I see there are not many pictures and stories posted here. Why? It's something that local hunters don't normally do?

I will really enjoy some stories and information about these animals.

How big is the banteng population? how do they breed, behaviour, etc.

Thanks for any onformation, I will read it next monday as I'm off for the weekend after feral goats

L

Lorenzo,
I am in the wrong state to answer your questions accurately however since no one else is jumping in-
Banteng and buff are located mostly in the Northern Territory and a usually a trophy guided proposition for most Australians these days-in other words we need to book a hunt like anyone else.

Buffalo can be shot if you have local knowledge or a property to do so in the above terrirory.
Their numbers are far less since a goverment cull a couple of decades ago wiped a lot out.

As to the Banteng it originated from Indonesia, and when farming attempts failed here they established feral status for themselves in the Coburg peninsula. This a region remote to most Australians, and numbers are very low compared to most of our other ferals, although some areas have started 'ranching' them I beleive.

I would hazard a guess more are taken by tourist hunters than by locals, since they cost big bucks to hunt.

Karl.

I live even further away than Karl. Banteng as far as I know if you want to shoot one is $4000-$5000AUD they are on Abo land and you have to pay. Like Karl said about the buff, the BTEC(spelling) program really changed things.

I'm hoping to make it once per year. Managed to do it for one year so far.

After the weekend if I'm lucky, really lucky, might also get to add banteng to the hunt for 2005.

Thanks everyone,
It seems they are not the normal game for locals, eh?

A pig and a goat for me last weekend

L

Lorenzo

Some points:

- Australia is a very big place. Water buffalo run wild only in the Top End of the Northern Territory where there are perhaps only about 50,000 Australian residents out of 20 million population. The Top End is a very long distance from major population areas, eg it is 3200 kms away from me.

- You can count the properties on about two or three hands which have wild buffalo. The Aussie hunters who have good cheap access to these properties for hunting are few.

- Buffalo hunting is a valuable commodity, therefore the boom in outfitters chasing them and their wish to have some form of exclusivity on the properties they hunt on. To allow them to be shot without some sort of fee obviously costs someone somewhere.

- The Australian government ran a water buffalo eradication programme to shoot out the buffalo supposedly to decrease the risk of TB in Top End cattle and massively decreased the buff numbers from the "good old days". In the past buffalo were in massive numbers and if access was granted some guys got a lot of shooting in. The best areas today are the lands controlled by Aboriginals like Arnhemland.

- Banteng are confined mostly to the Coburg Peninsula which is both National Park and Aboriginal land. Access to it has always been limited and I believe two main safari outfitters control banteng hunting sub-letting it to other outfitters as well. Of course there may be deals with the Aboriginals sometimes. A lot of the Aussies that hunted banteng in the 80's poached them, either by access by boat by sea or other means of access. Don't know a lot about their habits except they are one of the very remants of Asian wild cattle that can be hunted today.

- There are some guys that do have good regular access to buffalo hunting and do it every year for a few buff. Some pay for the priviledge, some don't have to. The amount needed to be paid can vary extremely. Most foreign hunters opt for fully guided luxury services but cheaper semi-guided means do exist too.

For some information and photos of banteng try this link - banteng.


You would find the average Aussie hunter hunts rabbits, foxes and pigs, maybe spotlights as well.

Congrats to you on your pig and goat.

***

416SW - PM sent to you.

I was "lucky" enough to be a pet food shooter in the 70's & probarly one of the last before the Gov started their culling programs
.there was also a big live Buff export market for a time but that collapsed about the time as the pet food industry. As a matter of intrest before& just after ww2 Buff were shot for their skins only the shooters taking contracts for x number of skins each season these days I'm in the kangaroo industry & about to start on foxes for the winter

Disciple, what guns did you use?
There is an old hand at my range who says he used to cull buff using a 410 shotgun with slugs one handed from a moving vehicle.

Karl.

I am hoping to hunt water buffalo this july coming but it has been 20 years since I had a water buffalo in my sights!

In early july I'll be driving up to Darwin to compete in the Big Game Rifle National Championships. Driving past buffalo country with a car load of buffalo rifles will be too much temptation so I look like booking a hunt with Muckadilla Safaris who have some excellent deals on at the moment.

Further to my last email, if anyone is interested in Muckadilla's deals at the moment, just check out http://www.worldadventuresafaris.com/Muckadilla.htm

Please excuse the simple layout of this page but it is a new page and will be upgraded shortly.

