Made the trip to Katherine to have a hunt with Gary and co on the weekend. The trip got off to a good start with us bumping into a mob of pigs just up from a spring fed soak. I opened the account with a middle size boar with my 8mm Verguerio. Matt and John cut loose and got the other three. Matt's using his newly acquired 6.5x55 and John with a coach gun.

A quick trip to another area of the property and we spotted some buff in a drying swamp. The original plan was for me to shoot a eater and I had a yearling lined up. As I was stalking in (open sighted rifle you see....and I'm blind without the glasses ) We (Matt and I) spotted a bull walking in. I swapped my 8mm for Cyclones scoped .308. It was shooting 180gr core-lok bullets which I thought would have more punch then the factory 8mm rounds. I was behind a tree and wanted to get closer but the yearling I was after was looking in my direction. After a short wait the bull lay down in the mud. I lay down and put a bullet just under his ear. It got up, but was buggered and didn't move. Another round into its neck finished it.


The original reason for my trip was to get a pig cape for me and a Donkey cape for Sam but after I downed this bloke I got a rush of blood and thought I'd cape it out, I mean how hard could it be. I'd done a pig before!

Well fuck me, never again
Gary stayed with me (god bless his cotton socks) to help roll the big bugger over. The skin was over an inch thick in parts. 3 HOURS it took, just to get the cape off THEN I was up till 0100h fleshing and splitting lips etc, with the other blokes drinking beer and laughing at me. A big thank you to cyclone (Roger) who bought me water and stayed up to help me move the cape around. I was buggered by that stage.


But I got it done. I also have a new respect for guides here in Australia. Without the benifit of a camp full of workers like the African guides, our blokes earn their money. And I know why it cost a lot to hunt a buff in Australia. The buff itself is worth $100, the other $4900 odd is caping fee's for the bloody things.

Gary doesn't charge that much. His going rate is a carton of coopers red for a buff over 100 points or a carton of Harn Super dry for a buff under 100 points. This bloke came in under 100 but I'm still happy with him. Taken in a "fair chase" by myself. When I get another one with my (STILL waiting on Rigby).......I'm just going to take the horns!

And now you know why so many Buff trophies are just the horns...

Seriously though, well done!

Thats what Gary kept saying. Simple skull mount next time.

Top Stuff Bakes

It does get easier the more you do but turning out buffalo ears is a job that every dreads.... they are a pain in the arse!!

I once did a full-mount buffalo cape alone and unassisted - now THAT was a chore. Actually I did one with help but after a day I left the skin with some staff and they didn't roll it in the salt properly and it went off. SO I had to get another skin and then I didn't have ANY help at all. I had to use a hand winch to get it out of the truck and into the salting shed - it was a 3-day nightmare..... but this was the result 12 months later...

Cheers
Matt
PS. I will be up with JHahn in November - be good to catch up for a beer. I am coming up for recreation this time - instead of work!!

Oh Bakes.... in 12 months time when you are looking at your trophy on the wall the pain will be forgotten and you will feel good that you did the job on your own!!! I find satisfaction in such things anyhow...

Cheers

EARS....don't talk to me about bloody ears! I have a a pair of ear spliters and still it was a bastard. I got all but 1 cm turned on one ear and the other had a split in it and it had a lot of scar tissue around it. For the life of me I couldn't get that one done all the way. I talked to Sam about it and she said it should be ok anyway. Who did the taxi work Matt?

I saw John's post about is trip. Give me a bell. If you have time get yourself a permit and I'll take you guys out to the goose swamps.

bakes,
with the hat on and shadow over your face and even after wallowing in mud you still don't look prettier than the buff.
Well done!
matt, your buffalo looks like it's on an exercise machine. can you tell me the brand. if I ever get a pet buffalo i'll get the running machine to exercise him.
rob

Should of seen me at the end of the night. My cloths are still soaking!

i'm sure they tell stories late at night around the campfire about you. not much left of that buffalo once you let out the air. how long does it take to inflate it for the photo session?
i won't ask about whether or not it has working parts. that would be getting too close to Matt's joke about two englishmen and a horse.
rob

good stuff,
have to show it off when it gets back.
greg

BAKES,
make sure you get a puncture repair kit from the taxidermist. the last thing you need is an embarrassing moment during the photoshoot.

