Buff taken in Arnhemland with Paul Truccolo of Southern Safaris.












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[img]http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i164/sgraves155_photos/Arnhemland/DSCF4042.jpg[/img]

Good pics and thanks for sharing.

very cool.....hoping i can go in 2013, plan is to take my oldest girl there hunting for a high school graduation present.....

Very cool!! Congrats!! Great quality pics! What did you shoot (gun , caliber, bullet, etc) and how many did you take? Looks like at least two different guns and two bulls!

Are those buff the same species as the domestic ones we see plowing in SE Asia rice paddies? I understand those free range ones can be a bit "sporty"

Great pics - looks like a super hunt to do.

same species but dont remember if water buffs are split into different subspecies as there is a difference in horn shape depending on where in Asia you are....IIRC the water buffs in Oz originated from Indonesia, wanna say the island of Java but im not 100% sure on my memory......

nope not Java, from Timor, my memory was off several hundred miles ......brought as a beast of burden and for meat but the ppl that settled that part of Australia gave up and just turned the buffs loose when they left early in the 19th century and established the feral population......

BTW if your interested in buffalo or the top end of Australia in general Tom Cole's autobiography Hell West and Crooked is a good read, he was basically a cowboy and a buffalo and croc hide hunter in that part of Australia before and around WWII.....really good read, just finished it a week ago....

I borrowed Paul's 375H&H Remington to shoot both (only travelled with a 15# carry-on from US). Although we got close to lots of buffalo, the two I shot were at the back of herds/batchelor-groups, and were at 200 and 175 yds, because there were buffalo between us, and they had us spotted.

The British imported the buffalo to a place called Fort Essendon (sp) in the late 1700's/early 1800's located in the Northern Territory. By about 1813 the British abandoned the fort as the "most indsufferably hot place on earth". All the animals were turned loose.

The the 1980's the Hawke government (socialist anti gun of course) organized a government funded helicopter cull and decimated large herds on the claim that they held brucelosis and would hurt potential beef exports. They are starting to come back in numbers.

JW

According to MAMMALS OF AUTSTRALIA (1995, edited by Ronald Strahan and published in America by the Smithsonian Institution Press) there are two major subspecies of Asian buffalo, one with curl-tipped horns native to western Asia, and one with straighter horns native to eastern Asia. The subspecies introduced to Australia is Bubalus bubalus kerabau, the eastern subspecies, which makes sense, as that part of Asia is closer to Australia.

Would love to hunt them in northern Australia, mostly because I have never been there, and it sounds like the part of "Oz" I'd like the most!

Usually, water buffalo are divided into Swamp and River types. They have different numbers of chromosomes and do not easily interbreed. The buffalo in Australia are of the Swamp type. Where they are domesticated, they are used for beasts of burden, meat, and milk. The River-type is from the western part of Asia, and is the type hunted (when feral)in Argentina and other places in south America. It is also called "milch" buffalo and the milk is used to make certain cheeses. There are numerous types of "milch" buffalo, and they can interbreed.

Feral South American Buff (River or Milch buffalo)

I have hunted the river buffalo (Bubalis bubalis bubalis) but not the swamp buffalo, which is why I want to head to Oz!

John,
We do not have the curled type as compared to the buff found in Sth America but there is a style of horn growth that is quite bowed and the more common as noted in the herd photo's. The straighter version is very desireable and locally called the "Sweeper". The 2 buff taken in the pic's above are sweepers. It is harder to judge the horn length with the curled horns when they look down their noses as the width is less with the horns growing more rearwards than outwardly as in hte sweepers.


JW

JB, given i have always been into scaly critters, have kept a number of Aussie pythons and lizards over the years, going to Australia has been a dream since i was a lil kid...... which is why im saving up to go in '13.....my daughter just wants to go overseas hunting something big and she was all for water buff in Oz so we are planning to go.......

I appreciate the pictures you have been sharing but I can't help but visualize a certain resemblance to the Dos Equis spokesman...The Most Interesting Man in the World

Everytime I see one of your threads, I think of "The Most Interesting Man in the World on Safari"..."Stay thirsty my friends."

Great pictures by the way. Very jealous of your travels.

War Eagle,

You made my day!
That Dos Equis guy always has a bevy of chicks at the end. I seem to be missing that part.

Steve, beautiful pics! Would love to go to Oz someday and hunt buff, Argentina, too. Keep up the good work with pics/posts.


maddog

Remember this "most indsufferably hot place on earth". Hot doesn't begin to describe it for a Canadian.

I think a lot of us are missing that part!

Very cool pics, Steve. You've had some amazing travels!

Thanks for sharing!!

"I don't always hunt Australia. But when I do, I prefer to use enough gun."

Steve,

Thanks for sharing some fantastic pictures.

Its a pity Oz doesn't have more public land open for hunting as I think it would a hunters paradise, not that it is too shabby now mind!

Regards,

Peter

PS Does anybody know if feral Gaur are available for hunting in Oz???

Wow, thanks for sharing! Great buff, and love the shot of the horses. wild ones?

Steve-

Very cool adventure and great picts!

Thank you for sharing.

Hi Peter,

I'm fairly certain there are no actual Gaur in Australia (as a feral population anyway), but there is another species of wild cattle in Australia known as "Banteng" Bos javanicus that occur as self sustaining populations in our North.
Is this the species you may be thinking of?
If indeed it is, then you are in luck, and hunts for them can be organised.....But remember to have quite a healthy cheque account!

Actually, Australia has the largest population of this cattle in the wild, and I believe it is managed for primarily hunters, and that the trophy fees are a source of income for the local indigenous landholders.

You could go for a hunt in the Territory, and bag yourself three cattle species. Water Buffalo, Banteng and Scrub Bulls.
The Scrub Bulls are just wild, unhandled cattle that are present on a lot of the stations around there.

Make sure you bring "enough gun" if you come over!
Remembering that what you use on them, would make a fine (if a little excessive) cartridge for a Sambar stalk down the Southern end of the continent.
Crap...starting to sound like a travel salesman now(no, I'm not one). Sorry!
Cheers for now,
Aussielad.

Cheers for that...it probably was Banteng I was thinking of..

Hunting in the NT and/or Vic for Sambar is one of my ambitions, (more so than hunting Africa or Alaska actually) but as you say I believe its serious $$$$$...

I have relatives up near Darwin and if I ever visit, I would definately take a rifle, even if only for the pigs...

Not sure how it would pan out cost wise for a tourist, but the Sambar hunting would definitely be cheaper for a Southern local (like me). I've seen guide rates at pretty good prices, but you get what you pay for.
There's also the option of a "ranch" style hunt at a place called Watervalley, but this probably isn't to a lot of peoples taste due to the stock being contained in paddocks. Albeit very large, and well wooded paddocks.

Re the Sambar hunting, how close are you to sambar country? My understanding is that there is free public hunting in the various national parks in Victoria?

Regards,

Peter

Great story and pics.

Three questions here.

How do they taste compared to beef or bison?

And how often do they charge - either while being hunted, or after a hit?

How heavy would the average bull be?

Thanks,

Congratulations on a great hunt.

In Aussie time, I'm not too far from Sambar country. Could pack up, and be within the area in about 6 hours driving (400 miles). I have a mate who lives in Melbourne (roughly 600 miles away), and this is the closest major city from me that has access to good public hunting lands. It isn't really that big a deal to skip over for a few days of hunting. The drive isn't too bad, and knowing a local makes it easier.
It's something I'm likely to do within the next few months. I'm quite keen to visit the Victorian high country.
Also a possibility of a trip to the Aussie Alps around Canberra (New South Wales).

I don't want to hijack this thread too much (too late?)
PM me if you want more info, happy to share/help.

dont think they charge as often as a cape but have seen videos of ones charging.....i wouldnt take them lightly....as far as weight they can get up to 2600 pounds.....which is heavier than capes get....

Yep, I certainly wouldn't want to hang around one to see if it plays nice.

Also, as Rattler recommends, If you want a great story about (not only) Buffalo hunting, get hold of a copy of "Hell West and Crooked" by Tom Cole. One of my go to books for a relaxing day.

yeah that is a good book....can find it for as low as 29 cents used on Amazon, cost yah more in shipping

Yep, It sure would....ask me how I know!

hell i meant you can find that one in the states for $0.29....[bleep] me i wouldnt suggest buying one from Oz, feel like i got bent over every time i leave the post office when i shoot something your way.....

Thanks for sharing, SteveG. Sounds like that was a great hunt.
Stay thirsty, my friend!

I think Steve looks like Frank Langella...