Tim Blackwell
AH fanatic
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2011
- Messages
- 899
- Reaction score
- 2,896
- Location
- South Australia
- Website
- www.facebook.com
- Media
- 339
- Member of
- Australian Deer Association, Australian Association of Wildlife Artists
- Hunted
- Australia, New Zealand, Namibia, South Africa
September 11-17th 2023
I've just returned from the Northern Territory of Australia where we enjoyed a fantastic safari. This is properly remote country, true wilderness seen by very few people. Alex Jagers, from Big Country Safaris, holds the hunting rights to 1.2 million acres of Arnhemland wilderness. No fences, no agriculture, no roads, and no people. It was my second time hunting this area, and the improvements made to camp on a river's edge were notable. It now has a permanent dining area, two bathrooms with gas hot showers, canvas tents with stretcher beds, and an awesome campfire area. Very comfortable, but still wild with a minimal footprint.
I flew into Darwin late and the next morning at dawn we travelled the 10 hours out to the concession. Hunting would commence the next day. Two Polaris 5-seater buggies are used to access the hunting areas, hunting is by spot & stalk, and also by still hunting along creeks and springs. There are a LOT of buffalo in the area, you will see hundreds each day in the search for old trophy bulls.
On day one, we walked a 10km loop, which was a challenge in the heat. My friend Francois took a fantastic trophy Boar, and a nice heavy buffalo bull, his first animals in Australia.
The next day we pushed further out in the buggy and looked at a lot of country and animals. My main target was a red Scrub Bull, but when late in the afternoon we found a fantastic buffalo bull, I couldn't resist. After a short stalk, my Sako AV 375H&H hit him very hard, and after two more quick shots, he toppled over dead. A lovely old bull over the 100" mark, with a scarred-up boss and plenty of character I couldn't have been happier.
On our third full day's hunting, we travelled a couple of hours to another river system where Scrub cattle were more prevalent. Again late in the afternoon my chance came, I only had a small window through thick cover as the bull got nervous, but made it count with a 270gn Atomic 29 bullet hitting the mark. A great cleanskin Scrubber, and just what I was after.
More to come...
I've just returned from the Northern Territory of Australia where we enjoyed a fantastic safari. This is properly remote country, true wilderness seen by very few people. Alex Jagers, from Big Country Safaris, holds the hunting rights to 1.2 million acres of Arnhemland wilderness. No fences, no agriculture, no roads, and no people. It was my second time hunting this area, and the improvements made to camp on a river's edge were notable. It now has a permanent dining area, two bathrooms with gas hot showers, canvas tents with stretcher beds, and an awesome campfire area. Very comfortable, but still wild with a minimal footprint.
I flew into Darwin late and the next morning at dawn we travelled the 10 hours out to the concession. Hunting would commence the next day. Two Polaris 5-seater buggies are used to access the hunting areas, hunting is by spot & stalk, and also by still hunting along creeks and springs. There are a LOT of buffalo in the area, you will see hundreds each day in the search for old trophy bulls.
On day one, we walked a 10km loop, which was a challenge in the heat. My friend Francois took a fantastic trophy Boar, and a nice heavy buffalo bull, his first animals in Australia.
The next day we pushed further out in the buggy and looked at a lot of country and animals. My main target was a red Scrub Bull, but when late in the afternoon we found a fantastic buffalo bull, I couldn't resist. After a short stalk, my Sako AV 375H&H hit him very hard, and after two more quick shots, he toppled over dead. A lovely old bull over the 100" mark, with a scarred-up boss and plenty of character I couldn't have been happier.
On our third full day's hunting, we travelled a couple of hours to another river system where Scrub cattle were more prevalent. Again late in the afternoon my chance came, I only had a small window through thick cover as the bull got nervous, but made it count with a 270gn Atomic 29 bullet hitting the mark. A great cleanskin Scrubber, and just what I was after.
More to come...
How are those bull hides to work with? Thick and stiff I imagine.