Nice buffalo Bakes. As for the caping and fleshing, well I have been there and done that. There were 3 of us, and it was still a chore not to mention up to 2a.m. fleshing.

Well done Tony. The water buffalo will look fantastic on your wall and you will not regret it later. Skulls and horns in the future, hey?

Bakes.

Cyclone still hasn't stopped laughing about the state you got in and it will take a week to stop the hawks circling Lazy Acres.

Cyclone and I are still hanging out for the beer.

Shoestring Safaris.

quote:

Originally posted by robz:
bakes,
with the hat on and shadow over your face and even after wallowing in mud you still don't look prettier than the buff.
Well done!
matt, your buffalo looks like it's on an exercise machine. can you tell me the brand. if I ever get a pet buffalo i'll get the running machine to exercise him.
rob

Not my buffalo mate... I was just the sap who got conned into doing a full-mount!!

Bakes thanks for the offer - I will look into it. Do you know if you can get a permit by mail, fax or email? Wont have time while we ae there. Might have a spare day after our hunt but not sure.

I hate shooting Magpie Geese because I am bloody useless - can never seem to work out the lead on them!! It's just embarrassing....Still be damn good fun though...thanks

Forget ear pliers on buffalo - absolutely USELESS - you just have to earn every mm with a very sharp point on a knife or a scalpel by preference. Once you have done about a hundred you get it done a bit quicker. We have got it down to a fine art - about 40 minutes to get the skin right off the head and then about 90 minutes back at camp to finish the headskin off - into the salt and crack a beer (if not before). Ears - I leave about 1-2cm of the tips of the ears and turn them back 'inside in' and pack them with a pound of salt each. I figure if you can cure a leg of ham with f'all salt you can do a poxy little piece of skin too. Saves about 10 minutes an ear, looks prettier and salt is CHEAP. Gives the taxidermist a little bit of extra work too - they are the ones on the big dollars - not $1.45 an hour like me!!

It is amazing how thin the backs of those ears are eh - they rip very easily. That is one of the many contradictions with water buffalo 40mm skin on the back of the neck and 2mm skin on the back of the ears.

Cheers
Matt

I ring the permits office tomorrow and get some numbers. There is another tool for ears that I have seen. It looks like a silicone gun. I'll find a pic and show you.

I'm not the best shot either. I'm joining a clay target club here for some practice. I not bad when they fly straight over the top of me

Here you go Matt. A bit pricey but we've got a strong $$ at the moment.

http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/product/01005318/

quote:

Originally posted by Bakes:
anyway. Who did the taxi work Matt?

Oh sorry - it was Mario Carnesi in Melbourne.

Remembered the batteries this time, or was it a borrowed camera?

Two camera's this time. Garys and mine.

Good one Bakes

Can you post some photos of these Magpie geese,once the season opens.

Had a chat to the boys last night Bakesy...Nice job on that buff! Sorry I missed coming down for another action packed adventure

Cyclone and co are coming up for a Barra early next week and I will get back that way as soon as the hole in my gizzard heals

Bakes,
how come you didn't post the shot of you at the hardware store purchasing salt for your hide?
rob

I cleaned out the shelf at nightcliff woolworths twice One of the shelf packers was pushing a pallet of salt down the isle. I just told him to put it all in my trolly At the check out I was getting some strange looks. I just smiled and said "I like my salt"

Bakesy.

You sent the buff horns down south yet. Any idea about cost?

Keep in touch.
Gary

Nope, got them off the cores yesterday. The cape cost $97ish to get to the tanner. Thats door to door.

That's a beautiful mount no matter the cost in sweat and $$.

George