Karl sorry havent got back sooner but have been up north working out the last of my tags on the outer fringes of my shooting properties . Rifles I used on Buff were 303 brit ,45-70, 375H&H & 7mm rem mag.As strange as your Old hand may seem using a 410 with slugs a Old timer Frank hardy used to use a 44-40 in a colt lighting pump from horseback on Buff!!!! most of the Buff shooting faturnity were more concerened on profit than personal saftey

quote:

Rifles I used on Buff were 303 brit ,45-70, 375H&H & 7mm rem mag.As strange as your Old hand may seem using a 410 with slugs a Old timer Frank hardy used to use a 44-40 in a colt lighting pump from horseback on Buff!

Keith

Can I ask you if you were shooting the smaller rifles on foot or from a 'cruiser?

A serious question just out of interest.

Where in the Flinders are you?

I have taken that LONG flight down under twice in the last four years to hunt banteng. I think banteng hunting is one of the best kept secrets in the hunting world. The last estimate I know of was about 4,000 animals on the peninsula. There is nothing that quite compares. Coburg is a beautiful area of white beaches and blue water. I love to sip a cold Cascade Lager and watch the sun set over the ocean in Coburg. You got me wanting to go again!

Nitro iused the .303 both on foot and from a series 2 land rover the 7mm mag was the same . The shooting on foot was rare as time and tonage was money! So the only time foot work was done was in thick scrub. the .303 was not a prefered choice it was a case of thats what I could aford at the time and it was the cal of choice of many pros with the 215 grn round nose solid. In answer to your other question I live (when Im at home outside of Quorn on a property) Though at the presant time I'm shooting out around Woomera.

D.O.C.

Thanks for the reply.

The reason I asked is sometimes one gets these guys who claim "in the old days all the buffalo were shot with .44/40s and .303s".

If you ask them if they were shot from the back of a horse or a Landrover/Landcruiser I once got the answer back "What difference does that make?"

A hell of a difference! As a horse runs away faster than a human and a Landcruiser takes more tipping over. If the shot and load doesn't do the goods!

I guessed from your previous posts that you were shooting them professionally and of course a vehicle is the only efficient way to do it.

Again thanks for your reply and hope the roo (?) shooting at Woomera goes well.

Nitro back home for a while (thank god) I was able to clean up my quoters around Woomera before winter.As a matter of interest there is a very good book titled Hell West &Crooked by a Mr Tom Cole. Who shot Buff pre ww2 for their skins. this was done from horseback with martini .303's (not for the faint hearted). those blokes were the Pioneers of the industry!Even the Roo industry started as skins only & it was very late that the pet food & then human consumtion side came in.I have not been to the NT in years but they tell me where the.Gov'ment culls took place is known simpley as the Killing Fields

Did I post this here before? If so, apologies..
Last buffalo hunt before the wet-season set in.
The spear-grass has now headed-up and the dragon-flies are swarming: time to start planning a few serious hunts for the new year. Maybe Anzac Day...?

Last Buff Hunt

I'm getting ready to head to the Top End of OZ again for the 8th year in a row. I only intented to go once, but I had such a good time and made some friends that I just can't stay away from the place, except during the "wet" of course. My mates station has lots of buff, 5000+ as estimated. They say populations are back where they were before the Btec program culling. We still see some old buff with Btec ear tags that would make them at least 18 or so years old. I haven't hunted the banteng yet, but may get the chance this year. They say that they are the ORIGINAL wild cattle and all domestic cattle started with them. Australia is the only place in the world that they can be hunted. I have done quite a bit of hunting for scrub cattle and they may be the most underated big game animal in the world.

Lob. The true defention of fear is running into a Scruber who has had a bad day with the local Aboriganls who have engaged it with #4 shot &.22s & Your minding your own biz with a martini in 450/577 with the origanel ammo(thats right folks green with age! brought the beast from Mick Smiths for $177.00 with 30 rnds of ammo in 1977).I might add that both parties retreated from the point of contact with no injuries to ether party

Scrubbies are 100% responsible for my great skill and speed in climbing abilities!

quote:

Scrubbies are 100% responsible for my great skill and speed in climbing abilities! Eeker

loboga I know where your coming from!I was born with the cunning,stealth & shooting ability of Selous,Bell& Corbert in one The problem being I was also born with the legs of a coward! (the good thing being I can run like a Bloody Greyhound)