AUSTRALIA: Australia Buffalo Hunt

[JWB300]

In July a few mates and I headed to the Northern Territory hunting Water Buffalo. We stayed with in an Aboriginal community with the Traditional Owners (TO’s). These guys live a relatively traditional life with most of them still speaking their traditional language and very little English. This is one of the most remote and special places to hunt. We picked up a hire car in Darwin and drove around 13 hours to the community. You cannot travel onto their land without the permission of the TO’s and it was truly special to experience their culture. I won’t bore you with too much of a story just a few pics and some captions…

Buff on the side of the road driving in

Dead python

Andy’s Buff – smoked with two 570 gr woodies from his Ruger No 1 in 500NE

The old bull I ended up taking

 

[JWB300]

My bull taken with my 375 Ruger

The bird life on the flood plains was spectacular. Thousands of Magpie Geese (similar to a Canada Goose), Egrets, Burdekin Ducks, Brolgas and Jabiru’s.

The skin on these things is thick. They are bullet sponges – 4 x 270gr TSX’s at 30 yds. No exits...

Sunrise on the floodplain

Exo 5500

 

[gillettehunter]

Would love to hear a few more details. Nice photos. Looks like a great time. That buff of yours looks very old. Congrats on some excellent trophies. Bruce

 

[JWB300]

Young bull

Me and a young boy in the community. We took them some footies and they thought it was Christmas!

Hunting the Pandanas

Lou’s bull

Small croc

Burdekin ducks

Rainbow bee eater

 

[JWB300]

Bower bird nest

Aboriginal Midden

Dry floodplain

Joes bull

270gr TSX – one shot kill

Joe also took this wild scrub bull for meat for the community. They were pretty excited and came to help us dress it out

 

[JWB300]

Wild donkeys

 

[JWB300]

The buff from Crocodile Dundee – at Adelaide River Hotel

Cheers,

JWB300

 

[Pheroze]

Would love to hear a few more details. Nice photos. Looks like a great time. That buff of yours looks very old. Congrats on some excellent trophies. Bruce

+1

What a unique experience. Do they permit a few each year or how do you get to go?

 

[vinnymbogo]

Great pics, and thanks for sharing them. Looks like you had a great time. Good show!

 

[JWB300]

+1

What a unique experience. Do they permit a few each year or how do you get to go?

Hi Pheroze,

You really have to know one of the elders or go with someone who knows them. You can go guided on their land but I enjoy the DIY aspect and I enjoyed experiencing the culture as much as the hunting. It is such a shame that the land is largely inaccessible for most people. Not even aussies can go there without a permit.

Cheers,
JWB300

 

[Wheels]

Sounds like a neat hunt. Glad you and your friends had a great time.

Thanks for sharing your experience and photos with us.

 

[bluey]

looks like an adventure ,jwb.
great photos
did you see many crocs?
what was the fishing like ?
the young fella you gave the footy to , wears the right colors!!!!

 

[stug]

Awesome looking trip. On my bucket list.

 

[ChasingHemingway]

Congrats! On my list one day Would love to hear more of the story and details.

dt

 

[JWB300]

looks like an adventure ,jwb.
great photos
did you see many crocs?
what was the fishing like ?
the young fella you gave the footy to , wears the right colors!!!!

Hey Bluey,

No we only saw a few small crocs. I packed my rod into some remote country and fished briefly but it was too cold (by NT standards) and the fish were shut down. We were going to fish a nice stream on the way home but the Aboriginals asked us not to for cultural reasons so we didn't stop. I really want to go back up and catch a barra some time.

Cheers,
JWB300

 

[kathy]

What an Awesome adventure. Thanks for sharing. Forrest

 

[BRICKBURN]

Great respect for the local folks.
Very unique hunting experience.
Thanks for sharing your hunt with us.

Help me with the midden???

 

[JWB300]

Great respect for the local folks.
Very unique hunting experience.
Thanks for sharing your hunt with us.

Help me with the midden???

No worries Brickburn

A midden is essentially an old camp site where the tribes would sit and eat, amongst other things - shellfish. The mounds of shells are one of the only remnants, along with stone tools and flakes, that survives the thousands of years. Sometimes you wonder how long it must have taken to haul all those shellfish to one spot but then you remember they have been doing it for some 40,000 years so it doesn't take many each year to build up a huge pile.

 

[WildRose]

Great report and excellent photography. It looks like a truly enviable experience.

is that a picture of the .270gr ttsx sitting on the horns? Looks like my idea of ideal expansion from a bullet.

I wasn't happy with my choice in the Hornady .270 interbond so I'm looking for alternatives in the future. Everything I shot with it died but the cup and core separated completely in several of the animals and I don't like that. It made me extremely hesitant to consider it for a buffalo hunt and in the end is why I chose not to shoot a buff when I had the opportunity during my last week. The 300 DGX did not group well for me so I had to pass on the chance.

 

[Nyati]

This looks like a very interesting experience, I envy you

And congratulations for the very good trophies !