me about his son who is shooting up in outback NSW and that he would take me up there one day as there are a few pigs about and lots of big billies. The time ticked on and a couple weeks later I got a call. It was the roo shooter and his son was looking for an offsider for a few weeks, well what could I say but yes! So three days later I made the 800km drive into outback NSW and saw more goats on the way there than I had in my whole life.
It’s amazing how many goats there are out in that station country and the condition they were in for how dry the landscape is was amazing. Three weeks before I got up there the place had got a bit of rain that flooded a creek that passed the house by about fifty meters. This creek was full of green grass and was almost like an oasis in the desert.
I arrived in the night and the next day I chucked the camo gear on and went for a walk. I just closed the garden gate behind me and looked up and saw a mob of about 50 goats feeding 40m away from the house. Oh god this is too good to be true I thought! I looked over the mob and although there were some billies around 30” I thought I would find something a bit better. So I got in the creek and started to walk along it. I was walking into the wind and the smell of rutting goats was consistently there the whole time as with being able to see goats everywhere I looked. After walking about 100m along the creek I saw a billy that I thought looked reasonable, well good enough to get the ball rolling anyway. He was harassing a nanny a few meters off the side of the creek. The plan was to crawl along in the creek and shoot him from under 10m as I popped up out the creek. I got on all fours and started the crawl I could feel my excitement growing as I reached the side of the creek. The release aide was shaking in my hand as I clipped it onto the loop. I quietly drew back the 70-pound Bowtech tomcat and crept up over the bank. My eyes were searching frantically for the billy and to my surprise he had moved off about 30m. I picked out the billy and thought third pin, anchored and released! The arrow covered the 39m in a flash and I saw my fletching disappear tight behind his shoulder. I thought to myself you have just taken your personal best goat! The goat was down within seconds and I was soon running the tape over him. He was equal to my biggest goat between the tips with a 32-inch spread. I was over the moon it was my first day here on a working trip and I had taken a T/C billy already.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010111.jpg
After removing the head I started to walk the 100m back to the house but I was soon stopped in my tracks when I spied a monster horn sticking out from behind a gum tree. I dropped everything and placed an arrow on the string. I kept the tree in front of the goat and me and was soon closing the gap to under 15m it was only then I noticed the wind was going directly him and with a snort he jogged out from behind the tree. I quickly drew back and with a bit of lead I smashed an arrow through his shoulders, the old billy knew the game was up and died in mid stride 10m from where he was shot. It was only when I reached him that I found out that he had a broken horn. There was 6 inches gone off one horn but after running the tape over him he was still a massive 35 inches.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010118.jpg
I couldn’t believe my luck I had two awesome billies on the deck within 100m from the house and I had only been hunting for under an hour. It then got me thinking if there was a heaven this would have to be close to it. I got back and told Travis about my goats and showed him the heads and he told me they were only small compared to some up in those parts. Well didn’t that get me excited for the weeks to come.
It was only a few days later after my first hunt and I slipped on the thongs, put my camo shirt on and was off for another quick walk. I was passing goats the whole time and saw within excess of 200 within 200m of creek. I was glassing some billies that would go close to the ones the day earlier that week when I saw a goat walk out the creek with an awesome rack on him. His horns went up really high in the air and were really twisty. I started trying to find the best approach but there were just too many goats in between him and me. In the end I decided to try mu luck and I stalked past about 30 goats passing some within 10m but luckily they were all too busy chasseing nannies and eating to notice me. I got to the tree I saw him feeding behind and sat there for a second to try and settle my nerves. I then drew an arrow from my quiver and within seconds I had the bow drawn and was stepping out from behind the tree. He was feeding perfectly broadside to me up on top of thew bank and from 20m I hardly saw the arrow but the shot felt good. I jogged up the bank and he had hardly made 30m and had piled up in a gutter. He had a set on him all right going 34 inches with a couple inches gone off one side.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010125.jpg
I was stoked with my shooting as I had 3 great billies down with three shots and all killed as clean as a whistle. That evening I asked Travis about pigs He said that if only I was 3 weeks earlier as the pigs were all hanging off the waters and were easy to find but now it had rained they had spread out everywhere and you were just lucky if you stumbled across them. But the creek that I was hunting along has a few waterholes in it and maybe on a hot day there could be a couple there.
