As most know, I have three pointing breed dogs. Two Hungarian Vizslas (pronounced Veeshlar for the uninitiated) and a German Short haired pointer. Over the past 18 months, I have watched as their hunting instincts have grown and developed. The fun and enjoyment they get out of finding, pointing and then flushing birds and animals is something which makes me smile big cheesy ones. Seeing them and how much they are 'into" this has made me start to feel as though I am denying them an opportunity to do what they have been bred to do for thousands of years. So, over the past 6 or 8 months, I have been doing informal training with them while on our daily walks. It's all been "Feau Hunting". As in, we find the prey, point it, flush it out and then move onto the next one without killing anything. They have caught two rabbits, but they just bring them to me alive and make me kill the poor things. (Both were sick with Mixo, so had to be humanely terminated)
I have met a guy who has trained both GSP's and Vizslas for hunting and he has been keen enough to offer some assistance in bringing them along with the last few steps. Those steps being to get the dogs steady on the point, or in other words, not to flush the prey until I tell them it's OK to flush them. Then to get them to reliably retrieve. With just my training they have come to the point where they will scent it, track it and point it, but the holding of the point and the retrieve are two things I am having difficulty embedding and this guy will be able to train me and the dogs at the same time.
At the same time as this, I have been saving to buy my "weapon" of my choice. My thinking is to target feral species. So, foxes, Rabbits, Pigs, Goats and possibly if we get good enough, Deer. Anything not native pretty much, but not birds as my weapon of choice doesn't allow them to be taken with it. But some Bambi on the BBQ is something else and the dogs will love the bits I won't eat.
As A kid, I lived on a farm and there were always rifles and shotguns all over the place. Any time we went out mustering, crutching, fencing, harvesting or whatever we were doing, we kept both a shottie and A rifle handy. Shottie for the snakes and for ducks, the rifle for kangaroos, foxes, rabbitsor for injured stock. So, hunting with a rifle is an easily do able thing. Not really anything different to what I did as a kid. I wanted something that meant that if I nailed an animal, that I and the dogs had earned it.
So, I have decided that once the dogs are ready and I am proficient in the use of my new weapon of choice, that we will start hunting. The weapon chosen is a bow. Yep, I'm going all Indian Cherokee on you......
All be it a more modern adaptation of the bow and Arrow. So, I have just bought the final item being the bow. Over the last few months I have been collecting all the gear I will need from ebay and club members, so I could save some coin and today I finally added a brand new bow. If you're an archer and know about bows, let me know and I will pop up the specs, otherwise it will be jumble sandwich to the uninitiated...... But these modern bows shoot arrows at over 300 feet per second. They are effing fast. I shot mine today at the range in the shop before I handed over the coin and could not believe the speed difference between it and the compound bows I have shot recently and in the past. Mindblowing that something like this is actually legal!!!! 
It would take down a big Sambar Deer buck, a large Boar or even a Camel of Buffalo from 50 metres without any fear of not killing it. They are powerful things. So, I would love to hear from any of you who have/do/wish to hunt. Any tips, hints or techniques you have used successfully.
Like trying to cut a lap record after being off the bike and on the piss for two years.... 
andi - 
