Ironbark Outfitters 2023 buff hunts
Hogs
Mick the mechanic!! ??
Mick the mechanic!! ??
Tyler's Link
G’day bowsiters! We’re back in action for another season chasing buffs with the bows. I left home on the sunshine coast on Wednesday afternoon to start the 3000km drive to camp. I’ve got a couple new additions a newer land cruiser upgraded from my 2012 model to a 2019 model and a new trailer the I picked up cheap from an auction and did some mods to to suit my needs. I’ve also got Starlink in camp as I’m a new father as of November to my son Austen and Daughter Ava I felt internet was necessary to be able to keep in contact with my family while I’m here for a few months. With the internet I will probably provide daily updates here throughout the season.
The trip up went fairly well with a stop to see good friends where I gifted a buffalo skull to their son who is 5 and has shown interest in fishing and hunting. He was very excited and had lots of questions! I carried on to mount isa where Mick flew in and we carried on toward camp. We overnighted at the Barkly homestead and made the fourth and final day drive to camp today. 1 km from camp the bolt that holds the spring pack together broke which was a drama but an hour later we had things back in place and made it to camp to get partially set up.
We saw about 50 buff on the way in. as it was mid day this was pretty good numbers. 4 were biiiig shooter bulls which was good to see we saw a few scrub bulls as well. Despite apparently having a big wet season up here and starting my season a month earlier then normal there is a good amount of water around but nowhere near what I was hoping/expecting to see. Conditions are much better than last year which is a welcome change!
Stay tuned!
This is all very cool Tyler! Thanks for the thread and the updates, greatly looking forward to the season!
Very much looking forward to this thread again this year, Tyler!
Black headed python.
Black headed python.
Don’t let the snakes get Mick before I get there in a couple months! He owes me a camel.
—jim
Good luck on your season T-dog! Hope all is well with you and the family
Best of luck to everyone, especially Alan and Kurt. Sure wish we could have made that last flight work out but just wasn't meant to be this year.
Good luck Tyler! Always enjoy following along on your adventures.....................just do me a favor: how ‘bout showing MORE buff and LESS snakes! (had a bad experience once! ;-)
Tyler, do you hunt private Stations or Arnhem land?
Good luck this season
Thanks for taking the time to post you hunts
Looking foreword to following along
Cheers Dino and Troy!
Will try and keep Mick alive for you Jim but you know what he’s like!
Thanks Evan we’re all doing well will catch up with you later this year in Manitoba.
Thanks Jeff. We will see you down here one of these days!
Beendare I hunt private aboriginal land
Had a bit of a scout around have seen about 10 big shooter bulls and plenty cows calves and young bulls. There is lots of water around and the grass is tall. The buff are spread out and harder to see due to this. Harder to find but better for hunting overall. Here is a mob of cows that stuck around for a photo yesterday I felt obligated to post this pic to keep rutnut from having snake nightmares
They are either daring you to come join them for a drink or you owe them money!
Oooooh internet yet…this will be a top thread!
Roadside bull
Roadside bull
Day 1 Well a bit of dramas hunters were delayed and missed their flight to camp. Also some bags were missing. Was able to rebook them for the following day and they made that flight but we are short 1 bow so my trusty old Hoyt is in action. Saw about 60 buffalo on the way to the airport this morning a couple good bulls. A nice old broomed bull stood roadside on the way home for the guys to have a look at about a 88 incher. We also had a good boar cross the road in front of us! The afternoon hunt we drove 200M from camp and there was a 90 inch bull walking down the road into the wind away from us. Mick and Jimmy set off after him and Whit and I made new plans. Turns out they couldn’t catch the bull as he never broke stride for 4kms. Whit and I had a good close encounter with some cows one which was a shooter but she stayed at the back of the mob while others Fed past at 7 yards
The closest buff. A young cow and calf
The closest buff. A young cow and calf
Day 2 mick and Jimmy stalked a scrubber first up as Jimmy is using my bow he had 3 failed attempts at drawing it back (too heavy) before the bull busted him at 22 yards. They walked a further km or so and caught a good buff leaving the plains headed into the river. The caught him perfectly in the drainage , crept over the top and Jimmy made a good shot as the bull stopped at 20 yards to rub a tree. The bull went 60 yards and tipped over! Bull should go about 90 with a fair bit of age and character!
Whit and I were working in on a big bull 95 incher or so but ended up surrounded by buff and couldn’t pursue him without getting busted. As we waited things out the scrubber that Jimmy had stalked previous had crossed the river and stopped to rest under a tree. Whit and I made a stalk on him but with noisy cane grass it was a challenge to get into him. We got to 55 yards before we got busted. After that we went into pursuit of our original target and actually located him a while later. He was with a half dozen cows feeding in some heavy cover. We got in reasonably tight to the group and had good shot opportunities at all the buff in the mob apart from the big bull. He eventually showed himself at 34 yards but busted us as we were coming to draw.
The afternoon we had a close encounter with a low 90s bull on a floodplain he came into 42 yards but only offered frontal shots which I wasn’t keen on. We saw another big old shooter bull with a broken horn missing about 1/3 off one side.
Damn Tyler, Every time I read one of your write-ups, I want to start packing & book a flight. The last time I hunted with you, I told you I'de be back in five years. Well, that's only four years from now. So, please keep it going & I'll try to stay alive! Looking forward to future write-ups. Kerry will be with you in a few weeks. Don't let the pigs get him like last time. Good hunting....
Good start, Tyler! Keep the updates (and pics) coming!!
You are going to spoil us with daily updates....so please continue to do so!!
What changed between the two stalks that enabled Jimmy to draw your bow? Great picture/story. Keep them coming.....
Are you near Jabiru? I’m here for work for a few weeks. Hopefully get out and see some sights…
I’ll keep your seat warm in the cruiser Ken!
Not too sure what changed medicineman apparently he struggled once but I didn’t see it and got it back the second time. I guess a bit more of an adrenaline rush with the buff and maybe the warm up attempts on the scrub bull helped.
No I’m not close to jabiru. Beautiful area there!
Day 3 was more or less a write off. Jimmys bows showed up at the airport so we hunted our way there. We had one stalk on an old cull bull but didn’t get inside of 45 yards. We got the bags had a meal at heartbreak went for a swim and hunted our way home. We stalked a good 96-98 inch bull we got in position and a younger bull split the mob of cows pushing them right to us there was an old cow with broken horns in the lead and they were going to walk overtop of us so I told Whit to shoot her as it was all going to go to shit in a few seconds anyway. The cow stopped broadside at 15 yards and the next 3 buff were walking right to us. Whit drew and shot the cow quick but hit her too far back behind the crease of the shoulder about mid way up the arrow nearly went all the way through. I stepped up the back to shoot her as it was a gut shot but she was shielded by others she walked behind a clump of bush with 2 other buff I saw the other 2 come out and she didn’t re appear. All the buff moved off I never saw her again. We went for a look and couldn’t turn up anything. Not sure what happened.
Failed to mention that a snake may or may not have come down the falls hitting Whit on the shoulder as he was enjoying the warm water lol
Failed to mention that a snake may or may not have come down the falls hitting Whit on the shoulder as he was enjoying the warm water lol
Beautiful spot….until you said snake hahahah
Thanks for sharing!! Love the threads from 1/2 way around the world.
Very kool----->
Thanks for sharing,
Robb
A cow at 19 that gave us every shot opportunity in the book
A cow at 19 that gave us every shot opportunity in the book
Hahaha yeah that was a first time in 20 years!
Today was a bit slow. We did a lot of walking. Whit and I found all the wrong buffalo in all the right places. Small bulls and cows in great spots we stalked a few into 20 yards with ease for fun. We had a shot on a huge boar at 39 yards but the shot was too low and hit the mud. Mock and jimmys day was a bit similar. They passed a 90 inch bull saw several cows small bulls etc. after the evening hunt we saw a thumper driving back to camp just before dark a solid 105 model but with no wind and 10 mins of light left we left him be.
Great pics and commentary Tyler! And THANKS for NO snake pics this time! ;-)
Been a whirlwind here. Sort of lost track what happened in the past 48 hours. Long story short whit and I were struggling with some good walks in good areas just not turning up the shooter buffs. Meanwhile Jimmy and Mick just keep stacking them up. Jimmy had a younger bull come in and he just couldn’t help himself. He’s not a bad bull scoring 82 and to take his second buff cleanly with his bow he was stoked! Whit and I had a good evening hunt and it seemed our luck changed too much we saw about 100 buff and a couple good bulls among them but couldn’t do much with that many animals.
Today whit and I stalked a bomber bull on a waterhole we got into 70 yards but were only 20 yards off his wallow. He came right into 22 yards and knew something wasn’t right and kept his head low offering no frontal shot window. Bull would have been 96 or so. Meanwhile mick and Jimmy had killed jimmys 3rd bull a beauty with long points I estimate will go 92-94. It was another clean archery kill with a perfectly placed frontal shot at about 30 yards. We had a swim mid day and confirmed the snake that is living there is indeed an inland taipan one not to mess with. He was curled up in the grass near the falls. I’ll take my GoPro next time to get a pic for you rut nut.
