Contributors to this thread:
I don't remember how old I was when I first read stories about people bowhunting water buffalo in Australia but, I know it was in my early teens. Stories of guys touting longbows and recurves sporting heavy shafts exploring places like Melville Island and the Cobourg Peninsula in search of one ton beasts and other animals like banteng will spark a fire in a young bowhunter that is hard to put out. Thirty odd years later it was time to put myself to the test. I usually travel alone when I go hunting abroad but my good friend and occasional bowhunter Chris " PAstringking" hinted he'd like to go also. It just so happens he owns Outdoor Adventure Specialists here in Pa and said he knew just the outfitter to use so I let him do the dirty work and set up the hunt travel. I'm not great with logistics and I was glad I made that choice. But first things first.
You are going to love, love, hunting Australia!!!
This would be my first attempt at thick skinned dangerous game and I really wanted to get it right. I read quite a bit about broadhead selection and bow weight, momentum vs kinetic energy and so on and so forth. It actually is quite daunting and I've found that opinions are like the old saying, everybody has one. I decided to go with a 2 blade 175 grain VPA attached to an Easton dangerous game FMJ with a brass insert fired out of my 83 lb Hoyt WRX, at a whopping 225 fps weighing 740 grains. They fly like darts , very heavy darts.
Wild bovines have always fascinated me, their immense size the places they live and their ability to become feral quickly and be quite dangerous adds to their allure. Shooting animals that can severely hurt you with pointy sticks from very close distances will make a guy want to place his shots accurately. Since water buffalo and banteng are quite scarce in Pennsylvania, I sent a friend that owns a local sign shop a picture and dimensions and he made me a life size target.
The last week in August was go time. Bags packed we headed to Baltimore to start our journey. Baltimore to Dallas Ft Worth then straight thru to Sydney 17 hours one way, a short 4 hour layover then off to Darwin. All said and done 32+ hours of travel. Our bags arrived and we headed off to the Hotel. the plans were for a beer the dinner. We got the beer and that's the last thing I remember until the wee hours of the next day.
We were to be picked up that day by our outfitter Karl and head to the lodge. Everything in Australia is far away , a 4+ hour drive is nothing here , just a blip in time. We had a lot of windshield time ahead of us for the next 2 weeks. We made a few stops grabbed some supplies and we were on our way. The lodge is amazing, a retreat is a better term. Private chalets with your own porch to watch the Australian sunset. Chris and I took a quick walk to a Bilabong, lots of wallaroos and wallabies and flies. The flies are a constant with no wind it can be a bit of a nuisance
I would probably do some pretty shady stuff to have one of these legally in the US.
We had a fantastic buffalo burger then off to get some rest . The plan was to get up at 4 am the next morning and head to the banteng area to hunt. Banteng were brought to the Cobourg Peninsula, Port Essington area around 1849 as a source of meat for explorers and settlers. The harsh environment changed those settlement plans in short order and the banteng that remained were turned loose. They are a forest loving beast and never traveled far from their original location. A few were transported to Arnhemland and still reside there today but, are of a lesser quality trophy unlike their kin on the peninsua. Estimates put the total head count around 8-10,000. We were on the road by 0430 and other than almost hitting a boar the size of a shetland pony it was a quick 4 ish hours.
My early conversations with Karl revolved around arrow weight and clothing not so much shot distances. That changed on our drive that morning. Due to my short draw length , 27 inches on a good day, I have a hard time getting speed without sacrificing arrow weight, which was a key component on this hunt. My pins were 20 - 40 in 5 yard increments with significant gaps in between. Karl had other hunters a few weeks ,before and due to lack of wind for cover and the bantengs flighty nature he thought it would be best if I had a 50 . I'm pretty comfortable with long distances so I figured he knows best. We picked out a termite mound , installed a TP target, I grabbed my allen keys and got to work. Half a dozen shots later I was set. This was my 40 pin at 50, too far to compensate in the heat of the moment.
