Water Buffalo Hunting On A Budget

[JPbowhunter]

I do agree with timbo, when travelling through south east asia it was a very common sight to see water buffalo in a paddy field or feeding on the side of the road.

I whole heartedly believe they can be dangerous in the same way that growing up on a farm I've been chased up the cattle yards by pissed off cows or had to jump over a fence to get away from a cow with a calf or cranky bull. They are a domesticated breed gone wild.

In regards to no such thing as free or cheap, come off it. I'm not insinuating someone from over seas or down south like me is going to get it but locals many definitely do. Couple of blokes my age jackaroo'd up there and never paid a cent for any they shot. The few guys I've spoken to that have done it legally have had to pay somewhere between $1000-2000 trophy fee. But granted you need the access.

As for people taking their own gear I'm sure you're aware that most Australians are diy hunters and that would appeal to many if guides offered it. I'm sure the truth to why they don't is somewhere between not trusting clients and wanting to make a killing on expensive hunts.

 

[Sitting Bull_Chris]

The price of Aussie buffalo hunts is out of my league with some of them costing $8-10,000 for a week.
Just to put it in perspective I paid a plumber $88.00/ hour in Sydney, Australia for a job lasting just over a week (including materials was just on $8K total). He worked 8 hours per day. A hunting guide is working 18 hours a day so is earning considerably less than a plumber per hour even at the higher priced end of buffalo hunts when other costs are added into the price structure.

 

[Timbo]

The price of Aussie buffalo hunts is out of my league with some of them costing $8-10,000 for a week.
Just to put it in perspective I paid a plumber $88.00/ hour in Sydney, Australia for a job lasting just over a week (including materials was just on $8K total). He worked 8 hours per day. A hunting guide is working 18 hours a day so is earning considerably less than a plumber per hour even at the higher priced end of buffalo hunts when other costs are added into the price structure.

You forget, African PHs also pay various taxes: including a percentage for the concession they're hunting in, and/or a rate to the operator they work under. A lot rely on the gratuity paid to them by the client. I admit to my certain knowledge, some trophy fees are deliberately inflated, but this is exactly the same situation over here in Australia to hunt this vermin species: Governments and individuals just extorting their cut. (The only reason I can see why this exists is maybe because of a: "well they charge US$5K for a buffalo in Africa, so lets charge US$5K for our buffalo too?" kind of attitude?) But NT water buffalo, I'm sure, are the only vermin that commands a premium trophy fee to eradicate.

Lastly, did you pay your plumber in Aussie or US dollars? Because Aussies are always disadvantaged when obligated to pay in USD (currently US$0.69 to AUD$1.00). In this aspect Aussie guides benefit very well with the exchange rates in their favour - perhaps this is one reason why they like to guide?

 

[bruce moulds]

if our buffalo are not dangerous enough, then some of our scrub cattle might be more to your liking.
bruce.

 

[Timbo]

if our buffalo are not dangerous enough, then some of our scrub cattle might be more to your liking.
bruce.

I agree. From experience scrub bulls can be pretty cantankerous.

 

[Sitting Bull_Chris]

You forget, African PHs also pay various taxes: including a percentage for the concession they're hunting in, and/or a rate to the operator they work under. A lot rely on the gratuity paid to them by the client. I admit to my certain knowledge, some trophy fees are deliberately inflated, but this is exactly the same situation over here in Australia to hunt this vermin species: Governments and individuals just extorting their cut. (The only reason I can see why this exists is maybe because of a: "well they charge US$5K for a buffalo in Africa, so lets charge US$5K for our buffalo too?" kind of attitude?) But NT water buffalo, I'm sure, are the only vermin that commands a premium trophy fee to eradicate.

Lastly, did you pay your plumber in Aussie or US dollars? Because Aussies are always disadvantaged when obligated to pay in USD (currently US$0.69 to AUD$1.00). In this aspect Aussie guides benefit very well with the exchange rates in their favour - perhaps this is one reason why they like to guide?

I'm an Aussie, so thankfully paid in Australian dollars but can see how the current exchange rate will definitely advantage the guides and disadvantage locals wishing to hunt buffalo. I guess my point is that there are few guides in Australia getting rich even at what seems like high prices given the amount of hours they work and the additional costs they have to pay in vehicles, insurances, advertising, attending hunting expo's etc. It's also a function of our free market economy of supply and demand. I guess if they can keep their seasons booked then it isn't going to get any cheaper for us. Glad I had the opportunity to hunt buffalo for the trophy fee back in the 1990's.

 

[Timbo]

I'm an Aussie, so thankfully paid in Australian dollars but can see how the current exchange rate will definitely advantage the guides and disadvantage locals wishing to hunt buffalo. I guess my point is that there are few guides in Australia getting rich even at what seems like high prices given the amount of hours they work and the additional costs they have to pay in vehicles, insurances, advertising, attending hunting expo's etc. It's also a function of our free market economy of supply and demand. I guess if they can keep their seasons booked then it isn't going to get any cheaper for us. Glad I had the opportunity to hunt buffalo for the trophy fee back in the 1990's.

Yes I agree, there definitely is something screwy in the system somewhere when cape buff hunt costs the same as water buff - even though it's vermin, and, you're an Aussie hunter!!