Afternoon hunt we did a drive and saw about 200 buff some good ones in the wrong spots finally on the way back to camp I spied a big bull doing the right thing. Whit and I used a dry winding creek for cover. I’ve killed 4 bulls from this creek. A long long stalk finally had as us at 29 yards and whit made a good shot. I expect the bull to go 98-100
Jimmys 82
Jimmys 82
Jimmys 94
Jimmys 94
Whit’s 100? Will tape em
All tomorrow
Whit’s 100? Will tape em
All tomorrow
Congrats to the hunters. Very exciting
Tyler, Do you think that it was a Fierce snake that hit Whit on the shoulder? Holy crap!! That's reportedly the most venomous terrestrial snake in the world!!
Not 100% sure what it was will try and get a photo of it this week if it’s still hanging around. The final day was a ripper. Whit and I got into a good bull a lengthy stalk went south and we were busted at 45 yards. We were in heavy cover and the bull came in to check us out. At 12 yards he offers no shot and spooks. I called at him and he stopped and came rushing back into 24 Whit made no mistake and sent one down his throat the bull made a fast 60 yard sprint spun out and was dead in 3 seconds. We hit a billabong for some Barra action swing both boys hook into a Barra each. Unfortunately Whit pulled hooks on a big 15lber. We then cruised into heartbreak for the night shooting a good boar on the way in with whits last arrow. His shot was a bit low it was likely fatal but the boar wasn’t going to give up the ghost so Jimmy put the finisher in him for a joint kill to wrap up their trip.
Final tally Buff went 98,92,91,90,82. 1 boar, 1 dog and a Barra each. Whit also shot a young scrubber doing me a favour of providing meat for the trad owners. Was a great week
Figured rutnut might like to see this greater black whip snake. Spotted on a cool morning from the cruiser he was trying to warm up in the sun
Sounds like a great week, Tyler. What type of call did you make to bring that bull in? Are you mimicking another bull?
Great week! Sounds like some great shots made.
LOL Tyler! : ) Sounds like you had a very eventful week!
Always thought Australia would be a cool place to visit..............................until I found out about all the "nasties" you have there! ;-)
Any handsome Degner men in camp?
Yes it was a great week Troy. The buffalo all make the same sound bulls cows calves all sound alike so I just made a few mews.
Yes Beav I think it was the best shooting I’ve whitnessed in my 7 years here.
Hahah rutnut I find the years where there is more water around I see more snakes. This year is one of those years seeing 1 per day on average. Last year being dry I didn’t see a snake all season. Yea a few other nasties but no different to hunting in Canada with wolves bears mountain lions etc IMO.
There is a degner in camp but he may be past prime. Will see how well his legs work and if his nerves and shooting ability are up to scratch.
The bull that Dale almost connected on. A heavy herd bull with tight curl
The bull that Dale almost connected on. A heavy herd bull with tight curl
The first afternoon we just went for a short drive we ended up seeing about 20 buff 2 shooter bulls but we were not able to make a play on either bull. We also saw a couple dingos but they were a bit skittish!
Day 1 Dale and I teamed up and went for a stroll in some great country but the cover was a lot more dense than normal. We turned up a good scrub bull but he had a broken horn and ended up getting our wind. We got onto some buff but it was all cows and youngsters. We did sneak into 9 yards of a cow for a bit of fun.
Mick and Rick saw 6 buff but the biggest bull was about 80 so they passed him up despite being 25 yards away.
The afternoon hunt Dale and I worked into a swamp we got into a mob of cows and sat off them 80 yards in hopes a bull would turn up and he did. We didn’t have any safe bet options to close the gap so we waited it out. About an hour later the buff seemed to make a move travelling down a wall towards a bigger water hole. We got into position the lead cow and 4 younger ones came past at 30 yards. The bull was next as he approached and Dale got ready to draw the lead cow cut our ground scent and erupted. The bull was about 2 steps from being broadside and giving Dale a good shot. Very close but no cigar.
Rick and mick stalked a couple bulls they got into 34 yards of a good bull but he never offered a good shot opportunity.
Overall a good first day
That heavy bull just looks cool!
I’ll take the 4 legged “nasties” over the slithering kind any day! No need to check your sleeping bag for them............. ;-)
Sounds awesome mate! Keep the updates coming. That looks like a great bull Dale was close to connecting on… That pic of Dale by the water along the wall…Mick took a pic of me there in 2017, he said less than 25 white dudes had likely ever been there, super remote and super cool!!!
Day 2 Dale and I got into a small group of buff maybe 12 animals the bull was a thumper at 50 inches wide with lots of brooming he would have scored about 96 with tons of mass and character. We sat off the group until finally they came to us we were well setup. Unfortunately the lead cow came right to us and I had to stop her at about 15 feet as she had a young calf and didn’t want to get into any trouble. The bull was at 42 yards at this point but never gave us a shot. We continued our walk to a waterhole but only spotted cows. Just past the waterhole we got onto another good bull a quick stalk put us into 32 yards but the bull had picked us up. We were in good cover and shade and kneeling. He got curious and came into 28 offering a good frontal shot opportunity unfortunately Dale hit about 4 inches too low and we didn’t recover the bull.
Rick and mick had a good stalk on a huge scrubber and came up with the goods 30 yard quartering away shot did the trick. The bull walked off a bit and watched the back trail very angrily. He fell over several times and after 45 mins of waiting Rick said for mick to just put him Out of his misery.
The afternoon hunt didn’t turn up many buff but Dale got a shot off on a wild dog it was 26 yards and all we could see was neck and head. He made a good shot for what was offered but we didn’t recover the dog either.
Day 3 Dale and I hunted a new area we first spotted a cow buff we thought she was along and could hear some scrub cattle talking so we decided to check out the scrubbers. Which our wind would blow out the cow buff. Of course as she got our wind a shooter bull had appeared and quickly disappeared as well. We spotted the scrubbers and got into position to intercept their travels. Their travel stoped and forced us to move in. We got in fairly tight 50-80 yards and we’re trying to pick a bull out of the mob of 8 or so animals. As we were waiting about 30 mins had gone by when a great buff appeared headed our way right through the middle of the cattle. We switched gears. The bull passed behind a large tree and termite mound Dale drew I gave him the yardage 13 yards and he shot! Unfortunately he has a slider sight which I can’t stand for buffalo hunting he forgot he had it set on 30 and didn’t have time to adjust it anyway. His shot was 4 inches high and into the shoulder blade. I let the .375 eat when the bull stopped at 80 yards or so he took off and I whacked 2 more in him on the run. It pulled him up 150 yards away and we were able to get a final arrow in him.
Rick and mick had a stalk on a good bull with a herd of cows the cows busted them but didn’t really spook they just moved off leaving the bull behind the moved into 35 yards and Rick made a good shot he hit a bit low but still enough to take out the heart and tip the bull over within 90 yards!
Great stuff Tyler! Keep the pics and stories coming.
Spectacular hunting over there for sure… I need to get serious about a trip to do this!
Day 4 Dale and I hit the same area as we didn’t really hunt the whole spot. We crossed the river and got into a scrub bull. He bedded in the open and was 50 yards from cover so we decided to hang back. He got up and started moving and we tried to intercept but he was moving too fast we closed into 43 yards and got busted. Dale managed to draw and shoot but the bull moved at the shot and the arrow hit a branch and it was a clean miss. We saw plenty of other buff but no shooter bulls.
Rick and mick passed on a 90 inch broomed bull looking for a high 90s+ they saw about 30 pigs but unfortunately it was when they were driving so they were on the move! Later in the morning they came upon some brumbys. The brumbys busted them but as they do they ran in for a closer look! With not enough time to range Rick guessed 40 and shot and made a perfect double lung. ( I won’t be posting a photo)
Dale and I got onto 2 scrub bulls this afternoon they seemed very cagey and the target bull got a whiff of us at 90 yards he was a cool bull with one white upturned and one downturned horn with a beautiful red skin he was a pearler!!
Fantastic updates, thanks for that Tyler.
Please stop posting or I may have to book a hunt.
Seriously, thanks for sharing. Looks like a really cool adventure.
Day 5 we decided to do a full day out from camp we had lunch packed and we set off. We first passed a mid 90s bull on the plains that would have been a waste of time. Further up the track a lone bull stood on the road mick and Dale had a go on him but he knew the game and they were unable to close the gap. We carried on to piggy piggy where my other camp is and came across a good low 90 bull with half a dozen cows Dale and I did a loop around a rocky ridge to get the wind right. We came back over the top and the buff were now fixated on the cruiser. We stalked easily into 34 yards the bull stood in some shade making it hard to see where to place the arrow. The bull started to step into the sun Dale started to draw but the bull just moved right through the lane then turned away giving us no shot. We carried on driving to explore some new country but only 2 miles down the road I spotted another heavy old bull. Dale and I stalked back on him. He was in a good spot we closed into 80 quickly but unfortunately he had other plans and started to walk off. I let him cross this open area before we followed. He walked with a bad limp and his tail was short with several kinks likely had been chewed on by dogs when he was a calf. We paralleled him in the scrub keeping the wind good about 50 yards off the back left of him this continued for what seemed Like ages. Finally he stopped to feed a little and we closed in we had a great 34 yard quartering away shot Dale came to full draw but couldn’t figure out where to aim with the dark shadows on the buffs black body. The bull kept moving we kept after him I was patiently waiting for the right opening to close the gap from 40/50 to inside 30. We finally got a bit of a break in the cover the bull slowed to feed momentarily and the breeze picked up we got to 26 yards. I told Dale to look through his binos before drawing as the shadows and longer grass can deceive an inexperienced buff hunter. He found his mark however at this moment the buff turned his head away giving us an opportunity to close in. I pushed into 18 yards and had a good visual of the buff I stepped to the side and put Dale on that spot he drew and shot. The arrow hit exactly where I wanted he got reasonable penetration about 2/3. The buff spun and a wallaby took off. This was a great distraction the buff looked in disbelief at the wallaby thinking how did that hurt me. He whirled and ran 10 yards stumbled and fell over dead in 15 seconds making only 18 yards. Dale was stoked to finally have a clean killed archery buff! And I can say it was a very enjoyable stalk one of my favourites so far! We scrapped the plans for the rest of the day as I decided to keep the cape as a replacement for a friend of mine. On the way back to camp I spotted a low 100 inch buff that Rick and I stalked. We got to 34 yards but got spotted crossing a patch of sun. The bull turned and faced us but didn’t lift his head and didn’t come any closer.
