John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
I left home an hour pre dawn and walked a kilometre to the East uphill to my vantage point that I had prepared yesterday where I had raked the dry leaves away from a log under a Blackwood tree for a stealthier less noisy approach to my hide.I could see nothing at the dead cow remains but as dawn unfolded I could see one calf had been dragged downhill. "ah they have been here the *******s" I mused.
I saw a silhouetted bird fly and land on a dead tree limb above me and initially thought it was a watchdog crow in the poor light until it chortled a magpie song,nonetheless no movement and silence was utmost.
Then a few minutes later I saw two crow fly down to the cow and they cawed but didn't eat from the remains. I don`t mind the crows at a bait as they see advancing dogs very quickly and leave.
I was disappointed that eagles hadn`t arrived for a few photos but sat quietly hoping for them to arrive.
45 minutes after dawn the magpie`s posture changed and I could see it was watching something below it moving on the ground. Head cocked and a suspicious posture combined to alert me to a predator below it,fox,dog,cat?
Long summer grasses hid everything so I used my binos to peer into the long grass and wtf?
Those are EARS, holy shiite they are dog ears. The dog was laying down and had lifted its head for a sniff and I hit the button on the Swaro`s for a 37 yard measure and then it turned side on and I could see the scars on its head and greying muzzle and knew straight away that I must get this old ******* calf killer. It looked right through me in my camo and then looked down at the cow remains.
My rifle leaning on my log was deemed at 1/2 a yard to be too far to risk picking it up with the dog so close so I held back and waited. A minute later it rose and stretched and I caught glimpse`s of it moving through stunted wattles and dry feed that was very yellow in the early sunlight. Then I lost the dog completely and so continually scanned the carcases to no avail and then above the remains I saw movement and yes it was the dog trotting down the old farm track that had been cut through yellow soil many years ago. The dog`s own colour and that of the earth combined to camo him very well.
He sat on his arse on the edge of the track looking down at the remains,by this time the Sako .300 WM with a Woodleigh Hydro plastic capped pill was on him.I wound the scope up to 10 x on auto.
He stepped down as I fired and with a yodel he ran downhill for some distance probably about 150 yards where he then did the Tarantella then folded. I was convinced he was dead and sat a while in case another came looking for him and after 15 minutes headed home for my ute and the dogs.
On arriving back in the zone my three freely running dogs hit the scent line and they raced to old yella and gave him a scruff " how dare he be on their patch type of scruff"
I will unzip his scalp for the $120 and drain his bladder for my lure bottle.If I can find my scale I will weigh him too as he is a big old dog.
It was a good morning as wild dog/dingo`s don`t come along in one`s rifle sights too often and patience paid off.
Rock furthest to the right on the track of this photo was where the dog got the bullet (bullet not head)
I believe that this dog is the same one,trail camera photo from a couple of years ago and 2-3 kilometres away.
I saw a silhouetted bird fly and land on a dead tree limb above me and initially thought it was a watchdog crow in the poor light until it chortled a magpie song,nonetheless no movement and silence was utmost.
Then a few minutes later I saw two crow fly down to the cow and they cawed but didn't eat from the remains. I don`t mind the crows at a bait as they see advancing dogs very quickly and leave.
I was disappointed that eagles hadn`t arrived for a few photos but sat quietly hoping for them to arrive.
45 minutes after dawn the magpie`s posture changed and I could see it was watching something below it moving on the ground. Head cocked and a suspicious posture combined to alert me to a predator below it,fox,dog,cat?
Long summer grasses hid everything so I used my binos to peer into the long grass and wtf?
Those are EARS, holy shiite they are dog ears. The dog was laying down and had lifted its head for a sniff and I hit the button on the Swaro`s for a 37 yard measure and then it turned side on and I could see the scars on its head and greying muzzle and knew straight away that I must get this old ******* calf killer. It looked right through me in my camo and then looked down at the cow remains.
My rifle leaning on my log was deemed at 1/2 a yard to be too far to risk picking it up with the dog so close so I held back and waited. A minute later it rose and stretched and I caught glimpse`s of it moving through stunted wattles and dry feed that was very yellow in the early sunlight. Then I lost the dog completely and so continually scanned the carcases to no avail and then above the remains I saw movement and yes it was the dog trotting down the old farm track that had been cut through yellow soil many years ago. The dog`s own colour and that of the earth combined to camo him very well.
He sat on his arse on the edge of the track looking down at the remains,by this time the Sako .300 WM with a Woodleigh Hydro plastic capped pill was on him.I wound the scope up to 10 x on auto.
He stepped down as I fired and with a yodel he ran downhill for some distance probably about 150 yards where he then did the Tarantella then folded. I was convinced he was dead and sat a while in case another came looking for him and after 15 minutes headed home for my ute and the dogs.
On arriving back in the zone my three freely running dogs hit the scent line and they raced to old yella and gave him a scruff " how dare he be on their patch type of scruff"
I will unzip his scalp for the $120 and drain his bladder for my lure bottle.If I can find my scale I will weigh him too as he is a big old dog.
It was a good morning as wild dog/dingo`s don`t come along in one`s rifle sights too often and patience paid off.
Rock furthest to the right on the track of this photo was where the dog got the bullet (bullet not head)
I believe that this dog is the same one,trail camera photo from a couple of years ago and 2-3 kilometres away.
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keep em coming there a welcome read after a **** day in the cold