Banteng hunting in Australia in August is HOT, VERY HOT ! Daytime temps were above 100 with a few in the 105+ range. Without a breeze and shade it can be a bit uncomfortable. We loaded water in our packs, Karl grabbed his Kreighoff 500 Nitro and Chris a 470 Nitro side by side and off we went. The banteng feed out into open flood plains at night for water and the lush grass that grows in it , they then filter back into the dense forest seeking relief in the shade from the ever baking sun. The plan is to hike toward them as they filter back looking for mature bulls in good stalkable spots. Karl said we would have to hike for 1.5-2 hours before we would see animals. You could have set your watch. About an hour and forty five in we spotted our first banteng. A young bull by himself standing in the shade.
Awesome adventure hunt for sure! Take your time and give us all the details.
After a few hours we started bumping into herds, some cows with calves some with juvenile bulls and cows. They are definitely on edge but, we had pretty good wind cover and in the thick forest you could get within 50 yards. Getting a shot is completely different. We were walking in a zig zag type pattern using the wind to our favor . I'll be honest a lot of this day was a blur. They were just starting their rut phase and once we got into them they were every where. Some herds were 50+ animals , they would bust and we would follow to see if there was a good bull. There's no shortage of animals and its beyond exciting getting in amongst them and sneaking around.
A cow with down facing horns at about 25 yards.
A cow with down facing horns at about 25 yards.
Some scenery
Some scenery
A big herd
A big herd
We started to get into more open forest the further we walked, the more open it got the animals we saw. We could see a small group of bulls in the distance but with the mirage from the heat it was hard to tell if any were mature. As we stood in the shade we saw a bull walking straight towards us , he clearly saw us but he obviously didn't know what we were. He had love on his mind and here he came. He pulled up short at 25 yards and looked at us in disgust then decided he best leave. I have amazing video of it but, I cant figure out how to post it.
We had probably seen close to 200 banteng of all shapes and sizes by now. Some we tried to get a better look at but were betrayed by the wind before we could get close enough to over come heat mirage. I was and still am amazed by how good their eyesight is. They would spot us from quite a good distance and once they saw us they just watched until we crossed their personal threshold then off in a cloud of dust they went. We saw a group of bulls that one was a nontypical with one downward horn but a very respectable bull and another bull that was an absolute brute. His body was easily 25% larger but, they saw us and off to the races they went.
We worked out to the floodplain and could see bulls in groups but, they were in the wide open. Karl noticed 2 bulls laying under a group of trees so we snuck closer for a better look. We got to about 200 yards when they noticed us and stood up. We were using some trees for cover and they weren't quite sure what they saw. I could tell by watching Karl that one was a good one, how good I had no clue.
He decided we were going to crab walk right at them to see if we could close the distance. The ground is very hard, very hot and rooted up from thousands of hoof prints. It was not fun.
We tried to use the trees they were under as cover but once they had seen enough of our feeble attempts at stalking they simply moved off into a stand of trees close to their original position but started to feed. We initially gave up and started walking back to Chris enjoying the breeze and shade but the bulls started to work their way back to a spot where we had some cover. We ran towards the cover and a game of cat and very big mouse began with us working the cover ever so closer as the bulls kept a semi watchful eye on us. We were within 100 yards now and we just needed a break to close that last 50-60 yards.
We played with these bulls for close to two hours. They would feed out into the plain then head back to the trees to get my hopes up, only to stop and stare in our direction as if to say " Not today pal" . I had the big bull at 80 yards that's as close as he would come, before another small group joined them . I tried walking straight to them in the open hoping they would be amazed at my stupidity and let me get to 50. There was high grass between us , high grass means water which means snakes or maybe a croc. I decided against wading. They bolted across the flood plain never looking back.
Karl had the decency to wait until after he they were gone to tell me how big that bull was. Possibly the new record or very close to it. Oh well , on to the next herd.
Look to the left of Karls shoulder. You can see the outline of the luckiest bull in Oz.
Look to the left of Karls shoulder. You can see the outline of the luckiest bull in Oz.
We headed back into the forest bumping big groups as we went. It was going to be virtually impossible to close in on the bulls tending these herds. They were at the start of their rut and the bigger bulls were displaying and grunting, they are actually quite vocal and we were using that to our advantage. A bull would bellow and we would go looking. we got back into the thick stuff and I saw a bull by himself standing in a very dark spot. I saw his ear move, that's all you could see. Karl and I snuck in, with Chris following with the video . I took my time and closed into 25 yards , arrow nocked waiting for Karl to give the ok. I had a small window maybe the size of grapefruit right in the sweet spot. Its these moments that seem to take forever. He was in such a dark spot that even in full daylight we just couldn't see his horns. He finally took a step forward and I got a thumbs up from Karl. I had to adjust now as my opening had moved. I found what I thought was the crease, started to draw when Karl gave me a low whistle and thumbs down. He wasn't mature enough. That bull has no idea how lucky he is. I whistled at him and off he went.