Fantastic work and write-up Tyler! Glad Dale was able to get that one shot clean arrow kill! Stay with it mate!
Day 6 we decided to explore the table lands. I’ve been up here a few times but the hunting is generally fairly average. Game is few and far between. Being a longer hunt we figured we’d go sightseeing. There is a big lagoon up the top which is where we headed. We bumped into one scrub bull on the way he was very flighty. We circled the lagoon and got the wind right and spotted a mob of pigs. Mick and the boys set off and a sat in the cruiser awaiting pickup instructions. Some hand signals were happening which got interpreted by Dale to do a push of the pigs back towards Rick and mick. This is not what mick was trying to get him to do. Long story short the pigs moved into heavy cover and Rick got a couple arrows away connecting on a big sow. On the backside of the lagoon is a spring so we went for a short walk there and almost picture perfect stood this big scrub bull feeding on the green swamp grass. Dale and I wasted no time. We skirted the edge and got into 50 yards with the bull feeding our way. He came into 40 and turned broadside. Dale shot but hit too far back. The bull trotted along unaware of what happened. He stopped on the edge at 48 yards Dale put another shot in this time clipping a lung. The bull walked 5 yards and bedded in tall grass. We looped around to keep the wind good and moved in with mick for extra firepower backup. With the bull bedded facing us we had no real shot. After a tense 10 mins or so the bull finally stood to face us. He made the mistake of turning his head slightly to the side and Dale zapped him front on at 19 yards and the blood flowed immediately. He tipped over and Dale finally had his big scrubber. We enjoyed a swim that afternoon and a slow cruise back to camp.
Day 7 Dale and I were targeting pigs dogs and possibly another scrubber as Dale is slightly obsessed with them. We started by hitting a waterhole seeing plenty of buff which we skirted to not spook. As we worked along the waterhole we had neared the end when Dale grabbed my shoulder and said is that a scrubber horn. I looked 70 yards ahead and bedded behind a tree with just one horn showing was another big scrub bull. We had a big tree for cover we removed our shoes to close the gap to 35. Just as we got the shoes off and taken a few steps we had to give way to a black whip snake. Unfortunately those seconds lost cost us getting to the tree I wanted to get to, the scrubber got up and walked across the dry end of the waterhole. We knelt down he was 49 yards he walked across the open area and stopped on the other side at 54 yards quartering away. Dale wanted to shoot despite it being further than I’d recommend. His shot was too far forward hitting tight to the shoulder. With the quartering angle and leg forward i feel although it looked good it wasn’t in the vitals. The bull trotted up into the scrub we followed and got a second shot at him. This time 60 yards with a termite mound partly covering the vitals. Dale hit too high in the scapula. We tracked the bull for a couple hours and about 2.5 miles before loosing the blood. On the return trip we were walking the river and I spotted a big boar just 12 yards in front of us bedded under a tree. Most of the pig was covered but there was a decent window into the top of his shoulder blades dale made a good shot for what was on offer the exit hole was tight in the right shoulder but the boar didn’t seem phased. We perused him and got a follow up through brush hitting centre of mass. We followed the boar for another 30 yards or so and lost him and the blood. I think he is dead there somewhere but just couldn’t find him.
Mick and Rick had a slow day seeing some good buff but really looking for a high 90-100 inch class.
Decided to do a trip to a billabong for some Barra today. On the way we came across a good bull walking down the road into the very stiff wind we had. As soon as I saw him I knew he was dead Rick and mick put on a quick stalk. I’d guess 5 minutes all up at 26 yards rick made a perfect shot and they watched to bull nose dive 25 yards later! We hit the fishing hole and Dale caught a couple good Barra the biggest being about 12 lbs at a guess
Week 3 day 1 Luke and I got into a good bull early in our walk. I hate seeing a shooter first up because I like to show guys a few buff talk about shot placement and get some of the excitement out of their veins. We stalked into 36 then into 26 but the bull saw some Movement and spooked he held at 42 but I didn’t want to shoot that far. The bull moved off pretty relaxed. We ended up following him and having another stalk. We only got to 50 yards this time and the bull saw us but came in for a closer look. He came into 25 yards and offered a great frontal shot opportunity but unfortunately the bull did not have the typical 2 white throat patches which give guys a good aiming point. Luke didn’t feel comfortable shooting and I had no distinct point to describe to him where to shoot so we passed. If I was hunting it was an easy dead bull having looked at enough buff. We saw several other cows and calves some in very close range which was fun for Luke to study buff up close. On the walk back to the truck we spotted a brumby made a stalk and Luke made a perfect 53 meter double lung shot. Mick and kerry played dominos bumping the first herd of buffalo which pushed the next herd and the next. Afternoon hunt was slow luke and I stalked a bull in the flood plains but couldn’t get inside 100
That's a wide bull with some cool character....and maybe some attitude!
I’d like to work on that one in Tyler’s photos!!! Nice bull!
I will be excited to see pictures Kurt! Do you have your set up dialed in and ready to go?
They are a huge buffalos. Are they the same species as the ones that live in Argentina'?
Holy smokes! That thing looks like he could practically fly, with those horns! How wide would you guess him to be, Tyler?
Yup Jeff, arrowed my best black bear 3 weeks ago at 45 yards with the Buff bow and arrows...shooting very well. Starting to get excited about the hunt...not the flight over though. Tyler's posts certainly raise the anticipation!
Yeah he is a fairly wide was missing a couple inches off one horn. No attitude with him he was actually quite dopey I doubt that he will make the end of July. He’s a straight horned bull. They look impressive but don’t score as well as a curved horn bull. They are my personal preference I’d estimate him to be 46-48 inches wide.
These are different species to the buffalo in Argentina Potro
Day 2 was a pretty good day we drove to piggy piggy camp area and hunted there on the way we saw a good bull on his own but we had no wind so we continued past him to stick with the original plan. When we arrived to where we wanted to hunt there was a lone bull there he was nice but a touch young scoring maybe 85 he joined up with 4 other young bulls and carried on their way. Mick and kerry set off one way and Luke and I went another. Luke and I found what looked to be a huge bull at first glance. We stalked in and he came out into the open he was in fact a huge bull unfortunately he had broken one horn off so his bad side was only about 14 inches long where his good side was 32-33 and I figured his bases were 17 inches or better. We tried to kill him but had little cover. We got to 70 yards and we’re hoping he would feed towards us but the wind swirled after about 30 mins and that ended that. Mick and kerry saw a fair few buff one bull in the low 90s and the rest of the bulls were in the 70-80 range. While driving back to camp luke and I had a quick stalk to 32 meters of a mid 90s bull but he was chasing cows around and never paused for a shot. Mick and kerry stalked the next bull a beauty young bull scoring about 90 slipped down into a gully for a wallow Kerry got into 10 or so yards but didn’t shoot, hoping for something bigger I guess.
Mick and kerry saw about 70 buff in the evening hunt but swirling winds spoiled their hunt. Luke and I went on a long fast walk to where I’d seen a good bull 5 days prior. We found him and his few cows but he was in an impossible place to get to without getting busted so we backed out and left him alone. He’s a tight curled bull I think will go 94-96. Hoping someone gets him this season.
Another one for rut nut but don’t be fooled this is no snake!! It’s a legless Lizard called a rusty topped delma.
We are seeing lots of snakes this season usually one per day.
One snake ever is one to many, much less one per day ugh.
thanks Tyler for the clarification. too many snakes in Australia, are these ones dangerous?
Tasty!
Tasty!
brumby Hmm! No description, so a quick google search , interesting read, big problem there as is here with brumbys.
Another one for rut nut but don’t be fooled this is no snake!! It’s a legless Lizard called a rusty topped delma.
We are seeing lots of snakes this season usually one per day.
There are lots of snakes in australia I wouldn’t say too many. but like anything they are afraid of people it’s only when people try to remove them or kill them that they get bit. Hahah yes huntcell I figured for those that read along they can google I don’t need to share pics for the antis.
Today was a long day we covered a lot of miles and saw a lot of buff. We are struggling to get on them a bit as we have the full moon working against us and little to no wind which generally swirls. The highlights of today was mick and kerry stalking a low 100 inch bull they got to 30 yards but the bull offered no shot always quartering too. Luke and I stalked in on a mob off buff with a big bodied but short horned bull in the mid was thought to be a big wide cow. As I was looking “her” over to see if she had a young calf something didn’t seem right her body was huge standing a good 6-8 inches higher than the herd bull there looked to be a small pizzle but the cows often get outy belly buttons when pregnant. I was confused. I was looking for udders on this thing but couldn’t see any. I started to think it was a bullock or steer. I don’t run any bullocks on this place like some outfitters do I had never seen this animal before but can confirm it was indeed a bullock. We wanted to shoot it as it was probably 100+ inches as I find them hard to judge with body features oversize and horns long but lacking mass.
