My Dad Is AWESOME!!!...

 

This year my Dad won the Hog Deer Ballot! That in itself is super-awesome, but what makes it super-super-special is that this is the SECOND time he's won it!

 

Every year, Mum and Dad (along with thousands of others) enter a ballot to be one of the selected few to travel to either Blonde Bay or Ballandeen (Victoria) to hunt for Hog Deer. These are a very special breed of deer, in that they are entirely protected in other parts of the world, and are so carefully monitored in Australia that the ONLY legal way to hunt them is to win the Hog Deer Ballot. There are many rules - so many, that the winners have to attend an 'orientation weekend' a few weeks before the hunt itself, just to make sure they are very clear on what's expected of them, and what wont be tolerated. Among these are the very strict rules that they are ONLY to be shot within the designated area...if a deer is 100m on the other side of the boundary it is to be left alone, and under no circumstances is it to be shot and then 'dragged' back under the fence! Also, (and each year they change this rule dependant on the population levels) this year they are permitted to bag a stag AND a doe (a boy and a girl) AND they can shoot them in any order. Usually, they have to shoot, say, a stag FIRST before trying for a doe.

 

Back in 2006(?) Dad won the Ballot for Ballandeen, which is only accessable via boat. Dad gets very sea-sick (more than I do!) so this was a real test of his Hunting Wherewithall, so be on a boat for several hours to get there. On the way back to the mainland (after the hunt), a storm blew up and it took him TWICE as long to get back on solid ground...I can only imagine how ill he was that time! He also made very firm friends with one of the other lucky winners, Clinton Bell - so much so, that Clinton and his lovely wife came to our wedding! :) Clinton was such a nice bloke on that trip that even though he'd finished his hunt long before Dad did, he still waited for hours to see how Dad made out :)

 

 

A few weeks ago, Dad got a very important phone call asking if he would like to again take part in the Ballot, as his name was picked out - he very excitedly said:

 YES!!!

:D He was so pleased, he phoned about 25 people that day, so suffice it to say, we didnt get a lot of work done! he he :) And this time I think he was doubly pleased to discover that he'd won the Ballot for Blonde Bay (no boat involved!) :)

 

So we've had a little break from 'Africa' stories, and instead filled the time with 'Hog Deer' stories :) I dont mind though, because clearly this is a once in a life-time opportunity, and Dad has been very blessed to have two bites of the cherry :)

 

On Monday morning, the hunt had been going for approximately 2 hours when Dad bagged his stag!! :) YAY!! It was an extremely respectable 11 inches each side (that's very good for a Hog Deer). Bear in mind, of course, that Hog Deer are a very small species of deer.

 

Here is my proud Dad:

 

 

 

Unfortunately, Dad got a little bit of heat-stroke...so much so, that he'd forgotten that he'd called Mum to get her to come and pick him up, and then called her again 20 minutes later to tell her (again) that he'd shot his stag and could she please come get him :S He did a few other things that were a bit odd (like, he took some photos of the stag with his brand new phone, but couldnt remember taking them!) so Mum basically drowned him in water when she got there and then sat him in front of the A/C! Then they took the stag to the weighing station (another one of those super-strict rules) as the carcass has to be accurately measured and documented as part of the conservation involved in keeping this species alive in Australia. They then met with the taxidermist, who proclaimed Dad's stag to be a very fine specimen and that they should do a full-mount (quite expensive, but VERY effective!) with it.

 

And so, each day has passed, with Dad hunting each day, trying to get his doe...

 

Today was the last day of the hunt. As of 3pm the hunt would be over, and so the pressure was on him a bit if he wanted to get his doe. Fortunately, he works well under pressure (not something I inherited!) and bagged his doe at 10am Victorian time :) He is very chuffed! I have not yet seen a photo of the doe, but Im assuming that email will be on its way shortly :)

 

So, to sum up, my Dad is AWESOME!! :) And Im very proud of him :)

 

Starting Monday, Mum has a Fallow Deer hunt in Border Town, South Australia. This is a paid hunt (so no lucky streak required for a ballot here!) and she's never hunted Fallow Deer before, so this will be a wonderful experience for her :)