Feline encounters on safari

In August of 2012 we spent three weeks in South Africa hunting elephant, hyena and a couple of the plains game species I had lucked out on during previous safaris. We were fortunate enough to have encounters with lion, leopard and cheetah - so very lucky to have these sitings in such a short space of time! The photography certainly doesn't do justice to the experience; poor light, distance, thick bush and brief encounters meant that we didn't always capture the moment as we would like...

But the stories are part of the adventure... here's what we saw...

 Read more...

Confessions of a serial killer

I first read this post almost a year ago this month, and I enjoyed it so much I wanted to share it with the DaggaBoy Blog tribe.  I think the opening paragraph sums up how a lot of city dwelling hunters feel.  I've been trying to get in touch with 'Shooter,' the author of this piece and a member of this blog for a while to get his approval to share this post, but with no response, I thought I'd do it anyway!  All credit to you 'Shooter' for a wonderful piece of prose; links and citation below.

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Yes I am a serial killer. I didn’t know it till I was told. I never had any remorse for my actions or felt that I was doing anything wrong. I liked what I did and looked forward to it. Yes, I suppose most people wouldn’t agree with me and I write this confession addressing all those people. Especially the ones who made me realise what I was...

A quick rabbit shoot

I'd had quite enough of "everything" by the end of last week and I could feel the bitumen beckoning me, the old Marlin willing me to unpack it from its tight niche in the safe, the Toyota calling out:

"Go west, young man, and grow up with the country."

                                           John B. L. Soule, c.1851

A couple of braces of bunnies: happy days!

HuntFest is coming to town!

Calling all hunters out there to get involved; HuntFest is coming to town!

The South Coast Hunter's Club (SCHC) has developed the idea of "HuntFest", an annual, Australia wide photographic and video competition held in conjunction with relevant displays of hunting, camping, bush walking and general outdoors equipment, game meats and all of nature's bounty (seafood, wine and local produce), firearms safety training, a display by Game Council NSW and other approved hunting organisations.

You can visit the website for the inaugural HuntFest here http://huntfest.com.au/

The event at Narooma on the NSW south coast has been granted a five year licence by the Eurobodalla Council; great news for hunters as like Game Council NSW, hunting becomes an entrenched part of state and national legislation, a part of normal community events not just a minority activity as touted by the anti-everything crowd!

I know I'll be setting aside some time to dig through hunting photos, maybe the old "rabbit with fox" might win itself another award?  Wouldn't that be nice! Wonder what the wife has planned for me this June long weekend?  Maybe another road trip down south might suit the family...?

For further information on the events being held at HuntFest contact the organisers at: info@huntfest.com.au

Blame-happy culture way off target

I try not to be the fellow who re-blogs or just shares links, but sometimes its really worth sharing... like when our mass media publishes an article or editorial that is not anti-gun ownership waffle and political spin. This is worth sharing. And because none of us know when it might happen again, I really wanted to capture the moment on the blog for future reference. Good article, intelligent content, written by no other than a SSAA executive. What's amazing is the the Sydney Morning Herald finally printed this article! Enjoy.

Shady Pines Saloon

I was out for drinks with colleagues the other night and one of the younger lads suggested we head to Shady Pines Saloon on account of the taxidermy they have used in this hidden bar and my "strong interest" in taxidermy and game in general... Shady Pines Saloon has a unique theme for a Sydney bar, totally, unmistakeably, American mid-west.

We were in Darlinghurst; we stepped off Oxford onto Crown Street - would you believe I was born a hundred yards from this very spot - and took a quick right down an anonymous alley. Yes, this is an inner-city trendy bar, it just happens to look like a cross between my gunroom and a shearing shed once you're inside. And I'm not trendy unless the measure of trendy is the distance between your two front teeth (I've had to have this chat with my girls already!). From the street, well, it looks... shady...

Friends and hunters and inspiration

I've not written about Namibia for a long time, and what I have written has yet to pop up here on DaggaBoy Blog. Like many good stories, this one starts with a neat little anecdote... and in this case it goes to show that friends and hunters and inspiration can be found in the most random and unexpected places.