Page 49 - Bristle Up Magzine
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BY ETHAN CUSACK
      Mountain Boar










          My name is Ethan Cusack and I have been                 because if we left him at home he winged                   “That 800 metres seemed like about 8 Kilometres”
                                                                                                                                 The  tracker lost  reception  at about  900m
                                                                                                                                                                                          Puzzled Jesse asked him what was wrong. I
          going pig chasing with my Dad since I could             like crazy. Dad thought  he would  run the                     so we knew that they had gone up and over                got the scales but forgot the f&*#)@n lifting
          walk. We currently have 3 working dogs.                 other way from a pig but he was soon proven                    the top. Having been up that steep thick                 gear. No one wanted to go all the way back
          Brownie who  is my Dads gun  dog. She is                wrong.  He  went  straight  on  the  first  pig  he            mountain  many times before we decided                   so we hobbled him, put a branch through his
          mostly Bullarab  with  a bit  of  Great Dane in         saw and hasn’t looked  back. He is already                     that it would be quicker to drive around to              legs, hung the scales in a tree and lifted him
          her line. We have had her from the day she              hunting  off  the  Ute  and  has  caught  some                 the other side and hope that the trackers                and hooked him in the scales. What a circus
          was born as we also owned  her parents.                 good  size  boars one  out.  Recently  we  were                would  pick up the signal again. Relieved                he was not high enough and still touching
          Being 10 years old she is slowing down and              lucky enough to have Jesse and Bec staying                     when we had signal that they had all treed               the ground.  Jesse suggested  digging  under
          getting towards the end of her career but still         at our house. We caught some good pigs and                     quarry and about 800m  from where we                     him  but Dad laughed  and  said that  would
          loves nothing more than catching big boars.             had lots of fun. One Friday night myself Dad                   could drive to. That 800m seemed like about              take  all  night. We ended up hanging the
          Our other bitch is called Bonnie who is a               and  Jesse went  for a quick run  that turned                  8km’s as  we still had to contend with the               scales higher hobbling one leg to the scales
          Bullarab Bulldog cross. She has been hunting            out to be a long run. We headed out to some                    steep thick mountain terrain. We knew it was             then Jesse and Dad lifted the pig while I
          off the back from a young age and is super              grain feeders and were disappointed  when                      a good one because we could hear nothing                 hobbled  the opposite  leg and connected  it
          quick.  Our newest  member of the team is               the dogs only come up with a sow. Dad had                      until we got within about 100m from it. Dad              to the scales. Success he weighed 115kg and
          a  10 month old pup called Mac.  His father             seen some large tracks at one  of his  other                   quickly  dispatched  it as the dogs  had  been           we were all buggered but excited. By now it
          is a pure bred Catahoula and his mother is              blocks so we decided to go for a look. By now                  on it for a while now.  It was a cracker with            was about 2.30 in the morning and I had to
          a  Great  Dane  Bulldog  cross. He  is  actually        it was just past midnight which is when the                    big tusks and shoulder pads. A real mountain             play Rugby  League that day so we headed
          Mum’s dog that we got from up near Mackay.              big ones come out. As we were driving along                    warrior it had to be weighed. With no way to             home.  I  have  caught  many  big  boars with
          Dad’s theory was that dogs that catch pigs in           the track Mac started to whine  but being  a                   get it out Dad had to walk back and get the              my  Dad  but  this  is  one  that  I  will  definitely
          cane will catch pigs anywhere. We originally            young  dog we weren’t convinced  until a bit                   scales and  lifting  ratchet while  Jesse and I          always remember.
          had a bitch picked out but when we went                 further down the older dogs went crazy. The                    took some good photos. We could hear Dad
          to  have  a  look  at  the  litter  there  was  just    cage doors were flung open and the dogs all                    swearing when he was nearly back to us.
          something that Mum liked about Mac so we                floated straight towards the mountain.
          ended up coming home with him. We started
          taking him out at about six months old           48
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