True what you say about 90's fees! I remember cape buff - all inclusive - at US$5K for 10-days. I wish I could've hunted more back then!!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

As a mate once said if you want an outstanding buff go to Vietnam and look for a big plough cow. Pay the farmer double what it's worth, buy an AK47 on the black market. Shoot the buff, resell the AK, pay the farmer and get on the piss with him.
That way you get a holiday in Vietnam, a play with an AK47, a bloody big set of horns and a night on the grog with the locals for a fraction of the cost of an NT buff hunt.
Then again this bloke is a really funny bugga.
Bob

 

[sambarhunter]

I know a fair few blokes that have just gone and shot them.

 

[Timbo]

As a mate once said if you want an outstanding buff go to Vietnam and look for a big plough cow. Pay the farmer double what it's worth, buy an AK47 on the black market. Shoot the buff, resell the AK, pay the farmer and get on the piss with him.
That way you get a holiday in Vietnam, a play with an AK47, a bloody big set of horns and a night on the grog with the locals for a fraction of the cost of an NT buff hunt.
Then again this bloke is a really funny bugga.
Bob

Hmmmm. I might just go and do that! My partner is Vietnamese (and by God she can cook!!) and still has her house over there.

Just my general opinion, but I find it amazing how the water buff is cast as a DG over here, whereas everywhere else in the world its used by the farmers' kids to plough their paddy fields!!

That said, I'd love to see someone try that caper and harness up old Mr Nyati!!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Hmmmm. I might just go and do that! My partner is Vietnamese (and by God she can cook!!) and still has her house over there.

Just my general opinion, but I find it amazing how the water buff is cast as a DG over here, whereas everywhere else in the world its used by the farmers' kids to plough their paddy fields!!

That said, I'd love to see someone try that caper and harness up old Mr Nyati!!

@Timbo
Maaate sounds like a good plan. Take the wife with you and have a big family now after the hunt. Be even better if you could claim the trip is a tax write off as well.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Yes but that's just an access thing, we always want what we can't have by nature. Thousands of people pay good money to hunt red and fallow deer, yet I can do it for free. Not unlike a well connected Territorian on buff. I can guarantee there are NT based hunters who are jealous of the deer hunting down south. It's all relative.

@blacks
That might be true Tim but see how many would swap a free range red deer hunt that you would do for nothing for a buff hunt they would provide you for the same. I doubt you would get any takers on a clean swap.
Bob.

 

[Tim Blackwell]

@blacks
That might be true Tim but see how many would swap a free range red deer hunt that you would do for nothing for a buff hunt they would provide you for the same. I doubt you would get any takers on a clean swap.
Bob.

Actually I know many hunters who've done such a swap. As I said its all about the access. But that's getting away from the core of this topic.

 

[Frederik]

Won't it be much easier as an Aussie to get a group together lets say 6-8 blokes and go and hunt togteher split transport, food, camping and grog? Would make more sense.

 

[M McDindi]

My wife and I did a cull hunt with Barry Seabrook (Gunsmoke Adventures - previous sponsor here) in Aug 2018. He worked/partnered at a property about a 4 hr drive W. of Gove (NT) very close to the sea. It was a 5-day all we could shoot cull (under 80" bulls, cows and calves) with a travel day from Gove to camp and then a 12hr travel day drive to Darwin at the end. Was either $8800 or $9000 each and included rifle rental and ammo (375 H&H) Between us we took nearly 30 head. Charged several times.

Most of the shooting was small herds 4-10 head but some singles/doubles as well. Opening/Initial shots were head shots at 60-80m. If it was a single animal, my wife took the shot. If they were multiple, we'd both take nearly simultaneous head shots at the two biggest bodied ones, drop them and the remainder would kind of mill about for a bit and we'd get either heart or at least anchoring shots into as many as we could before they scattered. The biggest group we took down at one time was 8. That pretty much ended the day as all had to be butchered on the spot for the meat. The holder of the concession with the Aborigines had a crock farm near Darwin and collected the meat to feed his operation there.

Between the hunting and sightseeing we spent just under a month. Flew into Brisbane and spent a couple of days, then flew up to Cains for a couple of days sightseeing and dove the GBR for a day, flew to Gove and hunted. After we got to Darwin, we spent a few days sightseeing, then flew to Sydney for a few days and then home. All that for the two of us for less than what a 7-10 Cape Buff hunt would have cost.

We had a great time and might do it again someday, although I noticed Berry a limit on the number of buffalo per person now.

 

[M McDindi]

My wife's first....

 

[M McDindi]

My second...one of the ones that charged.

 

[M McDindi]

Berry took us to "the beach" for our anniversary and a shore lunch with water buffalo veal fillets cooked on an old aboriginal fire pit stone. We did a little swimming too. Yes, fully aware of the croc possibility but the water was gin clear and couldn't resist.

 

[M McDindi]

Yes, she KNOWS how to handle a 375 H&H and shoots damn well. Has her "own" 375 Ruger Alaskan, pulls the trigger on my 458 WM, off the bench with full-up loads and has even pulled the trigger on my friend's 500 Jeffery three times in a row (standing off sticks) and even asked for another. Took me a long time but, I've got a keeper.