We got into 34 meters and had a steep quartering away shot but it was too steep. The buff turned broadside but covered the vitals with the only bush that was near it. It then stepped behind a tree and around the tree facing us and now a calf had picked us up. We had a stare down and nothing developed until they got our wind and took off.
That’s interesting Tyler! Never knew you had legless lizards..................especially that long!
I was wondering what a brumby was...............
The bull we sat 200 yards off of
The bull we sat 200 yards off of
Mick and kerry hunted a new area that I previously saw a huge bull the night prior. They saw him but didn’t get into bow range. Mick figured he was 110+. They saw a few other shooter bulls but once again the lack of wind this week has done us in time and time again.
Luke and I also hunted a new area and turned up a really heavy bull I figured would go around the 100knch mark. We sat off him 200 yards as we had no play where he was in relation to his cows. Due to the full moon these buff were stationary by 8 am and all 6 buff never took a step in 45 minutes while we waited. The wind finally swirled and set them off. I don’t let failed stalks get to me but as a guide hunting buff with no wind is almost pointless unless you get very lucky. We started our loop and quickly stumbled onto some scrubbers. 2 bulls feeding together. Luke wanted a scrubber but was now concerned about loosing time towards buff hunting. Simply put if we pass these scrubbers he likely won’t see another so he decided to have a go. The wind was pushing perpendicular to their travel so I was trying to flank them in a shallow gully. The gully ran out and I was forced up onto the same flat as the bulls. The bigger bull was at the back and was 80 yards away. All of a sudden the wind swung hard into our face and the bull stopped to feed. We made a quick stalk to 40 and ran out of cover. The bull walked on feeding we quickly crossed the next patch of sun and into a pocket of shade. Luke drew I ranged 31M the bull turned broadside and he shot. A loud crack on impact was certain of a shoulder hit. I shot twice with the 375 hitting both times and the bull stopped and bedded down. We quickly stalked in to 20 and the bull looked at us. Luke whacked another arrow into him but lacked penetration the bull got up and tried to charge but didn’t have much left in the tank he managed a few lunges toward me before I pulled the trigger again to ensure nobody got hurt.
He’s a cool old bull I have a bit of history with from 2017-2018. I have not seen him since late July 2018. His horns are worn back much shorter then when he was in his prime but he was a brute of a bull and Luke is honouring him with a shoulder mount.
Bullock from yesterday
Bullock from yesterday
Good looking youngster
Good looking youngster
Was a long day today full of adventure covering some new ground. I lost count of how many buff we saw and how many stalks we had. We saw 5 bulls over 100 inches had some close encounters but couldn’t seal the deal. Finally late in the afternoon we spotted a bedded lone bull. Kerry and I quickly stalked in barefooted to 34 yards. it was the last tree from the bull as I would have liked to get closer I prefer to have guys shoot from cover. With the bull bedded and unaware 34 yards is very doable. Kerry drew and shot his arrow hit the mark but penetration lacked. His arrows being 960 grains is way too heavy in my opinion. I recommend 550-650 grain arrows as this is what I’ve seen perform the best. Mick told me his theory years ago the the heavy arrows especially on a longer shot 35 yards the arc of the arrow is dropping in. When it hits its target due to the point being below the rear of the shaft the arrow will kick upwards at the back of the arrow. This is exactly what I saw today.
I still thought the shot was good enough to kill. The bull ran 50 yards stopped got dizzy then took off. He bumped another buff in the river and the 2 ran off together. At this point I was wanting to shoot with the rifle but had no chance. It was a 1 lung hit and we did not recover the bull.
This is a bull Kerry and Nick stalked to within 30 yards of the other day but couldn’t get a shot.
This is a bull Kerry and Nick stalked to within 30 yards of the other day but couldn’t get a shot.
Making roads
Making roads
Busted here
Busted here
Cool stories, cool pics! Keep ‘em coming, mate!
So Tyler... What's up? Did your guys kill a new world record or not???
The last day mick headed back to the same country we hunted the previous day as it was our last full day hunting I came up with a plan to hike with Luke a good 10-12km through some country I’ve never been to this walk opens up onto a flood plain that’s accessible by vehicle from the opposite side about a 1.5 hour drive from camp so the plan was mick would drive around and pick us up. We had a good walk first we got into a good 98-100 class bull he was hot on a cow and as we were moving in he somehow spotted us at 60 yards despite having his nose up a cows ass. We hunted all through this new country but struggled with swirling winds. We saw 2 god scrub bulls and an estimate of 200-250 buffalo but couldn’t seal the deal with the fickle winds. We meet up with Mick and Kerry and they managed to shoot a great bull. The arrow shot was not real good high in the neck below the ear from what I gathered it was a 12 yard frontal shot but the head was too low when Kerry let it fly. 5 pills from the .416 pulled the bull up. Not the outcome they wanted but the bull would have died from that arrow eventually Mick figured. The pics don’t do the bull justice he’s very heavy with great length scoring 107.
Far from a new world record ken but a magnificent buffalo nonetheless!
The final evening on the way back to camp luke got in on a mid 80s bull he had the bull inside 30 yards for quite some time and was offered a lot of angles but all the wrong ones.
Luke’s final morning we had one failed stalk on a mid 90s bull due to swirling winds. We then hit a waterhole which was loaded with buff. With nearly 100 head around the place I thought no chance. The bull of them moved off and all of a sudden a lone bull dogging a cow came out of the waterhole. Luke and I closed into 70 yards but ran out of cover. The pair got nervous and retreated to the scrub. I normally wouldn’t bother following but they didn’t seem too upset so we followed them in. We got to 50 yards easily I tried all my tricks to get him curious but he wouldn’t budge. After 20 mins I said to Luke we need to be aggressive and Hope it works out. I kept the bull looking at me with calls and slight movement and gave Luke instruction to go to a certain tree then to use 2 termite mounds for cover to push straight into 25 yards of the bull. I called and called and Luke slowly went to the tree the he went to another tree and another so he was well off my program. I kept the calling up and Luke appeared to be inside 35 yards. My constant calling now drew in a smaller bull downwind of me he came right into 15 yards of me and about 25-30 of Luke but Luke didn’t see him until he spooked and ran off which alarmed the big bull and ended our hunt. The kicker was this bull was huge I figure he was 60 inches wide with huge bases well over 100 inches.
Luke is my first client in 7 years to have not shot an arrow at a buffalo. His very first morning was his best chance with a bull at 25 yards front on but it didn’t have the white blazes that 98% of buff have he was an odd one out and being the first buff Luke had ever seen he opted to pass on that shot as he wasn’t comfortable which I’m pleased he did. Luke and I will get redemption next year!
Wow…not bad first client in 7 years without shooting an arrow.
Wow…not bad first client in 7 years without shooting an arrow.
Tyler, due to the full moon & fickle wind, appears you guys had a tough week. But as always, you guys hunted hard. Looking forward to this weeks action. Great job!
Dang! Those are BIG horns!
Just curious Tyler- The "scrubbers" are those feral cattle? And wondering how you take care of the meat once harvested? It seems you are pretty far out in the bush.................
Wow, the only client in 7-years not to shoot an arrow. I'll take those odds any time. About how many clients do you think that is?
Also, didn't one of your clients kill the #1 ranked buff several years ago? If that's true, what did it score?
I know two different hunters that will be with Tyler this month....I sure wish I was one of them! Came close but just didn't quite work out this year. I will be there someday for sure.
Yes first guy to not shoot. Having said that he was an Aussie client that was quite particular in what he was looking for he passed on some bulls that most guys would shoot. We hunted very hard and had a great week. Just tough conditions for bow hunting.
Rutnut- yes they are feral cattle. They are typically very large and have a temper. Much more aggressive than buffalo. I save what meat I can fit in my fridge/freezer and the rest is left behind unfortunately as the logistics are just too hard and not cost effective to salvage. Also with the red tape these days any buff that I shoot can not be sold for human or pet food as it has to be headshot etc etc to need standards.
Ken. Probably about 80-90 clients. I typically take about 12 per year. Yes in 2018 one of my clients killed the ABA (Australian bowhunting association) number 1 buffalo. This is more or less the pipe and young of australia They use the Douglas score system which is similar to pope and young which has deductions in account. It scored 110 2/8 Douglas. And went 112 and change SCI
Maybe next year Jeff!?
Couple young bulls from
Last week
Couple young bulls from
Last week
The broken horned bull from Last week. Amazes me how they can break a horn off like this.
The broken horned bull from Last week. Amazes me how they can break a horn off like this.
Day 1 was one of the best hunting days I’ve had. We spotted a couple buff from the vehicle and I took Steve for a walk to have a closer look. With swirling winds it didn’t turn into much but there was a good bull in the group. From there I drove a few miles and parked a mile and a half off a waterhole with plans to walk in. Just after getting out of the truck I spotted a lone bull cruising to a bedding area. We followed and I watched him stop in a little patch of scrub. We stalked into 40 yards and the bull got a slight sniff but was not too bothered. He was about 85 inches but a young bull. I called him into 32 yards but never gave us a good shot. We decided to go back to camp and on the way I spotted a low 100 inch bull I’ve got to know over the past couple weeks. He’s young and totally killable. We put a stalk on him with favourable conditions for a change and got to 22 yards. The hunter was taking his last step to this bush for cover when the bull heard him and busted out. Was so so close. That evening I wanted to hit the swamp close to camp as Steve has his wife and son here. We got halfway there and there stood a huge 110+ bull with a harem of cows by a waterhole along the river. We looped around and had a stalk on them. A cow spotted us at 120 yards and they moved off to the river. Light was fading but I figured we may have a chance. We stuck in the river bottom and popped up the bank the bull only 30 yards away. The bank was steep and Steve struggled to get footing and to draw the bull came closer 26 yards and turned as Steve drew but he didn’t hold still for a shot and then took off with the cows nervously. I can’t remember having a day where I got into bow range twice of 100+ inch bulls.
