Page 50 - Bristle Up Magzine

BY ETHAN CUSACK WINNER
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 49