Back from the Buffalo

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Basalt · #1 Post by **Basalt** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 5:53 pm

Howd'y gang,
Well I'm back from 5 weeks guiding on Melville Island and the Basalt.
LBR I know you were keen to hear how we went on the Buff so I'll try and fill you in as quickly as possible as I go guiding again in a few days and I've got to try and spent some time with the clan before i go. Anyway here's briefly how it went.
Firstly Don Thomas's mate had a knee replacement and had to pull out at the last moment. Filled his spot with Dan Smith [ a mate] who was shooting hi-tec gear. Don came over but had just had a major operation on his neck and could only pull 45lb. Don elected me to take his place and hunt with my 69lb Robertson Falcon [ which I was hoping Don may have been able to pull by the time he got to Melville] Anyway Brad Kane and I had toyed with all types of heavy arrows for this bow and come up with what we thought was the best we had for the job. It was a 2020 Easton Legacy with a Tig Welding wire up the guts spaced with masking tape in two places and glued in. I tipped this with a dry shaving sharp 145gn Grizzly head [ had 6 of them] vasilined up real well. They weighed all up 825gn and fly real nice out to 20 paces. We were seeing and stalking good Bulls every morning and evening with Dan but he was holding out for the big one. Don and I decided we'd be happy with any mature Bull [ me with the bow and Don with the Nikon] so long as we were close and the angle was right. So after day three Dan and Brad paired up and hunted one direction while Don and I headed the other. To cut a long story short [ Don's and Dan are both doing stories] I got lucky and stalked a good Bull to 9 paces only to have him turn my way and play face-off for 30 mins [ Don timed it he said] Finally he lost interest in me and turned and walked away to 14 paces [ I stepped it off later] slightly quartering away and stopped with his on-side leg forward. I pulled off another bit of good luck and stuck the shaft low behind the front leg [tight on the crease] and it went through his chest [ and the middle of his ticker] and into the off-side leg. He trotted about 20 yards turned around to see what had hit him[ his head just happened to be behind a tree from where I stood] and then bolted another 70-80yds before going down in a heap. Dan nailed a very old bull the next day from 20 paces with a double lung shot and he staggered 22yds before pilling up. Dan's arrow just came out the other side after centering a rib on the on side. My broadhead had gone through a rib on the off-side. Both heads held up extremly well and you could still shave hair off with the Grizzly I had put on Dan's arrow. Dan's Bull was a real old fellow with heavy but worn down horns. That Bull's ribs were wider and thicker then the ribs on the bull I shot but Don said that they were not much heavier then a Moose's ribs. The hide on my younger bull was twice as thick as on Dan's bull but was still only about 20mm [ 3/4"] We believe that you can kill a big bull cleanly with any GOOD stick bow over 70lb with a heavy arrow say 750+_gn. so long as it has a GOOD single blade head that is DRY SHAVING SHARP and has No burr left on it. We think lubricating the broadhead and lower part of the shaft definately helps. OH YEH they're big suckers so it would be a good idea to get nice and close and stick it in the right spot. I have yet to see a photo of my bull as Don was the only one with a camera that day but he tells me they look great. Hope this is a help. Good luck on the Buff LBR the gear you're shooting should do the trick no worries. I'm booking Buff hunts on Melville in 2005. [ bow only]

erron · #2 Post by **erron** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 6:05 pm

Good to hear from you again Bill, and glad you had a successful hunt. Interesting about lubricating the broadhead and lower part of the shaft: we had a thread on this ages ago, If I recall rightly

Also sorry to hear about Don's op., and his friend having to pull out. Bet neither was too pleased with their luck!

Looking forward to the stories these fellahs publish. Are we talking any particular magazines here?

Erron

Basalt · #3 Post by **Basalt** » Tue Sep 28, 2004 9:00 am

Howd'y Erron,
Yeh the U.S. boys weren't have any luck health wise but there coming back next year with vengance. Don did manage to shoot a good boar the last day at Toomba with my Newell bow [ Bloomslang] but had to do it with a "Bushmans" type draw. Anchored down on his chest and kept his elbow down real low. Still nailed him in the heart but!! Dan's story will be in Bowhunting Down-under and Don's in either Field and Stream or Traditional Bowhunter.

#4 Post by **Stickbow Hunter** » Tue Sep 28, 2004 10:14 pm

Bill,

Sounds like ya all had a great time. Congrats on the buff. It must be a thrill to hunt those big blokes - facing one off at that distance must have tried ones nerves I would imagine.

Jeff

LBR · #5 Post by **LBR** » Sun Oct 03, 2004 2:10 pm

This is killing me! I still have a while before I get the money together, but I don't know how much longer I can hold out.

Bill, thanks for the excellent report, and congratulations! I'm looking forward to more!

Chad

Al Kidner · #6 Post by **Al Kidner** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 3:09 pm

ttt...