Day 1 was one of the best hunting days I’ve had. We spotted a couple buff from the vehicle and I took Steve for a walk to have a closer look. With swirling winds it didn’t turn into much but there was a good bull in the group. From there I drove a few miles and parked a mile and a half off a waterhole with plans to walk in. Just after getting out of the truck I spotted a lone bull cruising to a bedding area. We followed and I watched him stop in a little patch of scrub. We stalked into 40 yards and the bull got a slight sniff but was not too bothered. He was about 85 inches but a young bull. I called him into 32 yards but never gave us a good shot. We decided to go back to camp and on the way I spotted a low 100 inch bull I’ve got to know over the past couple weeks. He’s young and totally killable. We put a stalk on him with favourable conditions for a change and got to 22 yards. The hunter was taking his last step to this bush for cover when the bull heard him and busted out. Was so so close. That evening I wanted to hit the swamp close to camp as Steve has his wife and son here. We got halfway there and there stood a huge 110+ bull with a harem of cows by a waterhole along the river. We looped around and had a stalk on them. A cow spotted us at 120 yards and they moved off to the river. Light was fading but I figured we may have a chance. We stuck in the river bottom and popped up the bank the bull only 30 yards away. The bank was steep and Steve struggled to get footing and to draw the bull came closer 26 yards and turned as Steve drew but he didn’t hold still for a shot and then took off with the cows nervously. I can’t remember having a day where I got into bow range twice of 100+ inch bulls.
That is Steve’s arrow hole Steve doesn’t want his face online hence the no hunter in pic
That is Steve’s arrow hole Steve doesn’t want his face online hence the no hunter in pic
Day 2 we hunted piggy piggy area. We saw 3 shooter bulls the first was a low 90s bull that evaded us when we looped back to find him. The second was another low 90s bull with a few cows he spotted the truck and got curious he came to 52 yards then decided water was more important. They headed to the waterhole which was nearly dried up had a quick roll around and carried on their way. The third bull was a high 90s bull in a waterhole with a few cows one which was on heat and 5 other smaller bulls 70-80 inchers. We watched the big bull breed the cow numerous times. We got into 50 yards of them but the bull heard us. We got low and tried to get him to come in finally he came into 38 yards but by this time steve had stood up behind a big gum tree. I was knelt down 5 yards behind him and had a clear broadside shot at the bull but due to him standing he had low hanging branches in his view. Amongst all that action we also saw a pack of 6 dogs but couldn’t make a play on them
The afternoon hunt I had plans to go to the area we hunted yesterday morning as there seems to be several bulls hanging out there. About 2 km from camp we spotted a herd of buff with a huge bull among them. He’s a bull I have lots of history with named red bull. The fed out on the open plains and I was planning to try him out there as the wind was howling and they were content feeding. Then the bull decided he wanted water so rounded up his cow and headed north to the water. Steve and I backed out and got into the creek to intercept or find them with more cover. That we did. I located the bull and we made a hard push to get in tight on him. He was in a perfect spot but as we raced to him he fed out. We were 10 seconds too late. We got to the heavy cover he fed out to 60 yards so we just hunkered down. The bull looped back to some cows 200 yards away in the water. Then they erupted from the water and travelled along the plains looking to pass out location by at 50-60 yards. As they approached they did a hard 90 and came right to us we had 3 cows inside 10 yards and I was in the way for a shot so I laid down flat some cows spooked and the bull that was front on at 18 yards turned to follow a cow he went out to 34 and stopped slight quartering away I gave Steve the range and he sent the arrow. His shot was a little bit back but what concerned me was the 10 inches of penetration. Steve brought 450grain arrow/broadheads as this is what he killed a buff in Argentina with. No doubt you can kill one of these buff with it too if you don’t hit a rib. He cantered a rib. The bull ran out into the plains and stopped to look back. He stood there for about 30 seconds I was hoping for a miracle that he would tip over knowing full well I would have to shoot the bull. He took a half step to turn and run and I let the 375 eat. He’s a huge bull at 55 inches wide and should score in the low 100s
Thanks for the explanation on the Scrubbers Tyler! I would imagine the logistics and climate of your hunts really make meat salvage difficult! Just curious what the size of your hunting area is? In sqaure miles or kilometers? Sounds like you are covering a LOT of territory!
"Maybe next year Jeff!?"....If I can find a way to make it work we will make it happen!
How many lbs was Steve shooting and how long of an arrow?
Rut nut. Yes very difficult. However I utilise what I can keeping my fridge/freezer topped up with buff meat all the time. The hunting area is 940,000 acres and I just got word from my trad owners that they’ve gained more land. Not 100% sure how much but would likely be around another 500,000 or so
He was shooting 73 lbs and a 28 inch arrow. The setup was simply too light had he missed the rib he would be ok probably but 80% of shots will hit rib
Jeeze…. 1.5 million acres…. Wow
Tyler.
How many other hunters - outfitters would also be utilizing those acres?
Rut nut. Yes very difficult. However I utilise what I can keeping my fridge/freezer topped up with buff meat all the time. The hunting area is 940,000 acres and I just got word from my trad owners that they’ve gained more land. Not 100% sure how much but would likely be around another 500,000 or so
He was shooting 73 lbs and a 28 inch arrow. The setup was simply too light had he missed the rib he would be ok probably but 80% of shots will hit rib
Just me. Might be the odd local but most don’t hunt buff as they are not the best table fare.
Cape off last nights bull in the salt
Cape off last nights bull in the salt
Skull in the pot
Skull in the pot
Mitch at full draw on pig one. Yes there is a pig there at 15 yards
Mitch at full draw on pig one. Yes there is a pig there at 15 yards
Pig 2
Pig 2
Day 3 morning was spent in camp doing some fleshing etc. the afternoon we went to the swamp to find Steve’s son Mitch a pig! We created the ridge and I immediately spotted some pigs feeding. We stalked through the mud but due to the wind we had to wade out deeper in the water than I’d ever done before. It was up over my belly button for most of the stalk. Not sure if I should even call it a stalk as it was more like a swim. We closed into 12 yards of a pig and as it was about to step in a sort of lane it turned away and offered no shot. A second pig at 15 yards was the new target I glassed it and could see a patch of white on the shoulder I told Mitch to shoot the left side of the white patch at the water line. With a few deflections the arrow hit near enough to the mark and had the pig down in 15 yards! Mitch was stoked.
We headed back to dry ground and came across a couple buff I called them into 26 yards as we are now looking for a cow buff for Mitch as he has a lighter setup. Despite being in range they offered no shot and winded us shortly after. I said let’s walk another 10 mins. We walked 5 and I heard and spotted some pigs feeding on the edge a quick stalk had us 15 yards off a pig but could hardly see it through the grass while waiting for a shot it got our wind and took off alerting all the other pigs. One stopped in the open at 45 yards I gave Mitch the range and he drilled her I watched her pile up 30 yards later. Was some great shooting for a 16 yr old
Kerrys 107 lunar shape bull
Steve’s 108 sweeper for comparison
Kerrys 107 lunar shape bull
Steve’s 108 sweeper for comparison
Day 4 we spent the morning looking for a cow buff for Mitch to stalk when we finally found one which isn’t all that easy as I’m typically looking for an old dry cow, we made our approach to see the mob off buff stamping the ground and throwing their heads around. Signs of danger so I thought there must be some dogs. Well there was at least 2 so we crawled in on one that was bedded we got to 35 yards and the buff were onto us so I figured best shoot at the bedded dog rather then push closer and risk busting everything out. I howled the dog perked up and Mitch shot just giving it a haircut. Dogs ran everywhere. I started to howl and 3 dogs came running in. I told Mitch to draw as they approached and was calling the range as they closed in. I happened to call 47 and he shot when he should have waited as they would have kept coming. He was about 2 inches right and had a clean miss. We did a bit of fishing and swimming mid day only catching catfish and having a few Barra hits and follows. We stalked a few buff in the way back to camp but nothing eventuated.
Day 5 we had a long morning walk seeing 3 shooter buff bulls that we were not after. Couldn’t find a shooter cow. We checked some carcasses for dogs or pigs for nil. The afternoon the swamp was requested. We walked 100 meters up the edge spotted a big boar 18 yards in from the edge Mitch whacked that the boar went 2 yards and died. He’s about 200 lb with good cutters! I suggested going back to camp to eat spaghetti but they wanted to look for more. After an hour and a half with no more pigs spotted we went back to camp for spaghetti lol. On the 2 mile drive to camp we saw 50 buff 2 shooter bulls.
Great thread thanks for sharing.
Tyler, you are running a hunters paradise. Every time I read your Bowsite write ups I want to come back. (That would be number 3!!) It's unbelievable that your guys killed two bulls well over 100" in a few days. What a place... Got any openings for 2024??
Yea it is a paradise forsure!! I really think we hit peak rut just following the full moon. We saw so many 100+ bulls in the last week or so I lost count. Regarding 2024 I do have availability as I stopped taking bookings during covid so I’m a bit behind the 8 ball as I’m normally booked 18 months out.