By now its around 3 pm and we are working our way back towards the truck. We have walked somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-9 km in 100+ degree temps , its about now that I realized I should have packed more water. Dehydration is not a pretty thing and we had a couple more hours to go yet.
As we were working our way thru the vegetation we had a group come running by with some decent bulls in tow. One small bull ran by at about 15 yards , not sure he even noticed us there. We started following them to see what bulls were there, we bumped them and just kept following trying to keep the wind right and cutting them off when we could, this went on for 2ish hours . We would lose them , a bull would bellow and we would pick them back up.
We ended up in a dry creek bed, me in the front, Karl in my hip pocket and Chris covering our flank. There were banteng on the bank above me, I snuck up the bank to see a huge bull try to mount a cow, I ranged him at 35 yards and started to draw. The cow wasn't having his nonsense and took off, bull in tow. I had him quartering away and just needed a few more seconds.
I ran down the way I came and up the creek bed to cut them off , I ended up right in the middle of the herd. Bulls pushing cows mounting cows , young bulls jockeying for position it was mayhem. I saw a giant of a bull with baseball bats for horns, both tips broomed off. I looked back to Karl turned back to the bull and he bolted after a cow. I saw another bull coming , pointed to him. Karl was 10 yards behind me, it took him just a second to greenlight him.
The bull was headed towards a small opening, I quickly but carefully moved to a spot to shoot. When he hit the opening at 25 yards I was waiting for him. The arrow zipped right thru him like he wasn't even there, I never did find it. I instantly gave Karl the thumbs up, I saw the nockturnal go right in the spot I'd shot my target 100's of times.
I ran after him to watch but Karl kept me back, after all he had the big gun.
The bull ran maybe 150 yards as a younger bull watched him fall. My childhood dream accomplished in the blink of an eye. Again I have video but it wont post.
They are a beautiful beast, their colors are striking the rust on the rump to the white stockings to the delicateness of their face. Jet black like a prime angus bull with the body of a Sherman tank. What a fantastic animal and a opportunity I will never forget, and to share it with great friends makes it impossible to top.
But wait there's more.
Chris gave quick chase to the herd as they busted after my shot, it was short lived they took off and we had one bull down 7 km from the truck already. We started to process my bull and about mid way we heard a bull bellow not far away. I looked up and i think my face caught Karls attention. A bull was running right towards us, what took place was kind of a blur , Karl grabbed the sticks, Chris fumbled with the 470 and in amazement the bull, a very good bull stood watching, slobbering like a baffoon.
One quick frontal shot from the 470 Nitro and we had 2 bulls down, 7 km from the truck, 30 minutes before dark without a pack to carry anything bigger than some clothes. We dont plan well.
Awesome! Try the video on YouTube (you can make it private) then tie the link in on your post
I started to cape Chris's bull while Karl finished mine. We got both done relatively quickly but it was now quite dark. Walking in that brush in daylight is hard enough, at night carrying 80+ lbs each , not a chance in hell. Karl decided he would go to the truck but he would have to drive way out around some stuff then try to get as close as he could to us. In hindsight , leaving us there while he wandered thru snake, spider and god knows what else infested country while we sat in the middle of nowhere northern territory and being the only person that knows where we were could easily get hurt or worse, probably wasn't a great decision but, we did .
We built a fire, talked about how we would get back to civilization if need be and waited on Karls return...and waited........and waited..............and waited...
About 3-4 hours later , here comes Karl, flip flops , shorts, no flashlight. He got the truck to within 700 yards. I've never been so glad to see a truck with a water cooler. When we headed out we saw a huge herd in the headlights , once we hit the road I know i passed out. I think we stopped in the middle of the road at some point and all slept. It was not a smart thing to drive the 4+ hours back to the lodge. I had to drive the last 45 min or so, Karl was spent, we all were.
