Porkers

There are days when a pig hunt can resemble a clash between Roadrunner and Wile E.Coyote: “I jumped up and put my feet into gear before my brain, charging off through the scrub with my head down and with my eyes half shut. I didn’t want to lose an eye. Too late I realised my mistake when I ran straight off a bluff! i was in mid-air and thought, ‘Help, I have done it this time…’ ” And days when a surprise is in store: “All was silent for a moment until I looked over the edge where the fern had been flattened, and saw the dogs and the pig with his backside sticking out of the fern. One dog had an ear while lying on his back on the ground with his four feet in the air, and the others lay around panting. It was a very hot day. The dogs and the pigs were all stuffed…” In a country where introduced pigs can ravage native bush, hunters help keep the numbers under control. Warwick Broadhurst’s highly entertaining life as a pig hunter is laid bare in this fast-paced collection of stories from the high country, the forests and the plains.