Day 6 we were in search for cow buff or dogs for mitch. We struggled to find any acceptable cows this morning. I’m looking for an old dry cow or something with an injury. Ideally not in a big mob and anything with shooter bulls is off limits as I don’t want to spook the shooters for future clients. While looking for buff I spotted a dog on the road. Unlike our episode on day 2 where Mitch and Steve jumped out of the rolling cruiser to fling arrows unexpectedly they followed my instruction to remain calm. I slowly drove towards the dog and it trotted down the road. I maintained a slow pace in second. I explained to them that the dogs don’t leave the roads when it’s long grass as they don’t like grass in their face. After several hundred meters she found a buff pad and took that to get off the road. I slightly increased speed I instructed Mitch to put his bow out the window i got beside her and stopped Mitch drew I ranged 36 and he drilled her. She went 150 yards and after a good team track job we got her.
Tyler, Sorry to bug you in the middle of your hunts. So, you do have an opening for my son & I in 2024? We can follow-up via email if you prefer. I just need to plan for '24 ASAP. Thanks...
So how many pigs did the young man kill? He appears to be an excellent shot for such a young age. Congrats to him...
I love watching buff hunts. As a trapper sure would like to see the skinning and camping on one.... most just want to see the kill shot
Hey Ken yes I got room for you and your son. I’ll send you an e mail. He shot 3 arrows at pigs and got all 3. Shot 3 arrows at dogs and got the 1. He was quite a good shot and hunter I must say. He followed instruction well and stayed calm during the shot.
Ground hunter. I don’t film many hunts I did have a tv show here American archer a few years back and a few clips were shared on my thread last year of a client shooting his bull on YouTube.
I could set a GoPro up and do a Timelapse of skinning and caping process just can’t post it on here as I don’t have a YouTube account to share it on not sure if there is other ways to post videos on Bowsite
Day 1 with Alan was a good one. The morning hunt we hunted a new area to me I just followed some buff trails in a different direction from a water hole that I normally hunt. After about a mile I spotted some buff and got a glimpse of a bull. We moved into position and waited for them to head to water hopefully passing us by. It appeared I chose the right tree as the lead cow came to 15 yards the bull hung up slightly at 37 when he finally continued our way at 29 yards just as Alan went to draw the lead cow got our wind as she was 12 yards away. It was a good close call on a great bull that I think would have scored 98. We saw 1 other shooter bull driving but didn’t make a play on him. The afternoon hunt I had a plan to hunt an area but ran into a good 94 ish bull on the way. We drove past and worked our way back. While on route a 102 inch young bull winded us from his bed and took off. We stuck with the original plan of hunting the 94 incher He had 2 cows and 2 calves with him. Once again I picked the right spot to wait and they came to us. Unfortunately the shadow I had stopped to sit in moved with the setting sun and we were more exposed than I’d liked. The bull came to 29 yards and heard me whisper 29 to Alan and took off. I guess I should have used hand signals.
Day 2 morning hunt plans went sideways I was targeting a specific bull if seen in the same spot twice but hadn’t hunted him. As I approached the area still a mile away a bunch of buff. 30-40 head started running through that area so I changed plans and climbed a hill I like to glass from. From the top I spotted a mob of 9 young bulls just below. Another young bull off in the distance with some scrubbers beyond him and another mob of buff to the south so we went south. We found a solid high 90s bull holding a dozen cows we didn’t have a play on him so waited patiently. When they headed toward the river we tried an interception we got to 54 yards and the bull got mad at his cows, rounded them up and pushed them back out into the plains where they originally were. We then waited for them to bed. Once bedded we tried a couple approach routes but backed out on both. Our third route appeared a winner we closed into 60 and then a cow stood up. No biggy. We got to 50 and the bull stood facing us. We crouched in time and he didn’t see us. The bull then turned to mount the cow so we pushed in to our last tree as we got to 45 a month old calf spotted us so I just made a break for the tree we got the 34 yards of the bull but with the alert calf it all went to shit quickly.
The afternoon hunt was slow not finding a shooter bull until sunset then we found 3 and 30 cows and couldn’t make anything happen.
Saw 2 whip snakes and a northern brown snake today. I think Al is starting to like snakes after seeing 2-3 each day
Alan is a lot of fun to hang out with in camp. I'm sure you guys are having a blast and will put down a great bull this week. Good luck!!
Day 3 was an all day adventure. We saw so many buff we can’t remember them all we had a few short lived attempted stalks but they were not meant to be. We were really after a lone bull. We saw 4 bulls over 100 today and managed to stalk/call one into 34 yards but he never offered a good shot. We were on our way back to camp a lot later than I’d hoped when we came across a beauty bull. His cape was incredible. Dark black with vibrant white markings on the face and neck. We drove past him then turned around and drove back past him to have the wind right. We walked back to him spotted him and were closing in when he picked us up at about 300 yards. We used a single tree to close into 125. I hung back off Alan 30 yards or so and started to call. The bull came past Alan at about 32-34 yards and his rangefinder acted up he couldn’t get a reading on the bull. The bull now spotted Alan and Toole his attention off me and focused on Alan offering a good frontal shot. I saw Alan draw and the shot looked pretty good but not perfect as the arrow didn’t completely disappear like it should with a perfect frontal. The bull ran off and stopped. I glassed the arrow which was buried more or less to the fletch it appeared to me a bit off to one side the bull had no blood at the mouth or nose and no blood leaking out of the arrow hole he showed no signs of near death. Being close to dusk and on the edge of tall cane grass that was 6-7 feet high I was afraid we might loose him so I made a tough but quick decision to shoot him as normal frontal shots would have this bull dead already. He took all 4 in my clip the first being a decent shot and following 3 running away shots. We ran after him to keep him insight in the cane grass. The bull stopped and fell over then got up and walked another 100 yards. I climbed a tree to keep eyes on him and went to reload realising I only had 1 round left. The bull was now broadside at about 150 I’m a few feet up a tree so I took an awkward rest and hit him again. The bull just walked and walked another 150 or so yards then stopped and fell down. Then he got up again for a minute or 2 and fell over again. I watched the spot for movement for 5 mins or so and saw nothing. I moved to a closer tree climbed it and could see the bull and he looked dead. I was cautious entering the cane grass as we wouldn’t see the bull until we were on top of him. I got to the last tree and I had carried a stick to throw at him I threw it and there was no reaction so I deemed it safe to go for a look. The bull is heavily broken on one side I knew he was shorter but because of his posture with the head up and looking at us I never got a good look at him to see he was 7 inches short on the 1 side. Not that Alan or I would have passed him anyway. Bull scores 86.5 but is a mid 90s class if it wasn’t for the break.
Upon autopsy Alan’s shot hit a rib on the leading edge and fully cut it which was impressive. The broadhead put a quarter inch deep cut in the heart about 1 inch long and skewered the right lung. Before stopping in the stomach. It was a fatal shot but I feel we would more than likely lost the bull had I not shot him.
Having a great time with Alan Jeff. Will be working on bull number 2
Day 4 morning was lost to caping. Afternoon hunt we saw a good scrubber a good boar and about 20 cow buff. Was a short hunt close to camp. Will see what we can find tomorrow!
Damn, Appears Alan got great penetration as opposed to several of your other guys. What is his equipment setup?
Tyler, please tell Alan congrats! I was very happy to see his trophy shot on Bowsite. Hopefully you guys can get on one of the 100 inchers today!
c5, I don't know all of the specifics regarding Alan's equipment but we discussed it a few times and I know he put a lot of effort into getting the perfect set up for this hunt. He was setting up an 80 lb bow with a heavy arrow.
76 lb bowtech 820 grain arrow i guess around 30 inch draw. Grizzly stick momentum arrow with 315 grain head
Day 5 morning I had plans to hunt piggy piggy area but as happens my plans never turn out. We didn’t make it across the last flood plain and Alan spotted a good bull on the left side of the road. I took the next track to the right and did a biiiig loop to the start of the plain that the bull was on and parked in a creek about 1000 yards downwind of the bull.it was now 7:30 AM We stalked over to where he was and the bull had moved off. I could hear several buff and scrubbers moving south so decided to push down through the creek where the bull likely went and if we didn’t find him we would have other options. Alan spotted the bull as it emerged from the creek feeding. We watched the bull from 200 yards away as there was no wind and it would have been too noisy for a stalk. The bull feed and cautiously paused to look around every so often. We hung back and slowly followed maintaining a 200 yard gap. By 8:45 the wind had finally kicked in as it does at this time of the morning. The bull was moving into thicker cover so I said to Alan let’s give it a try. A long patient stalk only moving when he would feed away had us inside 45 yards by 9:15. We had shot opportunity at 34-40 yards several times but Alan wasn’t 100% confident on where to put the arrow due to long grass and shadows. We patiently waited with the bull at 40 yards. He fed away and I made a move into 35 he gave us a too steep quartering away angle and then turned his head away again. I pushed into 29 yards. The bull turned to quartering away but had his head facing us. When his head turned away Alan drew and when the bull straightened his neck he took the shot. His arrow hit a couple inches right of where I’d hoped but with it quartering away I knew he hit all the good bits. The arrow buried almost to the fletch as it hit an onside rib. I gave Alan a thumbs up but instructed to nock another arrow as the bull stopped at 50 yards behind some brush. The bull then ran off a bit before I heard the tell tale signs of a double lung hit and watched him fall over after 80 yards! I don’t know who was more excited me or Alan!
That’s fantastic! Congrats again guys!!
