Post by: amar911 on June 16, 2011, 12:18:00 AM
Allan
Post by: 4dogs on June 16, 2011, 12:46:00 AM
Post by: The Vanilla Gorilla on June 16, 2011, 01:10:00 AM
Post by: Ben Maher on June 16, 2011, 01:26:00 AM
Post by: elknutz on June 16, 2011, 01:37:00 AM
Post by: Jwilliam on June 16, 2011, 01:55:00 AM
Bill
Post by: Steve Clandinin on June 16, 2011, 02:07:00 AM
Post by: GRINCH on June 16, 2011, 02:09:00 AM
Post by: daniel boon on June 16, 2011, 02:43:00 AM
Post by: Jwilliam on June 16, 2011, 02:44:00 AM
Bill
Post by: Smallwood on June 16, 2011, 03:04:00 AM
Post by: Friend on June 16, 2011, 05:41:00 AM
I am compelled to say that 'I love hunting with Trad Tusker'. The vivid stories, enjoyable communications and thought provoking pics seem to actually place me there with him.
Looking forward, with very interested anticpation to your story, sharing of the camp and splendid pics.
Post by: rushlush on June 16, 2011, 05:14:00 PM
Post by: Greyfox54 on June 17, 2011, 05:24:00 AM
Post by: piggy on June 17, 2011, 06:43:00 AM
Post by: amar911 on June 17, 2011, 09:29:00 AM
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC00946.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC00945.jpg)
Off to work now. Much more to come later.
Allan
Post by: buckster on June 17, 2011, 09:46:00 AM
Post by: LimBender on June 17, 2011, 10:12:00 AM
Post by: Mudd on June 17, 2011, 10:21:00 AM
God bless,Mudd :archer:
Post by: Over&Under on June 17, 2011, 10:34:00 AM
Post by: **DONOTDELETE** on June 17, 2011, 06:35:00 PM
Post by: DannyBows on June 17, 2011, 06:40:00 PM
Post by: amar911 on June 18, 2011, 12:55:00 AM
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC00952.jpg)
We headed back to the airport and boarded an Embraer jet that held over 100 passengers, but there were only SIX passengers on the flight, along with four crew members! An hour and a half later we landed on an airstrip in the middle of nowhere at the McArthur River mine airport. The only thing around was the mine and the mining camp.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC00963.jpg)
Fortunately Andy Ivy and Mick Baker were there to pick us up. I had talked to and corresponded with Andy for years and had corresponded with Mick concerning the hunt, but it was great to finally meet them in person. I can say that all my high expectations for both of them were fully met -- and then some. We couldn't have asked for a better couple of guys to be guiding us for the next week.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC00964.jpg)
We loaded our gear into the Landcruiser and headed off for our hunting camp. The last bit of civilization before getting fully into the outback was a sort of convenience store where I got my first taste of the Northern Territory official non-alcoholic drink -- iced coffee -- which is sort of a coffee flavored milk drink. Outside the store was parked an R44 Robinson helicopter that was available for charter. We tucked this into the back of our minds in case something happened and we needed a search and rescue flight.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC00965.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC00966.jpg)
With some cold drinks in hand we drove off to the camp that would be our home for the next week.
Allan
Post by: slivrslingr on June 18, 2011, 02:49:00 AM
Post by: Benny Nganabbarru on June 18, 2011, 02:56:00 AM
Post by: piggy on June 18, 2011, 04:35:00 AM
Post by: LarryWalling on June 18, 2011, 06:27:00 AM
Post by: Night Wing on June 18, 2011, 06:55:00 AM
Post by: Jwilliam on June 18, 2011, 08:02:00 AM
Bill
Post by: Dry Creek on June 18, 2011, 08:20:00 AM
Post by: RC on June 18, 2011, 09:07:00 AM
Post by: Cyclic-Rivers on June 18, 2011, 09:42:00 AM
Post by: tarponnut on June 18, 2011, 10:18:00 AM
Post by: kadbow on June 18, 2011, 10:29:00 AM
Post by: RC on June 18, 2011, 09:59:00 PM
Post by: South MS Bowhunter on June 18, 2011, 10:17:00 PM
Post by: bwana on June 18, 2011, 11:11:00 PM
Post by: rastaman on June 19, 2011, 12:50:00 AM
Post by: GRINCH on June 19, 2011, 12:57:00 AM
Post by: Oregon Okie on June 19, 2011, 01:05:00 AM
Post by: amar911 on June 19, 2011, 02:37:00 AM
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00019.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00003.jpg)
After the long trip to the outback, they finally arrived at the spot by the creek where they unloaded the equipment and set up camp.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00020.jpg)
The camp was fairly spartan, but still very comfortable with everything we needed, and then some. There was the cooking and eating area that had tables, stoves, electric refrigerators and freezer, a sink, running water from the creek, a campfire, a water heater, and everything else to cook, feed, prepare shower water, and generally make us comfortable when we were up and about. The cooking area and part of the lounging area were covered with overhead tarps to shade us from the sun and heat of the day and retain some heat during the evening by the fire. One of the vehicles was used as the pantry for food and supplies that we used, while the other one was used to travel to hunting areas with the four of us together or to transport two of us while the other two rode to less accessible areas on a four wheel drive 4-wheeler.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00021.jpg)