We arrived back at the lodge at 0630 , 26 hours after we left.
Cheers, Off to buffalo camp tomorrow. It gets better.
Spectacular adventure! Excellent write up! Thanks and looking forward to more:-)
Great ! Congratulation . I would have become a casualty after 2 hours in 100 degrees sun and heat.
Great story and pics! Thanks for taking the time to tell it.
If you have a Youtube acct....load video there. If Youtube gives you the new loader to use, it's a 3 step process. After the vid is loaded and processed, you will get to the Step 3 where you can make it "Public", "Unlisted" or "Private". I use Unlisted as I can share the video and not have it public. In Step 3 you will also have an option to "Share" the vid. It gives you numerous ways to share it. The first one is "Embed". Select that. Highlight and copy all of what you see in the box and then come back here and paste it in the post you want. That should do it.
Great adventure right there. Thanks for sharing!
The first buffalo we got a good look at. A young bull, or Mickey as they are called.
The first buffalo we got a good look at. A young bull, or Mickey as they are called.
Later that afternoon after some much needed sleep and lots of water we set out for buffalo camp. The drive was 6ish hours and I was quite amazed how the terrain and vegetation changed. Camp was a very nice setting, a large cook tent attached to a even larger tent type building equipped with large dining table and a well stocked bar and satellite tv. Situated along a stream with a handful of smaller sleeping building up on the hill overlooking the stream. The wild bird life was amazing, cockatoos, all sorts of colorful parrots were present. We settled in , had a nice meal a few cold adult beverages and prepared for our first day of buffalo hunting the following morning.
The cook tent
The cook tent
Sleeping quarters, more than what was expected.
Sleeping quarters, more than what was expected.
Wild emu
Wild emu
Brad, What a great thread! Would you also share the cost, and any other recommendations that come to mind? Is it that hot where you were, the entire year? If not, why hunt the rut....is there something that you can to call them in...are they simply less focused at that time, increasing your chances for a shot? Looking forward to the rest of your hunting adventure....and the videos, if you ever figure out how to post them.
Awesome write up and pics so far! Thanks for sharing. Which Hoyt r u using...u said the WRX???Pls keep the stories and pics coming.
Buffalo hunting starts at the crack of 9ish am some mornings a tad later. I slept like the dead , when I woke up it was just breaking grey light. I could hear something feeding in the brush below me , after grabbing my binos I spotted a pretty good sized hog. Chris came out just about the time I was thinking I should shoot this thing. The hog had other plans and off he went. A great breakfast then we grabbed our gear and took off. buff hunting is a lot of driving and glassing and walking in to check some waterholes.
We were hunting a cattle station that was somewhere around 1 million acres give or take. There was cattle mixed in with the buffalo just about everywhere we looked.
I regret not keeping better notes on the day to day but it honestly was too much to remember unless you were doing it hourly. We drove all over, opened all kinds of gates , I honestly have no clue how many buffalo we saw or how much ground we covered. Several of the spots we walked into had cow and calf groups or small bulls . There were feral horses and donkeys all over the place. There isn't much water this time of year which concentrates the animals. They were also in the middle of a very severe drought which was killing cattle , the feral animals compete with the cattle for water so they are shot by the hundreds or thousands or so I was told. They were mustering ( rounding up) the cattle by helicopter to sell them before the drought took them.
Needs a few years. Karl is very picky on trophy quality.
Needs a few years. Karl is very picky on trophy quality.
I honestly don't remember the sequence or how or what we saw. I know we saw hundreds of buffalo, mostly cows with calves of all ages and quite a few younger bulls. We had a few bulls we got semi interested in only to get the thumbs down from Karl. This hunt is about covering lots of ground and looking over lots of animals to find just the right bull in just the right spot. Late that afternoon we found him at 345. He was with another bull just a tad smaller. As he started to walk diagonally towards up, we bailed out of the truck and in single file close together put a large tree between him and us and started cutting the distance.
