A few Hours Hunting In The Heat

The wind blew in my face for the majority of the 6km walk down stream along a water course that snaked its way through the dry savannah country of the Gulf of Carpentaria out on to the coastal flats which bordered the Mangroves marking the edge of the coast. It was 38 degrees and the heat was doing its best to suck every ounce of water out of my body. It had been a pretty slow few hours walking in some prime country- a case of right place wrong time.
A medium sized mob boar had been accounted for about an hour earlier as he wallowed in an off shoot of the watercourse but the day was getting on and it was time to return to the truck.

 Out on the flats some 4km closer to the truck a small pig broke cover about 200m out and ran on a diagonal away from me. At first I figured it must be a tail ender of a mob that caught my scent as the wind was now right at my back. Stopping to glass the back of a mud encrusted boar was quickly picked up over the top of the grass.
With the wind heavily against me I ran down wind then cut out wide to put it in my favour.
The boar was feeding on some fresh grass shoots but very little decent tree cover made for a tricky stalk.
Making my way into 100m quickly and at first used the grass to cover the boars head as he feed unknowingly but this option quickly ran out.
The boar was feeding away slowly and his own body was used to cover my now much slower approach.
At 30m I decided I need not push the situation, readied for the shot and crouched in knee high grass.
As the boar started to feed quartering away I drew and settled my pin then pulled through the shot and watched as the green and white fletched Easton Axis Shaft existed the hogs chest then bounced across the hard baked Gulf ground, clear evidence of a pass through.
By the time my eyes came back to the boar he was covering the last of the 40m he managed before being down for the count.
20mins later I was back at my truck after sucking the 3L bladder pack fitted to my Hunters Element Contour pack dry.
Hunting in the heat takes a toll but the rewards are often great.