Good stuff, guys! I’m getting closer and closer to booking this hunt!
In the pic of the skull in the pot, I’m assuming that the horn sheaths are removed? Can you explain your process a little?
I love seeing this thread every year. I need to come hunt with you.
Thanks Jeff we’re having a great time!
Hahah let’s go T-roy!!! Yup skull in the pot 35 minutes with boiling with boiling water will pop a side off then rotate and do the same with the second side. Then I cut the inner horn bone shorter to save weight and size for shipping boil for a further 3-4 hours then pressure wash. I’ll take some process photos on the next one.
Happy to have you anytime Ken! Feel free to send me an e mail if you have any questions. I’ll attach my website here with contact info
I sent good luck wishes to Kurt last week. Really wish I was in camp with you guys this week! I'll be following along closely again.
One we passed at 15 yards
One we passed at 15 yards
Day 6 we got summoned onto a rescue mission as my trad owners were stuck/broken down. We still managed to shoot a decent boar although the best part of our day was spent driving and swimming. we saw several shooter bulls but were really looking for something big!
Thanks Jeff! Consider yourself lucky you’re not here! Alan had a bit of a cold when he was here and I caught it on the changeover day and it’s hit me really hard. Congested headache fever chills the works. Feeling terrible. So very thankful to only have one guy in camp.
Day 1 with Kurt we got on a good bull in the morning but with his harem of cows we had no play on him despite sitting on him for a couple hours hoping something would happen it just wasn’t meant to be. On the way back to the cruiser we spotted another decent bull that we stalked and got busted but as he was a young bull about 80 inches he got curious and came in and gave us every shot angle in the book which is always good for a hunter on day one to see. We also saw 3 dogs but the closest they came was 70 yards. The afternoon hunt was very still I hunted a spot I’d seen 2 shooter bulls a couple days earlier that Alan and I left alone. Due to it being so still we were either winded or spotted by both bulls and nothing really happened.
Day 2 morning we went for a hike in an area I’d seen a high 90s bull on the second week with Dale we had left this bull alone. Got back in there and found him on his own. Seemingly perfect it was very still this morning with no wind at 9:30 AM the bull fed out of view into scrub. I looped around anticipating a southerly wind and moved in so slow to where I thought the bull might be. The one patch of thick scrub shielded my view to the area so we eased down into it as I got to the other side there was the bull 80 yards away staring at us. He got curoius and came into 28 but offered Kurt no shot.
Sorry you caught the crud Tyler but sounds like you are still getting after it with Kurt. Looking forward to the rest of the hunt and pics.
Tyler relax and no worries, mate. Kurt will get the job done. There's a dead buff walking Down Under on the Top End!
I caught this snake on the road picked it up to show Kurt and get some photos but apparently he’s with rut nut and doesn’t like snakes and wouldn’t get out of the cruiser!!
I caught this snake on the road picked it up to show Kurt and get some photos but apparently he’s with rut nut and doesn’t like snakes and wouldn’t get out of the cruiser!!
Day 2 afternoon we saw a few buff one solo bull that we tried to Make a play on but he gave us the slip. We carried on down the road and spotted a couple cows and calves and a decent 90 inch bull just off them. We didn’t see the bull until it was a bit too late and I had driven rather close to him. He didn’t care at all looked at us then continued to feed. We put a short stalk on him and got to 40 yards. He spotted us while he was having a look at the Land Cruiser and came in for a closer look. The bull came in square with his head up and stopped at 28 yards. Kurt shot and my initial reaction was that it was good. Slightly low and right but I thought it was still a kill shot. The bull walked out to 125 yards and stood there for 20 minutes. He struggled to walk and both Kurt and I felt he may bed or just fall over. Deep down I should have known to shoot this bull with the .375 but I was really hoping Kurt wouldn’t need a rifle assist. We pushed in to try and get a follow up arrow but couldn’t get inside 80 which is very typical of buff that have already been stuck. We backed out and left him till morning to find no blood and about 12 inches of broken arrow. I replayed the shot in my mind all night and the more I thought about it the worse it looked. I think he was 4 inches low and 4 inches right possibly a bit more even. Hard to say forsure but likely a single lung hit.
We hunted all day but the bulls we saw early AM were off the market as we were focused on finding the one from the night prior. Of course we had a great bull walk to within 18 yards of the cruiser. We saw 12 shooter bulls today 3 between 100-105 inches. We had one close encounter on a 98 inch bull on dark. He came to call into 22 yards but no shot. He passed by Kurt at 26-30 several times but the situation was never perfect and being low light Kurt opted not to shoot.
Damn, that sucks about losing the bull. Hindsight is always 20/20. Plenty of time left! BTW, I'd get out and check out the snake with ya!!
Yea, I wouldn't get out of the truck either
You’d think Kurt would be used to snakes, living in BC!
Those buffalo are damned easy to shoot and just plain hard to kill.
Tyler, what kind of snake? Blacked headed python maybe?
Troy Hahah. Yeah he’s got rattle snakes in his yard but he made it pretty clear he doesn’t like snakes lol.
Bowonly darn rights. For a big animals the kill zone is not all that big they are very good at not giving the perfect shot angle and you gotta hit them perfect to get a bowkill.
Rk correct mate! They are fairly feisty for a python but usually chill out after a few mins of handling. They are beauty snakes and if I’m not mistaken eat a lot of venomous snakes.
Day 4 we were out and about all day. I had plans for a walk in the morning but we woke to a blanket of fog and no wind until about 11 AM. We drove a lot of country but couldn’t seem to find any shooter bulls despite seeing a dozen yesterday. We did find 3 shooters this afternoon. One was an absolute horse 110+ tried to make a play on him but he gave us the slip…. As they do. We had a quick stalk on a 96-98 but the wind shifted at the last second when the bull was about 25-30 yards away. The highlight of today was spotting 2 scrub bulls near a waterhole. Kurt wasn’t sure if he wanted one or not and since we had a slow morning hunt we stalked them. I will say I even impressed myself with the stalk. It took 1 hour to close the 600 yard gap to 45 yards we had no cover apart from 3 trees that were 4-6 inches in diameter. 2 of the trees with the right approach and slight corrections throughout I was able to keep those trees over the bulls eyes as we walked a slow straight line in. Timed with the bulls closing their eyes due to flies and them drifting to sleep we got in to the waters edge and couldn’t get any closer without getting wet. Kurt eyed them up for 5 mins before stating to me he was not a scrub bull hunter but the stalk was well worth it. He figures it’s the best stalk he’s ever seen/done so I take that as a high praise from a man like Kurt.
Day 5 morning hunt we worked in 2 bull the first was a 100 incher and probably wasn’t worth following as he was a bit alert but he was too hard to walk away from as he was a loner. Nothing eventuated. Later we found a heavy lone bull but he was cruising and we struggled to keep up he eventually busted us. The highlight of the morning was watching Kurt do an Irish jig while I did some river dance as a greater black whip snake went between our legs not only once or twice but three times!!! The snake was frightened and with the two of us dancing the snake didnt know where to go!!! The afternoon we got into a real good old bull with a broken horn. He had a younger bull as his side kick. He fed in the open away from all cover. With light fading we tried a near impossible stalk and it nearly worked out until the young bull turned and we got pinned in the open. We knelt down 60 yards off the big bull who was broadside. He then turned to feed facing us. He fed to 45 yards and happened to pick his head up . He spotted us now and came in for a closer look. At 22 yards I told Kurt to draw but the bull didn’t tolerate it. He moved off but I got his curiosity again and brought him back to 35. He paused broadside and Kurt went to full draw but the bull spooked before he could settle pins.
An Irish jig, a river dance and a snake…wish you had a camera man! Good luck guys!!
Sorry for the delay. Day 6 was full on. I don’t remember the amount of bulls we saw or stalked. The highlight was a crawling stalk into 27 yards of a bull in a waterhole we waited in him for 20 mins before the wind switched.
All in all I had a great week with Kurt despite the result not being what we wanted. I have a feeling we may get redemption
This week I’ve got a group of 4. One being pro photographer/videographer Adam Foss. I’m going to let his work tell the stories and post mostly photos. Enjoy.
Foss is a killer, there should be some great stories ahead! Thx for this Tyler!
For those of you interested in going to share Adams social media and website on here. He’s a great bowhunter and man. He’s alright with a camera too. Having guided many TV shows before it’s really nice having a camera man that I don’t know is walking behind me and the hunter.
Instagram @fossman8
Great photos, keep them coming...but, the written account of the hunt has always been the highlight
Just reading the jig/river dance commentary............... ......glad to hear you guys didn’t get “Whipped!” ;-)
A bit slow on the pics from the week but they will come in time. New hunter in so I’ll start back up with my regular program.
Afternoon 1 we went for a short hunt as I had lots of camp chores to get caught up on. We saw plenty of cows and young bulls and no shooters until the drive back to camp we came across a herd bull about 95 inches but being low light I elected to leave him be.
Day 1 morning I planned to target a specific bull but the plans were interrupted by a whopper bull with 15 cows. A long fast loop to get around/ in front of them worked perfectly when I created back onto the flat we were in the middle of the herd. A cow spotted us but we were in good cover and shade so we got to our knees and they came in. The bull passed by at 34 yards. Dave came to full draw but the bull never offered a good shot angle or was moving pushing the cows around. He was the real deal a solid 104 at a guess very heavy all the way out and 50inches wide or better.
