WHAT started out as a trip to snap a few photos of her partner's dogs has turned into a life-long passion for Moonie local Alli Sheedy.
The accredited wild-game harvester confesses she loves the thrill of the chase, but believes it's also extremely important in controlling pig and kangaroo numbers.
"The number of pigs has just exploded in the area in the past couple of years and farmers are really struggling to get them under control - that's where harvesters come in," Ms Sheedy said.
Growing up in Dalby, Ms Sheedy said she never would have realised her potential as a hunter had it not been for her partner, Rick.
"Rick has always been harvesting pigs, and one day he asked me to come along to take some pictures of his dogs in action," she said.
"I just went along for the ride but it was so exciting - there was a moment where Rick was out on his bike and the dogs had caught a pig, and I was worried the dogs were going to get hurt so I went to investigate."
What happened next was something that truly cemented hunting in Ms Sheedy's blood.
"I got to where the dogs were holding the pig and it was giving them hell, so I grabbed it and waited for Rick to get there - it felt like a lifetime," she said.
"He was a real gentleman about it and wouldn't kill it in front of me, but I wanted to be involved; I wanted to learn how to do it myself. That was more than 10 years ago now."
Between working at the Moonie Crossroads Cafe and volunteering as the local primary school bus driver, Ms Sheedy always finds time to hit the road on a hunt.
"I work 20-day shifts so when I get to my eight days off, we'll pack up the dogs and quad bikes and off we go - it's almost like a stress release for me."
The family, along with 12-year-old son Timmy, work their six dogs and always bring home the bacon.
"It's definitely a lifestyle - it's a beautiful experience and one which I'm lucky to enjoy," Ms Sheedy said.
"I wanted to give it up when I turned 40 because I thought it wasn't 'ladylike', but I love it too much.
"We haven't been able to sell the carcases since the wild boar market closed in April last year, and that's really set us back because we were getting up to $1/kg. At the moment, we're just doing it for the love of it and hopefully something will open up again for all of the harvesters so we can get back into it."
The Sheedys sold pig and kangaroo carcases to Wild Game Resources, which would then export the meat overseas to predominantly Eastern European countries for human consumption.
"We'd also buy the meat from other harvesters from around Ipswich, Toowoomba, Dalby and Brisbane for the chiller box operation," she said.
"It was a $300 million industry, but it all stopped due to trouble with the European market."
Ms Sheedy said the European industry had expanded to a point where they had begun to process their own wild boar, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
"Pig boxers in our area have started buying again, but there's been a quota placed on it which will stop the market from flooding."
Ms Sheedy said even though the baiting program has been somewhat successful, she prefers harvesting the old-fashioned way.
"I know it takes some of the work out of it but I really think baiting is extremely cruel. I would prefer to know it's done as quickly as possible - there's no need to prolong it," she said.
As professional harvesters, the Sheedys must regularly attend management and accreditation courses to ensure their shooting accuracy.
"These regulations stop a lot of people who don't really know what they're doing, but it also makes sure we're doing the right thing by the animal and we're harvesting in the most humane way possible."
Ms Sheedy has no plans to hang up the traps anytime soon, even after being ripped by a pig during a hunt.
"He was full of fury and I felt a pinch, and after we'd dispatched him my friend looked at my leg and told me I was bleeding," she said.
"I thought it was from the pig but he'd torn my calf muscle open and punctured my ankle."
Ms Sheedy said the state and federal governments should be working together in finding ways to encourage harvesters.
"We need to make a profit, otherwise there's nothing to keep us in the industry - even fuel rebates would be a start.
"The majority of game harvesters are doing it for a hobby and there are only a few professionals focusing on keeping the problem down.
"We should be utilising the boar meat instead of wasting it. At the moment we're just taking the carcases home and cooking it up for the dogs," Ms Sheedy said, adding that having people on the ground doing the work was also a bonus for property owners who were paying for aerial shooters.
