Kill 'im rait na heart, dat wan buliki, poor bala...

[Ben K]

G'day All,

I had a very good experience this morning, going for a leisurely hunt with my lady.

Actually, I left her sitting in the shade by a spring-fed creek at one point, while I strolled out into the hilly country to see what I could find. I culled a pair of donkeys with my homemade .54" roundballs, but they were too far away to take the camera back in the heat and rocks. It was pretty exhausting pursuing them there.

Picking my way back over the heated jumble of rocks, I contemplated the mistake of not having my rifle reloaded. After all, there were buffalo that I was ignoring. But they looked peaceable enough. I thought it'd be embarrassing if a boar - rare as hen's teeth in these parts - decided to show. I was lost in that little thought when across the valley and on the other side of the creek I spotted cattle moving to the water. We've been struggling to find the cows and calves lately, finding only the big bulls. My hopes raised, and I quickly reloaded and set a course to intercept them, knowing they were heading towards my lady.

As I neared, and crept through the scrub along the creek, I saw three large bulls. I thought cows and calves might be following, but they were just more buffalo.

Then the bulls cut the wind, and became guarded. The lead bull turned around and walked away, and the others followed. As I was able, I crouched and stalked my way closer. I knew that my lady was somewhere to my front, so I had to wait for the bulls to give me a safer line of fire. This they did, and paused nicely, still unsure. I had chosen the rear-most bull, due to his unusual horns, large and downturned.

I aimed as small as I could resting on the side of a tree about fifty yards away, maybe forty-five. I was aiming for the heart. When the smoke cleared, the front two were departing and the bull I shot was crashing - within seconds of being hit he was down, never to rise again. I put three more roundballs in to make damn sure, as these things scare the hell out of me.

Back home, there were some very happy people and dogs when my lady and I returned bearing the gifts of the bush.

While I was stalking the bulls, my lady took some great photos of them! I'll attach one. You can clearly see the rear-most bull with his funky horns, and although I'm not visible, I'm somewhere in the brush on the other side waiting for a safe shooting lane and a good opportunity.

The rifle is a .54" CVA Mountain Rifle. I'm proud of my homemade cast roundballs. The load was 100 grains of Alliant Black MZ.

Kind regards,

Ben

 

[pab1]

Congrats! :hatsoff:

 

[sidelock]

Good for you old fellow. Are they good on the table? Nice pics.

 

[satx78247]

LOOKS like a lot of pots of TEXAS RED chili to me.

Need a traditional recipe to feed a crowd??

QUESTION: Are these Asian buffalo considered pests (which can be taken any time of the year in any quantity), as our feral hogs are in the USA??

yours, satx

 

[Ben K]

They can be tough. Just need to treat the meat right. So, really, it is good food. I prefer buffalo - less fat.

 

[Ben K]

The buffalo, like all the animals I hunt here in Australia, are feral - just introduced pests. So there is no season, and no bag limit. However, properties are owned by different folks, and although some want them eradicated, others want them shot sparingly or not at all. It just depends.

 

[satx78247]

YEP. Sounds about like the situation with our feral hogs. = Some people here even TRY to get people to PAY to eradicate them.
(They mostly don't succeed in getting anyone to pay.)

Our pigs to about 50-60KG make GREAT BBQ.

GOOD HUNTING to you!!

yours, satx

 

[Britsmoothy]

Neat :hatsoff:
Good photos.

How do you get them extracted?

B.

 

[pargent]

:thumbsup:

 

[Ben K]

G'day B.,

Just strolled back to the modigar and drove him straight-up, then started the cut-up.

Cheers,

Ben

 

[19 16 6]

So you have your own casting gear now hey ?
That new lock seems to work good.
Do you ever go back to the donkey or buff kills to get the dogs ?
O.

 

[Ben K]

Yes! That is the plan. There is also a lone boar that we've seen in these parts, and we hope to target him...

 

[hanshi]

Neat! :thumbsup:

 

[Patocazador]

Nice going. :applause:

Judging by the denuded forest floor, it looks as if those feral bulls would be tough and stringy like the donkeys. You need to keep killing those critters so some vegetation has a chance to grow back.

 

[Ben K]

Mate, you've nailed it. Absolutely spot-on. The countryside is just smashed now, absolutely desolate. And it's all because the land is forced to carry too many feral cattle, buffalo, donkeys and horses. All of these are introduced pests, and the overgrazing is terrible. This is a large part of the reason we don't have as many native animals anymore (in these parts, elsewhere, where the feral animals are under control, the native animals thrive).

 

[satx78247]

Does AUS have any NATIVE Big game??
(All I ever heard our ANZAC mates talking about hunting were "introduced" or "domestic stock gone wild".)

A Digger CPT that I once knew took a nearly 1000KG feral bull near his family's sheep station with a heavy double-rifle.
(He said that it was mostly converted to dingo chow, as he was TOUGH.)

yours, satx

 

[robinsroost]

Nicely done Ben, congratulations! That one looks a little skinny so I bet he will be chewy. I would take the back straps though, and maybe the tenderloins, if you can get to them. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Australia in the Southern hemisphere, and when it is Summer here, it is winter there? Perhaps that is why some of your photos look dry. Keep yer powder dry.......robin :bow:

 

[Ben K]

Satx, the only big game animal we have is the saltwater crocodile, and they are protected.

Double rifles and big bulls are another passion of mine! :thumbsup:

 

[Ben K]

DD, you're on the right track. In the southern half of Australia, the season right now is spring. Down there, things are changing from green to brown.

Up here, in the north, we don't get those four seasons. Simplified, we get a wet season and a dry season. Right now, we are at the end of our dry season, waiting for the rains, so that does contribute to the dry nature of things. But it takes heaps of big, hooved animals to turn it into a dustbowl.

 

[Spikebuck]

Ben, congrats on a great shot. :hatsoff: I always enjoy your hunt stories and pictures.

I spent about 3 weeks in Victoria and NSW (mostly around the town of Wangaratta) on a business trip a number of years ago which gave me some time on weekends and some extra days at the end to do a small amount of exploring. Beautiful country and wonderfully friendly people. I enjoyed that trip more than any other I've taken and look forward to getting back some day.