Peek a Boo
Peek a Boo
When we got to the tree the buffalo knew something was up but, Karl started a calf in distress call and he just kept coming. Finally at 50 yards he got suspicious and stopped facing us. Peaking around the tree I was amazed to see this behemoth glaring at me. Big isn't a word one should use when referring to water buffalo, enormous is more fitting. I had no shot, it was pretty windy and a frontal shot at that distance is a hard pass from me. We played peek a boo for what seemed like forever, the bull finally had enough of our tom foolery and turned to leave but now he had closed the distance to 45 yards and Karl stopped him broadside. The arrow was on its way!
It buried almost up to the fletch, I was instantly concerned it was too low but Karl's reaction quickly reassured me the shot was on target. The blood was pouring and the bull lumbered off back the way he came.
Buff hearts are huge.
Buff hearts are huge.
I would love to report that 1 arrow was all it took but that just wouldn't be the case. We followed he stopped , I pinwheeled him at 35 he stumbled when he turned to run , I followed and put another in him on the button. He laid down as we walked to get the truck. When we got back he was down but not out , the damn thing just wouldn't die. Unable to get up , I had seen enough. I finished him with the 500 Nitro from a few yards away. Had we left and came back I'm quite sure he would have been gone but I just cant watch the suffering , bow kill, gun kill I had my bull and a damn good one at that. I'd be lying if I didn't say I regretted using a rifle to coupe de grais him, that's the bowhunter in me. The hunter in me regrets not doing it sooner. Shit happens.
You can see my first arrow on his left side, that lump on the right side is where the arrow tried to exit but stopped.
We processed him and got everything loaded up and started back to camp before dark , we hadn't gone but a mile and a hog was walking towards the road. Chris seized the opportunity to put the 470 to work as I videoed from the truck. Needless to say, a follow up shot was unneeded.
Awesome story and hunt. Forrest
That would look like a really big hog if was not for water buff in pic before. Looks like a great trip and nice write up!
Now you’re ready for a cape!
The next day was much of the same, driving glassing checking water holes . We were on a different portion of the station and weren't seeing as much as the day before. Some of the holes we walked into were covered in cattle and small groups of buffalo. Nothing really exciting. We did see a mob of pigs that, had we not been looking for a bull for Chris I'm sure there would have been some casualties, I love shooting hogs.
Again , late that afternoon we found a spring full of water that was covered in cattle and off in the distance a lone buffalo was under some trees. There were other buffalo around but this guy had Karl's attention and that's not good for the buff. We drove a bit loser for a better look then we were suddenly bailing out headed to the bull that by now, started to exit stage left. Karl, Chris , myself in line headed to a tree. The buff stopped to look , the sticks went up , fist shot was on the button, second was a raker to slow him down , a quick run in and a finisher and it was lights out. I captured it all on video.
Another great bull at 4 pm , that seems to be our killing time. 4 animals in a week all within the 4 oclock hour.
Their hide is amazingly thick. coupled with being caked in mud arrow penetration would seem virtually impossible or minimal at best.
The scrub bull truck
The scrub bull truck
Our plan was to hunt scrub bull the next few days and shoot hogs but prior to our arrival the scrub bull truck suffered a blown rear diff. Once Karl found out I'm mechanically inclined and he mentioned he had the parts, I was all about getting that rig up and running. So the next morning Karl and I laid under this beast and put her back in service. Not often do you go on a hunt in the literal middle of nowhere and have parts for stuff that's broken. Karl is prepared and is on point, one of the best operators Ive had the extreme pleasure to guide me. Plus hes a riot , dudes just sick.
Karl in all his glory.
Karl in all his glory.
The size of that heart, takes two hands to hold it.
Looks like a cape buff to me just different horns.
You done good , quite the trip, be interesting if get your videos uploaded.
Thanks for posting your adventure.
What an amazing adventure! Thanks for sharing and great shooting. Hope you can get the videos loaded.
Like said, easiest to upload to YouTube, right click on the video, click "Copy embed code", then paste into a post.
Well done, can't believe the size of those bulls. All that walking and stalking in that heat plus seeing all those animals, what a great adventure. Thanks for sharing the story and pictures. Percy
Hey Brad, WOW x100. Nicely done all around. my best, Paul
Great adventure and pictures. Australia is definitely on the to do list.
Great hunt report so far....congrats on your success.
