Pigs, mossies and   marauding ducks

Our scheduled pig hunt in November on the NSW property coincided with a cooler break in the weather compared to the oppressive 40C-degree temperatures we had been experiencing. And the property owner’s late aerial rice sewing, a task normally performed in August/September each year had been delayed due to the heavy rains, swollen creeks and general flooding. All this made it impossible for the owner to reach the rice paddocks to attend to the maintenance of the levies and floodgates.

The flooding had also prevented us from moving onto the property earlier, when conditions were more favourable with good feed still about. While the waterways were overflowing, the land was dry - supporting tall yellow grass and little else. Still, any opportunity to hunt pigs, despite the conditions, is always a trip to look forward to - we just had to work a little harder to find them.

We were fortunate to make it onto the property via another accessible route to the normal track, which was still blocked by high water. On the way in, an echidna crossing the vehicle’s path was a welcome