Mark Biggs-Successful baitman!

Congratulations to Mark Biggs of Port Elizabeth in himself baiting and eventually shooting a bushpig in just the moonlight!

Mark has access to a friend's property,Longhill, very near to our property,Blaauwkrantz.

The property was recently bought and a lot of investment and work has been done in converting it into a private game ranch.The owner and Mark have a management idea for all the other trophy species except for the one specie that remains under the radar...yes you guessed it,the bushpig.

I mentioned to Mark that there are healthy populations of bushpigs there although they are hardly ever seen.So much so that many other landowners often doubt the presence of bushpigs on their properties.Bushpigs occur almost everywhere where there is cover and fences can't keep them in or out.

I advised Mark on how to set up a bait site and make use of an old house as a blind.

Mark did all this to the tee and also made use of a digital scouting camera to monitor their patterns.

I joined Mark on Wednesday afternoon the 15Th Sept to attempt a stakeout for these "ghosts".The moon was waxing very nicely and the forecast showed a clear night.We sat from sunset(6:30pm) till 10pm when I noticed a bushpig at the bait site.A layer of cloud had emerged and enveloped the moon.Mark struggled to see the pig at first but after a bit of frantic low level-frequency chatter Mark could make out the pig in the darkness.The shot of my 300 Win Mag topped with the Zeiss illuminated reticule scope roared and the muzzle blast temporarily blinded us.

Mark said that he missed!

I couldn't believe it since it was only a 45 yard shot.What I did see was blood running down from above Marks eye...He certainly was a member of the Half-Moon club already!

We walked over to the bait and low and behold there was a very nice boar lying stone dead.

Mark not only made it to the Half Moon Club but the Bushpig in the Moonlight Club too.

May the bushpigs on Longhill Farm also prove their value and sustain this fantastic endeavour of preserving natural habitat in order to sustainably utilise the wildlife.

Long-live the wildlife on Longhill!