A very exciting adventure. Waterfowler could you believe how wide water buffs are and their determination to live? Ya'll got some great trophies. Congrats
Would like to hear a little about your set ups- both bow & arrow (lbs, arrow weight & BH) & bullets (solids/softs, brand of bullet & grain) used.
Thanks for sharing
Richey hard at fleshy those nasty buff hides in 100+ degrees. Just a plain nasty job .
Richey hard at fleshy those nasty buff hides in 100+ degrees. Just a plain nasty job .
Scrub bull day started out like most , up at dawn mostly due to the parrots calling. Im not exactly sure where we were on the station but it was quite a drive which took us through some low lying country with a good sized area with water. Straight out of Crocodile Dundee , water buffalo on a marshy plain just stood and watched as we bounced by in Karl's rig. They had not a care in the world , belly deep in some mucky unpleasantness happily munching on the lush green grass.
II somehow forgot to mention Richey. Richey is the camp do all, guide extraordinaire , cape master, hide flesher and just all around good guy. He tags along most days offering hilarious quips in that aussie accent . He's quite handy with a knife which is a welcome trait on days when multiple beasts hit the dirt.
Scrub bulls as I remember, are the original breed of cattle brought to this region for the purposes of propagation, for a reason I don't remember they weren't working out so they were replaced with a brahma looking type of cow. The originals were left to fend for themselves and have become quite a sought after trophy. The scrub cows are welcome as they breed and produce a marketable commodity when mixed with the brahma. The scrub bulls are mustered and pretty much hated as the have a nasty disposition and enjoy loving in some very nasty vegetation.
We drove for quite a while through some very heavy brush. I found out why the high vehicle was needed, we drive over just about anything that would fit under the wheels.
As we were following along a creek bank , I saw a flash of reddish brown as a scrubber was exiting the creek about 150 yards in front of us. A mature scrub bull. We jumped out of the rig and waited a bit for him to calm down the slowly started to follow in his general direction to relocate him. We tried to quietly pick along but the walking was very noisey , we made it about 200 or so yards when I saw him standing watching his backtrail. He saw us just as I pointed him out to Karl. We put a tree between us and tried to be as quiet as possible. Like walking on potatoe chips in a rock bed. We somehow managed to get within 60 yards but it was to far and I had no shot due to the vegetaion.
He was standing on a slight rise above me , I told Karl I would try to close the gap to 50 . As i started to move his direction he turned to leave. I made a decision to do something I always wanted to do. Shoot a large double rifle. I swapped Karl bow for Kreighoff , swung to the bulls should just as he stopped to look back and swatted him with 570 grains of barnes x. He was not impressed, he took it like a champ and started leaving. Unfortunaley for him , Im handy with moving targets and put the second one in his right hip on a hard quarter. That on got his attention , he was down but right back up and off to the races we went. Karl running full sprint me trying to follow and load a double rifle . Its was stressful. karl caught up to him after 150 yards standing under a tree , head down. He laid down I crept in and finished him. It was epic.
Double rifles are awesome.
Double rifles are awesome.
Recovered bullet. It traveled from the hip to the crease in the opposite shoulder, the hide stopped it.
500 NE
500 NE
Richey brought the truck up and we got to work. A euro mount for me and brisket, loins and backstrap for dinner.
After we had my bull squared away, we went looking for a scrubber for Chris. We had gone maybe a mile or so when Chris saw a bull with a white blaze staring at us. There were several bulls in the group. Chris and Karl took chase while Richey and I stayed in the truck. A short while later the 470 barked twice then a few seconds later a third time. I jumped in the drivers seat and stared towards the shooting.
Chris had a wonderfully colored scrubber with a huge body. Another fantastic day in Australia and it was only lunchtime!
We butchered Chris's bull and headed back to camp for the day.
2 great scrub bulls by noon.
2 great scrub bulls by noon.
We decided to take the rest of the day off and go swimming. There is a big lagoon close to camp that is high up in the rocks, which means no crocs. The water was perfect. We grabbed a few beers and spent the rest of the just relaxing in the water. Well deserved and very much welcomed relief from the heat.
Awesome hunt thanks for taking us along.
T.O
great thread and timing as it doesn't look like buff hunts will be happing this year!