One night we were shooting the paddock near the creek and we came across a couple goats the spotlight flashed over the two goats and I instantly thought I was looking at a 40 inch goat. We drove over for a closer look and I couldn’t believe the horns on the billy he was huge. Travis didn’t seem too impressed but I for one was! I made some land marks the next afternoon I was walking that stretch of creek I had gone close to a km when I saw two goats the bino’s came up so fast I’m lucky I didn’t give myself black eyes and yes! It was him. And he looked even bigger today. He was feeding along a small gutter lined with green pick after the rain. So I got in the creek and went and waited where the gutter ran into the creek hoping he would follow it right past me.
Well what could I say my plan worked out perfectly and it wasn’t long until he was broadside standing 20m away, I drew back and smiled to myself as I thought your mine never taking my eyes off his magnificent horns and that’s when I made the mistake. Buck fever every hunter’s nightmare and I was soon watching my first arrow sailing over the goats back. The billy paused then continued to feed I placed another arrow on the string and went to correct my mistake only to get a perfect group with my last arrow! I had pulled both shots, the most perfect angle you could ask for on the most perfect distance! It was almost a guaranteed shot with the compound yet add a massive set of horns and it all goes to mush!
After my second shot the goat jogged straight towards me and I threw another arrow on the string as quickly as possible and at 4m the billy saw me and bolted broadside to me. I was at full draw and sent an arrow at the fleeing goat and finally made a good shot on him taking out one lung. The billy jogged into the creek carpeted with green, which is an uncommon sight for this part of the world and collapsed under a shady old gum tree. One of many that scattered along the creeks that run like veins through the harsh dry countryside of outback NSW supplying flats with water like blood the essence of life. My heart was pounding nearly out my chest as I made the walk over to my goat. When I reached him I thought I had reached my number one goal in bow hunting goats, which was to ground a 40-inch goat. I got to my knees and shakily ran the tape over his horns and 36, 37, 38, 39 1/8 Oh bugger so close but still what an awesome set of horns and I carried them back like they were a feather I was still on such a high!
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010195.jpg
Travis told me that it was a good set of horns but he has seen bigger. After that I gave the hunting a rest for a week and only took the camera with me on walks but one hot afternoon I went for a drive and walked along a patch of creek I was told held some pigs. I had only gone about 300m when I heard a grunt and looked up to see a small piglet eyeballing me about 50m away. On closer inspection through the bino’s there were seven pigs lying under the shade on the creek bank. I couldn’t tell how big any of them were but I managed to slide into the creek with ought spooking them. I crawled along the creek and poked my head up to see if they were still there. And yes only 30m away. I had a good look and it was a bit disappointing to see they were all pretty small. I picked out a young boar that was lying with its back to me and sent an arrow at him. The arrow went over him by inches and instantly the mob was to its feet. I thought about shooting one but after seeing they were all only about 15 kilograms each so I just took a quick photo before they scattered and disappeared like ghosts into the swamp grass.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010257.jpg
On the way back to my Ute I came across a lone billy with a nice twisty set of horns. He looked like a good 35-inch goats and as I was leaving for home in two days I decided to make an effort to get him. He was feeding directly away from me out in the open so I just walked straight at him and hoped he couldn’t see directly behind him. As it turned out goats must not be able to because I ended up 30m from him and got to my knee’s and waited for him to turn broadside as he did I touched off the shot and saw that my form was not but all lost as I smacked him in the shoulder and he was out in seconds. His horns were a bit disappointing going 33 inches but he had a perfect set so I was still happy with the result.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010259.jpg
In the whole time I stayed there I only hunted two paddocks for goats and only about 3km of creek. I saw some monster goats while out spotlighting and have been invited back again when its got to ambush hopefully some 40+ inchers on the waters next time and hopefully get stuck into the pigs to. The exciting thing is that I haven’t even scratched the surface of this place and am anxiously awaiting my return to reach my goal a 40 inch billy and to shoot my first pig with the bow.
And a landscape picture as the sun was setting.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010272.jpg
Sorry folks that was kind of long and i mised out a 36 inch billy i shot in there but that was an easy stalk and shot. Hope you enjoy my experiance. Now time to get out of goat mode and into deer.
