The Ultimate Bowhunt - Australian Buffalo Leaves No Room For Error!
Talk about one helluva hunt! Found this interesting article about taking down water buffalo over over in Australia. It seems that you can hunt these asia transplants by contacting some of the local outfitters over there.
This sounds like one of those Ultimate Big Game Hunting experiences! One that you must try out sometime.
Enjoy the article.
-Michael
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Buffalo the Hard Way
By E. Donnall Thomas Jr.
all photos by the author
Hunting Australian bulls with bows and arrows leaves no room for error.
June 2006
The grazing bull’s head pivoted suddenly and caught me mid-stride. Bovine tranquility evaporated at once, replaced by a look that suggested curiosity, contempt and an utter lack of respect for my camouflaged figure crouched 20 yards away. Even after considerable experience with the species, I couldn’t decipher the bull’s mood, beyond the realization that I suddenly had his complete attention. And with the nearest climbing tree more than a hundred yards away, he most certainly had mine.
Quartering toward me, the bull offered nothing but massive neck and forequarters, an impossible shot for bow and arrow. The next move was his. The possibilities ranged from a charge to a snort and a clatter of hooves in the opposite direction, undoing all the effort I’d invested in the long, careful, painstaking stalk. But by then I knew enough about Asiatic water buffalo to anticipate a long, tense face-off that just might end with an opportunity to slam an arrow through his ribs…if I could maintain my discipline and composure. At the moment, that “if” loomed as large as the bull himself.
I don’t know why animals I’m stalking always seem to detect my presence when I’m in the most uncomfortable position imaginable. But there I was, weight concentrated awkwardly on one leg, back throbbing in a contorted semicrouch, certain that any motion would break the spell. There was nothing to do but wait as the minutes ticked by beneath the blazing tropical sun.
The Road to Melville Island
The trail had begun the year before when friend and legendary Australian bowhunter Bill Baker had contacted me. Although Baker had amassed a remarkable record of success with bow and arrow, he had never managed to take a buffalo. He had just investigated the possibility of hunting these imposing animals on the remote Tiwi Islands, a tropical wilderness untamed even by the wild standards of the Australian Outback. He asked if I would like to join him on the initial exploratory trip. There was no guarantee of anything but adventure, but that’s the kind of hunting I love most.
After recruiting fellow Montanan and longtime hunting partner John “Rosey” Roseland to our expedition and working diligently to master the heavy archery tackle we would need, we began to count down the days until our departure.
Trouble on the Hoof
As a veteran of numerous adventures Down Under and an enthusiastic student of natural history, I had already become fascinated with Australia’s unique wildlife. No large game animals are indigenous to this isolated ecosystem. The country’s early European settlers, an engaging mix of convicts, colonialists and adventurers, promptly set about correcting this deficiency. For better or worse, they imported hogs, goats and a half dozen species of Eurasian deer that thrive in totally free-ranging populations today.
A Ton of Trouble - Australia’s water buffalo easily weigh a ton, which calls for heavy-duty archery tackle. To take his bull, the author used a 78-pound Robertson recurve, 1,000-grain Brazilian walnut shafts and Eclipse broadheads.
The formidable Asiatic swamp buffalo, Bubalus bubalis, arrived from Timor in 1828. Originally intended as a source of meat and hides, the buffalo had other ideas. It promptly dispersed across what is now Australia’s Northern Territory, colloquially known as the Top End. The area’s hardy stockmen and commercial hunters granted the buffalo abundant respect for their size and occasionally evil tempers. For nearly 200 years, buffalo stories have been a part of the legend of Australia’s outback, much as bear tales crop up around campfires in Alaska.
When these animals began to attract attention from American bowhunters a decade or so ago, they were initially viewed as a tune-up for their better known African relative, the Cape buffalo. With the benefit of experience, a number of observers familiar with both species (myself included) now think those priorities could easily be reversed. In terms of size, body structure and disposition, the two are quite similar, differing primarily in the shape of their horns, which sweep backward in graceful, glossy arcs on the Asiatic version. Plan on dealing with an honest ton of muscle, hoof and horn. While their vision is only fair, their hearing and sense of smell are both excellent, and their personality can be summarized with two adjectives: belligerent and unpredictable.
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posted by The "Duke" @ 3:59 PM
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