I decided to spend a day or two looking for a scrub bull to bow kill or a giant broken horn buffalo Karl was talking about. A previous hunter wouldn't shoot him due to being broken but, I'm not proud and if he was as big as Karl said I'd shoot him in a heartbeat. We looked for that broken horn bull for quite awhile but he never did turn up again until after we left. We were looking for a scrubber when we came upon the corral where they were mustering cattle and buffalo. They round them up and live ship them to somewhere in southeast asia. It was a fascinating thing to watch. The chopper got them near the chutes where some badly beaten jeeps awaited to drive them down the chutes into a corral.
We stopped to talk the the station owner/chopper pilot. He mentioned seeing a scub bull in a spot Karl knew about . Apparently said bull wasn't having any of the chopper business and held his ground. We decided to go have a look. We picked our way thru some low trees with the wind in our favor just sneaking along a trail when I saw the bull laying down under a tree facing away. I took the lead as Karl hung back a bit, slowly picking my way along a trail parallel to the bulls position. As I closed into 40ish yards he must have saw or heard something and stood up but still facing away. It was thick and I had no shot. I stayed on my course that would put me right in front of him. He turned to face me but his head was obscured by low hanging branches. I moved into 30 yards as he stood facing me, slightly quartering. I looked at his body position and the angle for a minute and tried to figure out where that volley ball sized heart lay in that massive chest. I picked a fold in his chest and buried a arrow up to the fletch in it. He took off with Karl and myself in hot pursuit. He was hit hard and the blood trail was ample. We caught up to him after 150 yards standing for a moment then breathing his last.
He was a fantastic old bull, no teeth on the bottom and some very nasty scars from fighting, I couldn't have been happier. The handshakes and smiles were all around as we admired this fine bull. I insisted on a cape for a shoulder mount much to Karl and Richeys dismay.
Just some random photos
Just some random photos
Myself, Chris and the infamous Karl.
Myself, Chris and the infamous Karl.
We spent a day driving around Chris for a big boar hog and myself just sightseeing . We headed back to Darwin , did the tourist thing for a day or two then back to Sydney then the long flights back home. Using Outdoor Adventure Specialists thru Chris was probably one of the smarter decisions I've made in awhile. I had zero issues with the travel, baggage, multiple layovers and several hotels.
I cant wait to go back.
The broken horn bull. What a monster.
The broken horn bull. What a monster.
Congrats! Looks like an epic adventure!
Excellent write up! Thanks for taking the time, I really enjoyed it!
Man, looks like a great time!
Awesome, thanks for sharing!
Awesome Adventure Down Under!
Wow! What an amazing adventure! Loved every minute of it Brad. Congrats!
Would love to see some video! Let us know if you need help posting!
I opened this thinking it was a Dolly Parton thread with a missing "r" in the title...
Thanks for sharing this with us, waterfowler! Looks like a great adventure.
Congrats on the dead critters!! Thanks for sharing the story..
Unreal kills! Awesome! But I got to be honest, I did a double take on the thread title. My mind in the gutter at first thought it said Fantastic Breasts.
I think a couple of you forgot what website you are on. You must of thought you were on one of those NSFW sites.
Brad, Were you anywhere near the part of Australia that does the cull hunts for feral horses and camels? Any snake encounters? They have seven of the ten most venomous snakes in the world down there.
Awesome account of your hunt! I have to do this now. Lil close together in the pool tho. hehe
Wow! Just wow! That looks like an awesome trip! Congrats and thanks for sharing.
Congratulations! Great write up.
Wow, that was a great hunt! Thanks for sharing Brad, I really enjoyed following along.
WF....hopefully you get the vid loading thing figured out. I'd like to see your vids.
This thread is like a football game- I did my initial post during halftime. What an awesome adventure. Ya'll were into some good stuff with that hunt- "Shafts & Solids"!
Thanks again for the business Brad and it was a pleasure hunting with you. Australia provides many gifts.... this one was for the wife
Here is a video of my Buffalo hunt with the Blaser S2 in 470NE (heavy handed bow)
This is an awesome thread. Thanks for sharing. Like Jake mentioned, the camels and donkeys are intriguing to me.
This is an awesome thread and recap, and an awesome hunt. Thanks a lot for sharing it. I really enjoyed it
What a fantastic recap! Congrats on a great adventure and thanks so much for sharing it.
