Jonny Hillhouse and wife Tamara took on the enormous task of bringing the Cooktown Pig Hunt back to the community after it last went ahead in 2023. Photo: Supplied.
The passionate hunter responsible for reviving the Cooktown Pig Hunt says he is still pinching himself after a massive response to its return.
There were more than 1000 people through the gate on 20-22 August when the annual event, previously titled the Cooktown Hog Hunt, brought together feral pig eradicators and community members for the first time since 2023.
The hunting weekend disappeared from the Cooktown events calendar when the previous organisers stepped down, but Yeah the Boars’ Jonny Hillhouse, a long-time Cooktown Hog Hunt participant, made it his mission to bring the event back for the community in 2026.
“I knew everyone was very keen for it, and I knew everyone was excited for it, but we definitely didn’t expect 1000, that’s for sure,” he said.
“It was mind-blowing, and the support from everyone really pumped me up; they were just so happy that it was a success.
“It’s still a bit of a pinch-me moment to tell you the truth.”
A record 415 entrants brought in 7659.83 kilograms of feral pigs to the weigh-in stand on Saturday and, with more than $45,000 worth of prizes, not many went home empty-handed.
There was also plenty of action for the community’s non-hunters, including lucky door prizes, the Jed Farraway Memorial Ironman Challenge and a kids area.
Mr Hillhouse said a huge point of pride was welcoming hunters who had travelled to Cooktown specifically for the event.
Tablelands hunter Brooke Muccignat took out the Ladies Biggest Sow category with her 97.8 kilogram catch. Photo: Facebook (Brooke Muccignat).
One of these travellers was Tablelands resident Brooke Muccignat, who won the Ladies Biggest Sow category with her 97.8 kilogram catch, which was also the biggest pig of the event.
Despite being an avid hunter, the Cooktown Pig Hunt was her first competition experience — something she had been interested in for years as a regular visitor to the south-eastern Cape York community.
“We spend a lot of time up there; we’ve got friends up there, so we’ve always known about the Pig Hunt, and it’s cool to actually be able to be involved in it this year,” she said.
“Previously you had to drive to Cooktown to register, and then drive out to wherever you were hunting. I hunt on the Tablelands, so it was just too much effort to drive all the way up to register and drive back.
“This year, when Yeah the Boars took it over, we were able to register online and start hunting, so it made it a lot easier for people further out from Cooktown to get involved as well.”
She credited the winning catch, which she estimated to be about 150 kilograms before it was dressed, to her pack of hunting dogs.
“We hunt with dogs, predominantly; we love working our dogs, and this was an opportunity to showcase what they can do and the type of pigs that are down around the Tablelands,” she said.
After the extremely successful return, business are already lining up to get involved in next year’s Cooktown Pig Hunt.
“Literally the next day, I had businesses and companies messaging me about sponsoring next year and what I need,” Mr Hillhouse said.
“It’s 100 per cent coming back; we’ve actually already locked in a couple of sponsors for next year.”
2026 Cooktown Pig Hunt winners:
Men’s Biggest Boar: Raiden McIvor — 79kg
Men’s Biggest Sow: Brady McGrath — 74.92kg
Ladies Biggest Boar: Ramona Allman — 71.9kg
Ladies Biggest Sow: Brooke Muccignat — 97.8kg
Kids Biggest Boar: Pania Michael — 87.8kg
Kids Biggest Sow: Shanela Shae McIvor — 52.15kg
Average Pig Weight: Nellah-Mae Bowen — 53.5kg
Steve Perry Biggest Hooks: Natasha Beazley — 206mm
Jed Farraway Memorial Ironman Challenge: Denis Deewal — 1:13
Major Lucky Door Prize: Richard McLaren.
