TOP_PREDATOR
Well-Known Member
Staff on Qantas and Australian customs were very helpful with importing firearms,which saved a heap of stress.
It took 4 planes to get to Muckadilla hunting Safaris buffalo camp in East Arnemland,i boarded the 3rd plane in Darwin for the 1 hour flight to Groote island,where we boarded the 4th plane for the 20 minute flight back to the mainland settlement of Numblwar,where we met our outfitter Glenn Griffin.
Photos from the charter flight to Numblwar.
We unpacked,fired a few rounds to check scopes and get a feel for the rifles,we were to use for our trip,one was my Sako 375 and the other Glenn's CZ 375.
Later that afternoon we went out to check if the local pigs had taken an interest in two buffalo shot earlier in the week,no joy on the pigs,but the Dingo's had been getting stuck in.
We saw our first buffalo on the way back to camp that night.
DAY 2
We were driving to the floodplains,when i saw a big black thing running away,about 200 yards out,"there's a buffalo stop" no its a "****in big pig" i jumped out of the truck chambered a round,then remembered i had one soft point and three solids in the mag,so i replaced one solid with a soft point and headed after the pig,running zig zag between between trees,as the pig walked straight away from me.
I got within 30 odd yards of the pig,but with no chance of a broadside shot i stopped,using a tree as a rest,i flicked off the safety catch and just followed the pig with scope,then he turned left which gave me a great broadside shot,i let rip with the 375,pig dropped i reloaded to see the pig tring to get to his feet,so i hit him again and he went down for keeps.
I looked back to see if somone had got the shot on video,to my surprise the guys were 400 odd yards back,i had covered alot of ground stalking this pig.
Three of us tried to pull the pig into the air with a rope for photos but we could only get his back legs off the the ground,so Glenn brought the truck over.
300gr woodleigh did not exit
I took the lower jaw from the boar,tusks are nothing flash.
We head to the floodplains,where Richard spotted a bull buffalo,we stalked into abot 40 yards,where Glenn looked at the bulls horns and he decided the bull was a mangement bull.
Richard fired hitting the bull in the shoulder half way up,the bull just turned and started walking in a small circle,Richard just kept shooting solids into the bull then a shot hit the bull in the spine and he went down.
In hind sight solids were not idea for this animal,as all follow up shots were broadside,most animals run off when hit with the first shot,so solids are needed to reach vitals with Texas hearts/rangling shots.
One shot hit this tree
Richard with his bull
The soft point was recovered under the skin on the far side,all solids exited.
We did stalk some cows that afternoon and saw other bulls.
DAY3
We saw a bull just on the edge of the floodplains,i did not plan to shoot a bull,as i was interested in shooting 3-5 cows to get more idea of how how the rilfe/bullet/me combo would work.
I decided to have a go at this bull,i lead the stalk into where the bull had been,we met up with him about half there,i could only see his head and ass,not good.His shoulder was hidden behind a small tree,he was not to stay standing there for long at 20 yards,so i aimed where i thought the spine was and fired,i was wrong as the bull didn't drop,i reloaded and started running him,i stopped fired just has he ran into the thick ****,he didn't drop,so i kept running and then got one more quick shot into his back end which i hoped would break hip or spine no joy,i ran into a clearing to find him down and facing me about 15 yards,he saw me and tried to get to his feet which was not going to happen if i had my way,i fired my last shot into his neck, he went down,i grabbed one round from my pocket and chambered it and fired it into his neck,he was dead,i started refilling the mag,as Glenn arrived,followed by Richard and Maraget with video camera.
My Bull
One of my follow shots connected with its target
This shot missed the hip,but traveled all the way to the chest.
Richard's wife Margaret shot a cow buffalo
We were tracking a mob of buffalo cows to a water hole,the wind changed they took off,but one big stayed,Glenn said it was a trophy bull and after some arm twisting Richard decided to shoot the bull,he put one shot in the chest.
The bull took off,we walked around the water hole,rifles at the ready,when a big black boar ran past about 15 yards away,i waited for Richard to fire,he didn't the boar was almost in the scrub,so i fired,i hit him too far back,but he went down,the wounded buffalo was still there somewhere so i put 2 more rounds into the pig,reloaded and carried on.
We found the bull 50 yards away,down and facing us Richard put in a finishing shot.
We stopped in at a cattle station on the way home to Darwin,they had a pet crocodile,just a little.A 14 footer has been seen in the river behind their house
Few more photos.
Video from the trip.