Macka :wink:
Leaving school after finishing year eleven I was keen to get my shooters licence and become a professional roo shooter. My uncle had set me up to do a week as an offsider with a mate of his that is one of the best roo shooters in SA. One night I mentioned about my passion for bow hunting and the bush and was rewarded with him telling me about his son who is shooting up in outback NSW and that he would take me up there one day as there are a few pigs about and lots of big billies. The time ticked on and a couple weeks later I got a call. It was the roo shooter and his son was looking for an offsider for a few weeks, well what could I say but yes! So three days later I made the 800km drive into outback NSW and saw more goats on the way there than I had in my whole life.
It’s amazing how many goats there are out in that station country and the condition they were in for how dry the landscape is was amazing. Three weeks before I got up there the place had got a bit of rain that flooded a creek that passed the house by about fifty meters. This creek was full of green grass and was almost like an oasis in the desert.
I arrived in the night and the next day I chucked the camo gear on and went for a walk. I just closed the garden gate behind me and looked up and saw a mob of about 50 goats feeding 40m away from the house. Oh god this is too good to be true I thought! I looked over the mob and although there were some billies around 30” I thought I would find something a bit better. So I got in the creek and started to walk along it. I was walking into the wind and the smell of rutting goats was consistently there the whole time as with being able to see goats everywhere I looked. After walking about 100m along the creek I saw a billy that I thought looked reasonable, well good enough to get the ball rolling anyway. He was harassing a nanny a few meters off the side of the creek. The plan was to crawl along in the creek and shoot him from under 10m as I popped up out the creek. I got on all fours and started the crawl I could feel my excitement growing as I reached the side of the creek. The release aide was shaking in my hand as I clipped it onto the loop. I quietly drew back the 70-pound Bowtech tomcat and crept up over the bank. My eyes were searching frantically for the billy and to my surprise he had moved off about 30m. I picked out the billy and thought third pin, anchored and released! The arrow covered the 39m in a flash and I saw my fletching disappear tight behind his shoulder. I thought to myself you have just taken your personal best goat! The goat was down within seconds and I was soon running the tape over him. He was equal to my biggest goat between the tips with a 32-inch spread. I was over the moon it was my first day here on a working trip and I had taken a T/C billy already.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010111.jpg
After removing the head I started to walk the 100m back to the house but I was soon stopped in my tracks when I spied a monster horn sticking out from behind a gum tree. I dropped everything and placed an arrow on the string. I kept the tree in front of the goat and me and was soon closing the gap to under 15m it was only then I noticed the wind was going directly him and with a snort he jogged out from behind the tree. I quickly drew back and with a bit of lead I smashed an arrow through his shoulders, the old billy knew the game was up and died in mid stride 10m from where he was shot. It was only when I reached him that I found out that he had a broken horn. There was 6 inches gone off one horn but after running the tape over him he was still a massive 35 inches.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010118.jpg
I couldn’t believe my luck I had two awesome billies on the deck within 100m from the house and I had only been hunting for under an hour. It then got me thinking if there was a heaven this would have to be close to it. I got back and told Travis about my goats and showed him the heads and he told me they were only small compared to some up in those parts. Well didn’t that get me excited for the weeks to come.
It was only a few days later after my first hunt and I slipped on the thongs, put my camo shirt on and was off for another quick walk. I was passing goats the whole time and saw within excess of 200 within 200m of creek. I was glassing some billies that would go close to the ones the day earlier that week when I saw a goat walk out the creek with an awesome rack on him. His horns went up really high in the air and were really twisty. I started trying to find the best approach but there were just too many goats in between him and me. In the end I decided to try mu luck and I stalked past about 30 goats passing some within 10m but luckily they were all too busy chasseing nannies and eating to notice me. I got to the tree I saw him feeding behind and sat there for a second to try and settle my nerves. I then drew an arrow from my quiver and within seconds I had the bow drawn and was stepping out from behind the tree. He was feeding perfectly broadside to me up on top of thew bank and from 20m I hardly saw the arrow but the shot felt good. I jogged up the bank and he had hardly made 30m and had piled up in a gutter. He had a set on him all right going 34 inches with a couple inches gone off one side.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010125.jpg
I was stoked with my shooting as I had 3 great billies down with three shots and all killed as clean as a whistle. That evening I asked Travis about pigs He said that if only I was 3 weeks earlier as the pigs were all hanging off the waters and were easy to find but now it had rained they had spread out everywhere and you were just lucky if you stumbled across them. But the creek that I was hunting along has a few waterholes in it and maybe on a hot day there could be a couple there.