The afternoon I planned to hunt a new area where I suspected a lot of buff were hanging out. We did a long walk in to get the wind right and started to hunt our way back to the truck. Once again we got into a big mix of buffalo. a herd on both sides of us. Mostly cows and calves but I figured a bull would be near. After 20 mins of waiting he showed himself. We moved in on him but a distant cow picked us off and alerted the bull to our position. We got to our knees and I called. The bull came in on a string to 22 yards offering a perfect frontal shot. Dave’s shot was very low and left into the elbow area. He thinks he hit a branch. After 7 rifle shots and a 800 yard sprint I managed to bring the bull down.
An old cow that was near death. Age rings indicate 37+ yr old
An old cow that was near death. Age rings indicate 37+ yr old
This was a first
This was a first
Three at a time...quite the horn stew brew! Rye's looks like that 2" broken off old dandy! Ancient trophy cow...beautiful shape on the horns. Congrats to all!
Those are some great pictures! I'm glad to get to read about the daily events again too!!
Great pics! Best thing going on Bowsite!!
2025 can’t get here soon enough! Keep the updates coming, Tyler!
Day 2 morning hunt I headed to an area where I’ve seen 3 big bulls this season. David said to me he wanted a 95 or bigger or nothing. We followed fresh buff sign for a couple miles before I spotted the shine of the backs of one of 2. We closed in and we’re literally surrounded by buff. No word of a lie we had 100+ buff spread out in front of us 270degrees. Mostly cows and calves and young bulls we figured a big boy was nearby. We ended up spotting a good bull in a stalkable spot but he was maybe 88-90. David said let’s stalk him anyway. We got to 25 yards and I couldn’t put him over 90 inches so we passed him as he fed perfectly broadside before winding us. We dodged and weaved through mobs of cows for a couple hours trying to spy a big bull but came out with nothing. We got back in the cruiser and made it a mile when I spotted one of my target bulls following his cows. I stopped and let him cross the road rather than seperate him from the cows. I then drove past him to get the wind right and had intentions of parking in a spot and using a rocky hill with lots of scrub to conceal an approach to his cows. We parked and stormed up the hill nearing the top I saw the back of the bull. He hadn’t followed the cows instead he was on an intersecting path with us. David’s bow sling came off quick and arrow nocked. I continued forward as did the bull. I ranged him at 32 and he kept coming we had one lane that he would enter and I told David I would stop him there. I ranged again 25. The bull kept pace and hit the lane the leg went forward and I gave him a yelp he paused and the arrow was on its way. A perfect high double lung shot. The bull crashed off over the Rocky hill he stopped in sight about 80 yards away and side stepped. He ran another 15 and side stepped again and tipped over all about 20 seconds after the shot. It all happened so quick neither of us could believe it. We weren’t out of the truck for 1 minute and the bull was down. He’s a wide old bull scoring 95.
My last hunter just cancelled so this is a season wrap up bull
Excellent way to wrap it up Tyler!
Once again an excellent season. Great job on the write-ups & photoes.
That's an awesome wrap up....but I sure hate to see it end!! Congrats on a great season Tyler.
Great pics and write-ups. Thanks for sharing Tyler! Enjoy some well deserved family and rest time!
Thanks for following along guys. Turns out I wasn’t done. Plans for the remaking days was to get a barramundi and a pig. First evening Dave hit a good boar too high and forward we blood trailed for about 1km before we gave up on dark.
The following morning we headed to “the Barra hole” on the way we saw a real good 95 ish bull very similar to the one Dave had killed. We then saw a tight curled broomed bull that Dave really liked but he was content with his 2 bulls. 30 mins later we came across a cookie cutter of the last bull a lone tight curled broomed bull and Dave couldn’t resist. We stalked him with great ease as it was blowing hard and he was in good cover moving away from us. We closed into 22-25 yards several time but he kept moving away offering no shot. We had a couple chances at 35-37 yards broadside but I felt we could get 30 and under we ended up pushing our luck too long and got busted. I ended up calling the bull back in to 24 yards frontal which as you all know it’s a shot I love but it’s not for everyone. Dave however was on my side and he loves the frontal shot too. He drew and shot but he was way off the mark a good 10 inches left into the neck. The bull ran and stopped and became another entry into the pope and gun club. Not the outcome either of us wanted but a great bull nonetheless. We continued on to the fishing hole getting 3 species followed by an evening pig hunt where Dave got a nice sow and hit and lost 1 other
Thanks for following along guys. Turns out I wasn’t done. Plans for the remaking days was to get a barramundi and a pig. First evening Dave hit a good boar too high and forward we blood trailed for about 1km before we gave up on dark.
The following morning we headed to “the Barra hole” on the way we saw a real good 95 ish bull very similar to the one Dave had killed. We then saw a tight curled broomed bull that Dave really liked but he was content with his 2 bulls. 30 mins later we came across a cookie cutter of the last bull a lone tight curled broomed bull and Dave couldn’t resist. We stalked him with great ease as it was blowing hard and he was in good cover moving away from us. We closed into 22-25 yards several time but he kept moving away offering no shot. We had a couple chances at 35-37 yards broadside but I felt we could get 30 and under we ended up pushing our luck too long and got busted. I ended up calling the bull back in to 24 yards frontal which as you all know it’s a shot I love but it’s not for everyone. Dave however was on my side and he loves the frontal shot too. He drew and shot but he was way off the mark a good 10 inches left into the neck. The bull ran and stopped and became another entry into the pope and gun club. Not the outcome either of us wanted but a great bull nonetheless. We continued on to the fishing hole getting 3 species followed by an evening pig hunt where Dave got a nice sow and hit and lost 1 other
Dave elected to cut his hunt short by 2 days he says he wanted me to get home to my family. When in reality I think he was scared he’d shoot a 4th buff if he stayed. Dave spent a full day helping me completely break down camp and pack my trailer it took us 11 hours of non stop work to complete the task of which I’m very thankful to have had Dave’s help. He then decided to fly out a day early and do some touristy stuff in Darwin.
This is when things went sideways for me. Much like last years trip home.
I had disconnected the trailer that night and dropped Dave at the airport the following morning. I headed back to heartbreak and got fuel. I had organised a meeting with my traditional land owners which was a bit of a pain as I had to drive the 80km dirt road back to their place. Face to face convos are always better and since I was ahead of schedule by a week I didn’t mind.
I had left the ball and tongue in the receiver and as I pulled into the dirt I stopped to put the rubber dust cap over the ball. Now the hitch on the trailer is called a cruise master DO 35. They are a fancy off road Aussie hitch they are really good. Until you loose it in the middle of nowhere. Somehow between heartbreak and the Trad owners house the R pin must have got knocked out by a rock which then the main pin and tongue/ball rattled out. I searched the road only to find turn around marks where someone stopped and picked it up. Never to be seen again. I called the few local places that may carry hitches etc but had no luck. My plan was to just change the hitch in the trailer to a classic ball style but there was nothing around to suit my weight ratings.
I sourced what I needed in katherine 570kms away and there was a truck coming to heartbreak on Friday afternoon. However my trust in people isn’t that strong. I decided to drive to katherine to get exactly what I needed rather then rely on Joe blow possibly getting it wrong and then getting the wrong stuff on Friday afternoon which would then result in me driving to katherine on Monday.
I left heartbreak at 4:30pm on Wednesday to drive a couple hours before it got dark. I got 137km down the road and started seeing lots of roos so I decided to go to 150km and park up for the night. At 148 kms a big wallaby ran out and I cleaned him up I was driving 130km/h so there was a solid thump. Which resulted in a bent steering bar. Top of Steering wheel now points at 8pm. I parked for the night and got a couple pry bars to straighten the steering bar a bit. I managed to get it to a 10:30 position and it only pulls slightly left when driving. I carried on past Daly waters when my engine light and service light came on and cruiser lost power. I shut it down. Drained the bottom of both fuel filters. Banged some dust out of the air filter disconnected and reconnected the battery fired it up and the lights were gone. I made it to katherine. I got what I needed and I went to Toyota to try and get a scanner on it and they wouldn’t help me for 3 weeks so I hit the road back to hearbreak. Uneventful drive thankfully. I hooked up the trailer and checked tire pressures all around added air as necessary. I then got under the cruiser to adjust my kings off road racing shocks to stiffen them up for the ride home to find I had somehow pinched the hydraulic hose and blown my right rear shock. No fix for that out here so will be slow going home. I hope this is the last of my dramas
They sometimes say "half of the adventure is just getting there". Sounds like that might be true for getting home too! Hope everything else goes smoothly.
It's truly amazing how much more prepared and self sufficient you have to be. My son is a sheriff's deputy. Last week he changed a tire for someone with a flat on the interstate hwy. A picture of him was posted on Facebook with a nice thank you note. The people didn't know how they ever would have made it without him. It got over 3000 likes in less than a week. Hope they never hit a wallaby!
Some bad luck on the hitch Tyler! Hope you are home and enjoying family life, or about to be there!
Well I made it home. More or less smooth sailing after the slow start.
Thanks again for following along I did a little stat sheet during the season I thought I’d share.
29 buff shot 21 recovered 10 rifle assisted Average buff size 91 inches.
Average shot distance on recovered buff 25.05 yards, 24 yards on all buff shot.
5 scrub bulls shot 4 recovered
12 pigs shot/shot at 7 recovered
9 dogs shot/shot at 1 recovered
4 dogs taken with the cruiser!!
I like those odds! I hope to know soon if I can make next July work but so far it's looking good. Thanks again for putting in all the effort and glad to hear you made it home!