Me following up my wounded Buff
http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=fkxK_MTbMtk
Culling Donkey's.
http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=ffloH-XOeSw
It took 4 planes to get to Muckadilla hunting Safaris buffalo camp in East Arnemland,i boarded the 3rd plane in Darwin for the 1 hour flight to Groote island,where we boarded the 4th plane for the 20 minute flight back to the mainland settlement of Numblwar,where we met our outfitter Glenn Griffin.
Photos from the charter flight to Numblwar.
We unpacked,fired a few rounds to check scopes and get a feel for the rifles,we were to use for our trip,one was my Sako 375 and the other Glenn's CZ 375.
Later that afternoon we went out to check if the local pigs had taken an interest in two buffalo shot earlier in the week,no joy on the pigs,but the Dingo's had been getting stuck in.
We saw our first buffalo on the way back to camp that night.
DAY 2
We were driving to the floodplains,when i saw a big black thing running away,about 200 yards out,"there's a buffalo stop" no its a "****in big pig" i jumped out of the truck chambered a round,then remembered i had one soft point and three solids in the mag,so i replaced one solid with a soft point and headed after the pig,running zig zag between between trees,as the pig walked straight away from me.
I got within 30 odd yards of the pig,but with no chance of a broadside shot i stopped,using a tree as a rest,i flicked off the safety catch and just followed the pig with scope,then he turned left which gave me a great broadside shot,i let rip with the 375,pig dropped i reloaded to see the pig tring to get to his feet,so i hit him again and he went down for keeps.
I looked back to see if somone had got the shot on video,to my surprise the guys were 400 odd yards back,i had covered alot of ground stalking this pig.
Three of us tried to pull the pig into the air with a rope for photos but we could only get his back legs off the the ground,so Glenn brought the truck over.
300gr woodleigh did not exit
I took the lower jaw from the boar,tusks are nothing flash.
We head to the floodplains,where Richard spotted a bull buffalo,we stalked into abot 40 yards,where Glenn looked at the bulls horns and he decided the bull was a mangement bull.
Richard fired hitting the bull in the shoulder half way up,the bull just turned and started walking in a small circle,Richard just kept shooting solids into the bull then a shot hit the bull in the spine and he went down.
In hind sight solids were not idea for this animal,as all follow up shots were broadside,most animals run off when hit with the first shot,so solids are needed to reach vitals with Texas hearts/rangling shots.
One shot hit this tree
Richard with his bull
The soft point was recovered under the skin on the far side,all solids exited.
We did stalk some cows that afternoon and saw other bulls.
DAY3
We saw a bull just on the edge of the floodplains,i did not plan to shoot a bull,as i was interested in shooting 3-5 cows to get more idea of how how the rilfe/bullet/me combo would work.
I decided to have a go at this bull,i lead the stalk into where the bull had been,we met up with him about half there,i could only see his head and ass,not good.His shoulder was hidden behind a small tree,he was not to stay standing there for long at 20 yards,so i aimed where i thought the spine was and fired,i was wrong as the bull didn't drop,i reloaded and started running him,i stopped fired just has he ran into the thick ****,he didn't drop,so i kept running and then got one more quick shot into his back end which i hoped would break hip or spine no joy,i ran into a clearing to find him down and facing me about 15 yards,he saw me and tried to get to his feet which was not going to happen if i had my way,i fired my last shot into his neck, he went down,i grabbed one round from my pocket and chambered it and fired it into his neck,he was dead,i started refilling the mag,as Glenn arrived,followed by Richard and Maraget with video camera.
My Bull
One of my follow shots connected with its target
This shot missed the hip,but traveled all the way to the chest.
Richard's wife Margaret shot a cow buffalo
We were tracking a mob of buffalo cows to a water hole,the wind changed they took off,but one big stayed,Glenn said it was a trophy bull and after some arm twisting Richard decided to shoot the bull,he put one shot in the chest.
The bull took off,we walked around the water hole,rifles at the ready,when a big black boar ran past about 15 yards away,i waited for Richard to fire,he didn't the boar was almost in the scrub,so i fired,i hit him too far back,but he went down,the wounded buffalo was still there somewhere so i put 2 more rounds into the pig,reloaded and carried on.
We found the bull 50 yards away,down and facing us Richard put in a finishing shot.
We stopped in at a cattle station on the way home to Darwin,they had a pet crocodile,just a little.A 14 footer has been seen in the river behind their house
Few more photos.
Video from the trip.
Me following up my wounded Buff
http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=fkxK_MTbMtk
Culling Donkey's.
http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=ffloH-XOeSw