One night we were shooting the paddock near the creek and we came across a couple goats the spotlight flashed over the two goats and I instantly thought I was looking at a 40 inch goat. We drove over for a closer look and I couldn’t believe the horns on the billy he was huge. Travis didn’t seem too impressed but I for one was! I made some land marks the next afternoon I was walking that stretch of creek I had gone close to a km when I saw two goats the bino’s came up so fast I’m lucky I didn’t give myself black eyes and yes! It was him. And he looked even bigger today. He was feeding along a small gutter lined with green pick after the rain. So I got in the creek and went and waited where the gutter ran into the creek hoping he would follow it right past me.
Well what could I say my plan worked out perfectly and it wasn’t long until he was broadside standing 20m away, I drew back and smiled to myself as I thought your mine never taking my eyes off his magnificent horns and that’s when I made the mistake. Buck fever every hunter’s nightmare and I was soon watching my first arrow sailing over the goats back. The billy paused then continued to feed I placed another arrow on the string and went to correct my mistake only to get a perfect group with my last arrow! I had pulled both shots, the most perfect angle you could ask for on the most perfect distance! It was almost a guaranteed shot with the compound yet add a massive set of horns and it all goes to mush!
After my second shot the goat jogged straight towards me and I threw another arrow on the string as quickly as possible and at 4m the billy saw me and bolted broadside to me. I was at full draw and sent an arrow at the fleeing goat and finally made a good shot on him taking out one lung. The billy jogged into the creek carpeted with green, which is an uncommon sight for this part of the world and collapsed under a shady old gum tree. One of many that scattered along the creeks that run like veins through the harsh dry countryside of outback NSW supplying flats with water like blood the essence of life. My heart was pounding nearly out my chest as I made the walk over to my goat. When I reached him I thought I had reached my number one goal in bow hunting goats, which was to ground a 40-inch goat. I got to my knees and shakily ran the tape over his horns and 36, 37, 38, 39 1/8 Oh bugger so close but still what an awesome set of horns and I carried them back like they were a feather I was still on such a high!
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010195.jpg
Travis told me that it was a good set of horns but he has seen bigger. After that I gave the hunting a rest for a week and only took the camera with me on walks but one hot afternoon I went for a drive and walked along a patch of creek I was told held some pigs. I had only gone about 300m when I heard a grunt and looked up to see a small piglet eyeballing me about 50m away. On closer inspection through the bino’s there were seven pigs lying under the shade on the creek bank. I couldn’t tell how big any of them were but I managed to slide into the creek with ought spooking them. I crawled along the creek and poked my head up to see if they were still there. And yes only 30m away. I had a good look and it was a bit disappointing to see they were all pretty small. I picked out a young boar that was lying with its back to me and sent an arrow at him. The arrow went over him by inches and instantly the mob was to its feet. I thought about shooting one but after seeing they were all only about 15 kilograms each so I just took a quick photo before they scattered and disappeared like ghosts into the swamp grass.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010257.jpg
On the way back to my Ute I came across a lone billy with a nice twisty set of horns. He looked like a good 35-inch goats and as I was leaving for home in two days I decided to make an effort to get him. He was feeding directly away from me out in the open so I just walked straight at him and hoped he couldn’t see directly behind him. As it turned out goats must not be able to because I ended up 30m from him and got to my knee’s and waited for him to turn broadside as he did I touched off the shot and saw that my form was not but all lost as I smacked him in the shoulder and he was out in seconds. His horns were a bit disappointing going 33 inches but he had a perfect set so I was still happy with the result.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010259.jpg
In the whole time I stayed there I only hunted two paddocks for goats and only about 3km of creek. I saw some monster goats while out spotlighting and have been invited back again when its got to ambush hopefully some 40+ inchers on the waters next time and hopefully get stuck into the pigs to. The exciting thing is that I haven’t even scratched the surface of this place and am anxiously awaiting my return to reach my goal a 40 inch billy and to shoot my first pig with the bow.
And a landscape picture as the sun was setting.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010272.jpg
Sorry folks that was kind of long and i mised out a 36 inch billy i shot in there but that was an easy stalk and shot. Hope you enjoy my experiance. Now time to get out of goat mode and into deer.
Macka :wink: