A good friend, Bill Yung and I just returned from a fantastic hunt with Graham Williams of Australian Buffalo Hunters in the Armen Land of the Northern Territory.

We booked a 7 day hunt. We flew into Darwin and had a layover day to adjust to the time warp and to rest up before flying about an hour and a half the next morning to Gulin Gulin where we met Graham.







Despite being destroyed by bombs in WW2 and again by Cyclone in 1974 Darwin has emerged as a beautiful city with lots of parks and high rise apartments.

With Graham at Gulin Gulin were two young French men (Ladisulas and Constant) and Grahams friend and cook Tinks. The French were there to get some experience and to improve their English. Both intend to work in the hunting industry. They were great young men. Tinks proved to be a great camp cook as well as knowledgeable about trees and birds we would encounter later on.



We stopped in at Gulin Gulin for some diesel. I asked Graham what the "right thing" was and he said they wanted the horses shot. We did not help them out.



The first order of business was to pick up the Aboriginal (not the one pictured above). It is required to hire a local in order to hunt on their land. Led and Constant made a 3 hour drive each way to retrieve “Kim” (not his Aboriginal name) while we moved to the camp site to sight in the rifles and move our gear into the tents.



I intended to take a Searcy 450/400 but changed my mind thinking there could be some long shots. I had an untried 404 however and decided to take it to get it blooded. I used Woodleigh 400 grain soft points. Bill took his tried and true CZ 458 Lott with 500 grain Barnes TSX.



On the first hunt day we each shot a nice bull. Both our shots were less than 20 yards. Graham likes to stalk in close. About 25% of his clients are bow hunters. This is an ideal double rifle or iron sight hunt.







On the second day we each shot an even better bull. Mine was within 20 yards again but Bills monster was out about 100 yards.



So at the end of day two Graham and the two French men had 4 hides to deal with and they worked well after midnight for two days. Graham spends a lot of time protecting the trophies and care of the hide is a big deal with him.

We each wanted pedestal mounts however the majority of Grahams clients just want European mounts so four skins all at once was something unusual for him to have to deal with.

Having 5 days left and not desiring to shoot more buffalo (although it could be easily done) we decided to hunt with cameras but carry rifles in case we came across a Scrub Bull or budget busting record buff that we just could not turn down.























This "camera hunt" proved to be some of the most fun of the trip because we got to stalk up on several buff per day in contrast to shooting one then taking hours to skin and carry it out.





As luck had it I bumped into a nice Scrub Bull right off the bat and borrowed Grahams Holland and Holland 500/465 for the shot. Now they had yet another skin to deal with since I wanted a rug.

We also made a nice evening stalk to within 7 yards of a nice buff. This country is perfect for stalking up close.

The next day was more of the same – some nice stalks right up to within easy shot range – oh yes - Bill whacked a Scrub Bull also just to make sure they did not run out of late evening work.

With 3 days left we decided to try some fishing. We didn’t do a good job however and only caught 3 Brim. While we were at it Kim decided to work on a couple of Didgeridoos.



Just as the aboriginals have been doing for about 1,500 years he found a Wooly Bark tree, thumped it to verify that it was hollow from termite activity then cut it, poked the termites out with a stick and tested the sound before proceeding to slice off the bark.

Kim cut a bush and showed us how he made a brush to paint them with. He told us how he gathered a wax from the anthills to put on the mouthpiece.

We each had previously decided to bring home a didgeridoo but it was special to bring one from Kim. We were happy to know who had made them and to see how he went about it.







The next day we just lounged around camp and then left early to spend some more time sightseeing. The original plan was to go to a national park but on the way we blew a water pump so were forced to proceed to Darwin in the second Landcruiser.

It allowed us another day to see more of Darwin and Graham took us out for drinks that evening. He also picked up another of his double rifles that had been getting a new rust blue treatment and I handled it for a while – a Boswell 450/400 3.25. Graham is a double rifle nut and anyone of similar lunacy would have a lot of fun talking with him and hunting with their doubles.

Graham can be reached at email buffalo577@hotmail.com
Back up: buffalo@gateway.net.au
Website: www.biggameaustralia.com

When he is out in the bush he does not have access to email so at those times he may not respond right away.

Wow! Great report and pictures. I gotta get this Africa thing out of my system so I can get over there and see Australia.

Allen

This report is not helping my pocketbook! I want to do this hunt in the worst way! I've got to just pick a date and do it.. Sounds like a great outfit.

Congrats! Looks like yall had a ton of fun out there.

Awesome!

Wonderful trip. You guys saw lots of good critters. Any Crocs?
The bowerbird "avenue" is neat. What are the white things he's using for decorations?

I'm scheduled for the NT in 6 weeks.

Fantastic report.

nice report and pics, nice country up there

Thanks everyone. Steve: where we fished there were "freshies" that supposedly surfaced just before evening but we left too early to see them.

The bowerbird used shells and stones and constantly rearranges them. He puts one in the nest then moves it two or three times to get it just right. I guess he knows how to attract women.

Very cool pics! Thanks for sharing.

Good report and some top pic's there Palmer, well done.

Steve, the bower birds up north are attracted to lighter colours, such as those snail shells (and tomato's, the bastards )where the satin bower bird of the southern states likes blue stuff. Interesting birds. We used to have a bower in our front yard when we lived up there. I used to like watching the male fuss over his collection.

Yeah great report mate and some really nice bulls!!! Congrats!!

FANTASTIC report and pictures!! This hunt is definitely on my "bucket list".

Allen,
Nice report and some very nice trophies... congratulations. In your opinion, how does this compare to buff hunting in Africa? And with the hassles mentioned in your earlier thread, is it worth it to take your own rifles? Especially if you could shoot one of Graham's doubles!

bwananmrm,

I guess I would say it is a fun alternative to Africa.

There are lots more shooting opportunities where we were than I have seen in my 10 safaris in Africa - it would not be a problem to shoot 2 bulls a day from what I seen.

It is an english speaking area so you can understand everyone.

The hunting area is so similar to Africa that you have to continually remind yourself that you are not in Africa.

The camps are similar to Africa but more primitive which is not a bad thing. Grahams camps leave very little trace on the land.

The hunt itself is conducted maybe a little better than those I have been on in Africa. The camps are more primitive but the hunt was such that you felt more like a hunter rather than just a shooter.

Graham will not under any circumstance allow shooting from or near the truck. He often just takes off walking toward a creek or billabong just to see what might be there.

The weather is hot - maybe a little hotter than Africa. If going back I would do late June or early July again since I am not a hot weather person.

Graham is a rifle nut and is great fun to talk to. If you arranged to borrow one of his guns you could be sure it would be a good one. Personally, I would prefer taking my own even with the hassels.

The people who checked the guns were thorough but very polite. The only downside was the time it took. On the way out at the Brisbane airport we were asked if we would allow a training session with a dog. We agreed and it was interesting that the dog could find our guns in a pile of other baggage even though I had cleaned the rifle except the bore and it was in a soft case inside a Tuff Pak and it had been several days since it was last fired. After the training several security agents came up to thank us for allowing it.

There is no bribing at the airport and Australians do not seem to expect tips like they do in Africa.

Of the two types of buff I still prefer the Cape buff but am very glad I did this hunt. Every hunter owes it to himself to do this once at least.

Its always a thrill to go to a new country and learn from it and Australia is very interesting from what little I seen.

Thanks Allen!

Russell

I keep coming back to this thread over and over.. I am 99% sure that this is going to be my 2012 hunt.. I'm going to start looking and talking to the various outfits.. Graham looks like a good one to start with.. Hopefully they'll have a booth at Dallas.


Adios Africa for at least 3 yrs after the Zim hunt in a couple of months.. I've got a BC goat hunt next year, hopefully this Aus buff hunt for 2012, and HOPEFULLY a Mid Asian ibex hunt in Kyrgyzstan in '13 (I've had hell with this one tyring to find the right outfit to go with)..

quote:

Originally posted by Scottyboy:
I keep coming back to this thread over and over.. .

Me, too. You guys had a wonderful hunt, but these pix are just outstanding.

Sounds like a relaxing & successful hunt. I appreciate this report complete w/ pictures, as I one day hope to make it down under.

That sounds like you had a great time.

A question: are these shells or some sort of eggs that have been eaten?



George

Snail shells.

George they are shells used to attract the females to the Bower. The satin bower bird down south prefers blue items and will raid the cloths line to pinch any blue pegs. The bower bird of the NT like white items.

Definitely on my list of things to do. Have a friend who's wife was born in Australia. When they go on a visit, I'm going on a hunt.
By the way, could you post a picture of a didgeridoo? Always wondered what they looked like since the song, "Tie me kangaroo down sport" in my teen years.
Max

prof242:

Here is my didgeridoo that Kim made. There are more intricate models but I enjoyed seeing how it was made. It has a Long Neck Turtle and a Barramundi on it.



He started by thumping Wooley Bark trees until he got one that sounded hollow. Termites hollow them out.



Here is the brush he made from a reed growing along a stream. He stripped off all but a few strands.



As long as I am posting pictures - - here are a couple more.





CamoManJ - yes relaxing indeed

Yo, Amigo ... those varmints seem to be rather 'approachable' ... not sure if that is the right term ??? When I hunted buffalo there a few years ago I found the cows and calves wilder than snakes .. the younger bulls quite wild .. and the big guys a bit more inclined to stare you down for a bit before tearing off .. I never did see any of the wild oxen as the guide liked to call them so have no idea of how spooky they might have been had we run into them ... Looks like you had the perfect hunt. Good on you !!!

After such a hunt, would you have preferred (enjoyed} hunting with your double rifle over the scoped bolt action?

Hey Scruffy - The area we hunted had not been hunted in anyones memory according to both the PH and Kim the aboriginal that came with us.

I doubt any of the buff we were near had ever seen a human - or if they did the human was not threatening them.

They typically would run if they seen you move. On the other hand if you did not move while they were looking at you they kept on feeding.

So we moved when they had their head down and froze when they lifted it up. By doing that we got inside of 40 yds of many buff - most we just shot with a camera.

There was even one young one that was sleeping and I walked to within 10 yds. before he got up. The picture is the one above with me wearing the pack.

The picture above with the buff and the hat and my shoulder was taken 7 yds. from the buff. He actually walked up to us out of curiosity as he had just finished running off a younger bull from his cows.


ozhunter:

If doing it over I would definately have taken my double. It would have been a perfect hunt for anyone shooting iron sights. I had imagined shooting long distances but that was not what I found.

On the other hand I enjoyed shooting my 404 and found it to be a very good caliber for these buff.

Hi Allen
Thanks for the photos and report on your great hunt up in the Northern Territory. Brings back great memories for me of my time there too in the days prior to safari hunting. We paid NZ$100 a day with no trophy fees etc and could shoot as many as we wanted. Not that we did, we just hunted and stalked around for some good bulls and shot some handy extras at the end of each day for a load of meat for our guide who was operating a pet meat business based on buffalo at the time.

Our real guide a well known gun writer and hunter at the time was unexpectedly not available at short notice so he handed us over to the pro hunter. Not that that worried us pretty rough and tough Kiwi hunters back then. We had a ball.

My mates Brno 7x57 with 160gr Noslers accounted for a few with head shots but my Mauser 404 with RWS solids and a few original Kynoch softs thrown in was devastating. Very reassuring close up and used to finish off a few real fired up ones that had been hit with the 7mm and the pro's 338 Win and had not gone down but got into the bush.

Your comparison of the NT and Africa I think is spot on. We were up there in earlier October approaching the monsoon season and it was very hot and humid. Hard hunting on foot and country which looks identical to Africa, complete with snakes, ticks, scorpions and a few other nasties.

As to the buffalo, I have heard it said by those in the know that the feral Asian buffalo can grow bigger than the African, probably because of the abundant food and water around. Like all bovines they can show their aggressive side too.
To me they were certainly huge and gave you a nasty look. Our pro was very cautious about going into the bush after them and would not follow a wounded one in. We did that on our own. Of course he was not a 'real' PH as we know them now and only carried the 338 Win.

Unfortunately we did not take that many photos back then, other than after the shot, but my mate filmed a bit with his 8mm movie camera. I've managed to digitize the film and have taken off a couple of poor quality stills showing the sort of bulls we were in amongst back then. As you can maybe see below they are huge beasts with massive heavy heads.

To those thinking of a trip to Aussie, all I can say is do it, you will have something to remember always. There are no airs and graces with our Aussie cousins, they know how to have a good time and you would have a magnificent, down to earth, safari on the big boys.

eagle27
Fascinating to hear of earlier days in the NT. What year was that?

So, how many songs can you and your friend play so far?

Sounds like you had a blast. Can we get some idea of costs on a quality hunt like this one?

thanks,

Rich
DRSS

Idaho,
As far as I can tell the durn thing only makes one note and it took a good while for that to happen. I still have not figured out the circular breathing thing.

Our cost is not going to be representative of next years prices because we booked in 2008. Due to various health reasons we could not go and Graham generously allowed us to go in 2010 at the same price.

Our (2008) prices were $6,500 each including the charter flight from Darwin. That was just for one buff. Then we each added a second buff at $2,900 ea and a Scrub bull at $1,500 ea.

On top of that were the motel bills at Darwin before and after the hunt, meals at Darwin, tips and flight tickets. I don't recall what the dip and ship cost was but we paid that also.

My overall impression is that it is a little bit less expensive than a two buff trip to Africa - but not much. On the other hand you are practically guaranteed two buff with open sights and that plus seeing a great country and meeting some new people who speak English (if you listen real close) are well worth doing for any hunter.

Then there was the Australian rules football on the motel TV, some great red wine and new food to try. Also I liked being able to walk around safely in Darwin before and after the hunt. I wouldn't dream of that in an African big city.

quote:

Originally posted by Palmer:
eagle27
Fascinating to hear of earlier days in the NT. What year was that?

Was in 1978, before the the big culls took place because of the TB scare and farmers wanting to get rid of the destructive and competing buffs.

While our guide had a respect and even fear of the buffalo when hunting on foot, something he did not normally do as a meat shooter, my mate and I in our late 20s who were very experienced hunters in our own rugged country and came from cattle farms, in our youth did not hold the same regard for these big "dangerous" beasts.

We happily trundled off into the bush areas after them full of confidence and relying on our good shooting to keep us out of trouble.
In hindsight, I with my 404 was probably safe enough and the trusty Mauser did get called upon when my mate inexplicably found his scope on 9x when needing to put down a cranky cow getting to her feet at about 5 yards at the same time another came charging through behind us being dropped at about the same distance.

All very exciting if not gung-ho, I'm sure with some years piled on now I would be a little more restrained when I do get to Africa and hopefully back to Aussie again.

Very interesting report! Thanks for sharing!