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Main Boards => Dangerous Game => Topic started by: BUFF on June 09, 2010, 05:27:00 AM
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I just got out of the Outback and into a hotel in Mackay Australia. Mark and I had a great hunt.
We had a six day Water Buffalo hunt with Trophy Bowhunts Australia. We arrived in Darwin a day early and held the first Buff & Chunky Darwin golf classic. He beat me by three strokes.
The next morning we flew to a mining camp called MacArthur River and were picked up by the outfitter Mick Baker and his trusty side kick Andy.
After about a 150K drive down a dirt trail we arrived at our camp on the Lemon Bite River.
We were set up above a water fall and the view was stunning. We were about as far from civilization as you can get and never even saw a plane the entire week.
The first day started out great with Mark and me both taking good Buffalos.
The hunt mostly consisted of walking the edge of the flood plain looking for a good Buff, then crawling out to him to try to get a shot.
I blew three or four stalks early on but in the early afternoon we lucked out. Mick and I had been following a good Buff for a couple of miles when he jumped out in the river to cool down. Every time he dunked his head I would run like a banshee for fifty or so yards and we made up the two hundred yards quickly. I followed him down the river keeping pace with him for a while before he finally gave me a sweet quartering away shot that buried in his chest up to the wrap. As he blew up the opposite bank I put another in his rear that cut a artery.
Day three was a great day for me. I crawled up to a feeding Buffalo in the morning and smacked him from eight yards away. He never knew I was in the world. Later that same day I crawled up into the middle of four sleeping Bulls. I mean really sleeping, eyes closed heads down. I crawled within six yards of one to get a ten yard shot on the one I wanted.
The last full day was a Buff and Chunky classic. Mark had pretty much killed all he wanted so he tracked along with us on the camera. I still wanted a Monster to go on the wall. We found the Bull right where we left him the night before and fell in behind him. We cold trailed him for two and a half hours. He just would never get in a spot where we could close in on him. Luck was on our side and after cooking in the sun for thirty minutes, he decides to go back to the flood plain.
I don’t have the words to describe the emotions, lying on your belly in knee deep grass as he walked towards us. He crossed up wind of us at forty yards. I was trying to decide if it was too far and looked over my shoulder at my best buddy and whispered “Forty or Fifty”??????
He thought I was asking if he was on him with the camera and gave me the thumbs up.
In one motion, I rose up and smacked the great bull with a nine hundred grain arrow. The location was perfect but it looked like I only got half an arrows worth of penetration.
When the bull stopped at a hundred yards to look back I called to Mick “Whack Him one”.
The .416 barked twice as the bull left for safer country. It turned out, when we opened the Buffalo up the arrow had broke a rib going in and penetrated both lungs, Better safe than sorry.
I can’t say enough good things about the job Mick and Andy did. It was one of the greatest adventures I have ever been involved with. If anybody has a urge to hunt dangerous game with a bow, Mick can fix you up. Hunting with a great friend only made it sweeter.
Mark has his own stories to add. He almost got ran down by a Scrub Bull but I will let him tell his own
(http://www.buffsblackwidow.com/images/camp2.JPG)
(http://www.buffsblackwidow.com/images/beds.JPG)
(http://www.buffsblackwidow.com/images/buff2.JPG)
(http://www.buffsblackwidow.com/images/buff3.JPG)
(http://www.buffsblackwidow.com/images/buff33.JPG)
(http://www.buffsblackwidow.com/images/buff4.JPG)
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top stuff guys. some good bulls there!
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Excellent!!! Congrats on a great hunt! Can't wait to hear the rest of the story! :campfire: Give us the rundown your equipment as well, thanks!
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very, very nice ...
congratulations on the bulls
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Glad that you enjoyed your hunt fellows! Looking forward to more of the tale.
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Awesome Bulls Marty, thanks for taking us along!
Man, you're looking a lot narrower these days!
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cool, nice bulls. Lookin' forward to more. :campfire:
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Buff,
Thanks for sharing your adventure and great photos!
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:thumbsup:
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WOW,what a great time!!!!!
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Wow, 4 Bulls, that is a bunch of meat. What do ya do with that much meat?? They do eat them , right? Way to go Marty. It does look like you droped some pounds.
Danny
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Not the best eating IMHO, I once tried to eat some ribs and backstrap off a mature buff and it was very tough indeed, even after marinating it. the backstrap was passable but the ribs were inedible.
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What a trip! Looks like a fantastic hunt was had indeed. Well done.
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I didn't try any of it. I know the natives didn't want it
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Nice job Buff. Are you still using the big Silver Flames?
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hey buff, would you like to draw some comparisons between water buffalo and cape buffalo, since you've hunted both? just curious about temperment and anatomy differences.
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I think the water buffalo is bigger and tougher to kill.
I think the Cape Buffalo is far more likely to kill you
This is the off side rib of a water buffalo. it was about 1" thick.
(http://www.buffsblackwidow.com/images/broadhead.JPG)
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Wow, that's a rib bone!
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Was a please having Marty and Mark in Camp what a great Couple of guys and great ambassadors for bowhunters worldwide.
They Both left with some big bulls, well done again Fellas :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
when things slow down up here i will add a few pics.
we had some exciting times, the bulls proved to be as tough as nails as usual.
i ended up a tree for 15min waiting for a Nasty scrub bull to leave me alone
im back in the Bush for a few weeks, until then
Strait Arrows
Andy Ivy
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good to hear from ya Andy !!!
some nice bulls you fellas have !
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Well done on a great trip.
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Great bulls! Can't wait to read the "scrub bull" story! Congratulations!
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Great stuff lads, great game taken :)
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very nice job !!!
Well done guys
congratulations
:clapper:
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Great Job Buff!
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nice pics, what is the limit on those critters? cant imagine theyd taste half bad...they eat grass just like cattle.
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Buff, Chunky congrats. Arrow weights and speeds please.
Now have very decent for me 15-25yd groups at 69# so ready to try 75#. [sadly still with release peep and compound sights]
Andy what is a respectable weight speed combo, not bare bum min. that requires filing a flight plan. Cannot wait to return to Oz. thanks
Still have a year to go if all goes well, alas at my age "t!*s up" is a consideration. Deposits only;-]
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Great job fellows! I will be there in a few weeks, and I hope to bag a one good buff, scrub & a few boars...
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Nice bulls Marty!! Well done!
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Originally posted by fentiger:
Buff, Chunky congrats. Arrow weights and speeds please.
Now have very decent for me 15-25yd groups at 69# so ready to try 75#. [sadly still with release peep and compound sights]
Andy what is a respectable weight speed combo, not bare bum min. that requires filing a flight plan. Cannot wait to return to Oz. thanks
Still have a year to go if all goes well, alas at my age "t!*s up" is a consideration. Deposits only;-]
that 75 will work just fine
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Awesome job guys