Pig Hunting in Geraldine (or PcpPK and Others Learning from Bill)
Beware: If you don't like images of dead wild pigs, maybe best not to read on. If you don't want to read the raw details of hunting, definitely don't read Bill's blog.
PcpPK1 I was spending most of my time at my property - since sold - inland from Geraldine. Feeling terrain-sick the other day, I decided to look at a neighbours website. We lived about ten minutes by motorbike apart and Bill was a great friend. We enjoyed a whiskey on occasion, he took me hunting and threw me a roast or two over the years. Anyway, I was just going through some of Bill’s older posts looking at the photos and I found this one with me in it. Taken about 12 years ago.
All the images used here are from Bill Westwood’s site, www.pighunt.co.nz. There are some good videos on Bill’s site too. If you are interested in teaching your pig dogs how to bail rather than hold, Bill’s your man.2 I can recommend his books too. All photos are of wild pigs, some contained for training purposes.
Among many other skills, Bill trains pig hunting dogs.
I was amazed when I first came across Bill’s dog training work. I had not gone pig hunting for many years and my experience had always been of holding dogs — a bloody and uncontrolled business. When Bill first invited me hunting with him I was a bit dubious, telling him of my past experiences. Well, he looked at me like the ignorant peasant I was (he didn’t really, but I probably deserved that) and told me that was not how he hunted. OK, it’s true. A hypocrite — I was happy to eat the pig — and ignorant.
Bill trained his dogs to be bailing dogs; dogs what would either move a pig to an accessible location so its age and sex could be identified, or would bail it at a location so the hunter could move in and identify the potential prey. If the pig fitted the criteria it was shot.
And the criteria? If it was an old boar or barrow it was shot, otherwise it was left alone. Many times I saw Bill call his dogs away from bailing a sow including when it was protecting piglets. If I hadn’t seen it I wouldn’t believe it.
Avoiding Sows and Targeting Boars
Bill has worked at a freezing works, and does he know how to use a sharp knife! I swear I watched him — multiple times — bone out a whole boar and produce a half-dozen roasts and all the other cuts (I liked the back straps - yum) in 3 minutes 16.5 seconds! Maybe I exaggerate, but wow — he is quick.
So if you’re into pig hunting and want to train your dogs to bail, or are visiting the Canterbury area and just want to go hunting, give Bill a call.
[Disclaimer: My commission for this ad is a backstrap or two, and some roasts. Hint hint. If Bill sees this.]
You Only Live Once - The Mockers (sometime in the 1980s)
PcpPK: Pre-crippled pre-Poisoned Kiwi.
Bill doesn’t know I’m writing this; I’m sure he wont mind.