Doug and I were under a 10'x10' canopy sleeping on comfortable cots with mosquito netting while Andy and Mick slept on cots with integrated netting/covers. We had a nice bedside table for our things and tables on a tarp directly outside our tent for sitting and preparing our equipment. Our canopy was set up on the tarp that is on the ground just this side of where the 4-wheeler is sitting in the picture. Down the creek about 30 yards was the latrine and in the opposite direction some 50 yards away was the outdoor shower that consisted of a canvas bucket suspended from a tree with a rope that had a shower head and a hand valve. Hot water from the water heater over the camp fire would be flowed into a 5 gallon bucket and mixed with cool water to fill the shower bucket and give us all a welcome cleansing at the end of every day. It was a very comfortable and functional camp to spend a week in. Mick and Andy were the cooks, dishwashers, fire builders, skinners, and jacks of all trades in the camp. These are two very efficient, hard-working, resourceful men. I already felt like I knew Andy to a fair extent, and Doug and I were very happy to get to know him and Mick well over the course of living and hunting with them every day for a week.
Doug and I were very pleased when we arrived at the camp and saw how nicely it was set up. We unloaded our gear, set up our bows, and headed down to a dry creek bed to shoot some arrows with Andy and Mick. Here is a picture of Doug dressed in his Kuiu Merino shirt and Attack pants shooting some practice arrows.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC00967.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC00969.jpg)
Andy, like me, loves his Shrew bow. I was very afraid he was not going to let me take my 60" 68#@29.5" Super Shrew Samurai "Buffalo Bow" home with me after the hunt. You can see that on the very first day I met him, he already had my bow in his hands and was coveting it. He shot it several times over the course of the week and was very proficient and accurate with it, including picking it up one day, taking a shot from 40 meters, and hitting one inch from the center of the 3 inch bullseye! :eek:
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC00968.jpg)
Andy is an excellent shot, and when he gets the money together, he is going to buy a bow almost identical to mine, but probably with a few improvements that I have discussed with Gregg Coffey for another "Buffalo Bow" that will soon be built for Doug now that Doug's name has come up on the order list for his second Shrew. On this trip Doug used a vintage Brackenbury Drifter that I gave him that is 64" 74#@30.5". It is a very nice bow, but was much heavier and bulkier than my Shrew "Buffalo Bow" and did not shoot the arrows any faster. My bow quickly became the camp favorite.
The Kuiu clothing is incredible, but it was designed for mountain hunting, not the tropical hunting we were doing in the Northern Territory of Australia. Jason Hairston, the founder and owner of Kuiu, is very responsive to the needs of his customers and has said that in the future he plans to produce a line of hot weather hunting clothing that would be much more suitable for this kind of hunting where temperatures reached 90 degrees during the day and nighttime temperatures were mild enough to barely require more than a light jacket or sweatshirt. The Vias camo pattern worked well in this environment, but Jason is also in the process of developing a green camo pattern that would probably have worked even better. Also, Jason plans on producing a short billed cap for archers. I really like my Vias camo Kuiu cap, but it has a longer bill that obstructs my shooting, so I used a short billed cap for all my hunting. For some reason Doug's draw does not create a conflict with his Kuiu cap, so he wore it exclusively and really liked it for his hunting. After a week in the bush, Doug's cap looked like a duller, browner version of my more pristine Kuiu cap. Some of my later pictures from the first day of hunting will show Doug wearing his Kuiu Merino shirt and Attack pants, but he opted to wear cooler clothing for the rest of the trip after the first day. This is nothing negative about the Kuiu clothing. It is the best in the world for its intended purposes, but some different purpose built clothing are needed to make Kuiu ideal for tropical bow hunting: a cool, light, synthetic, short-billed cap like the one I wore from another manufacturer; a cool, lightweight, long-sleeved (with roll-up, tabbed sleeves), synthetic, tough, two pocket (with fastening flaps), collared shirt; and Attack shorts. Two sets of shirts and shorts like those along with two pairs of Merino or synthetic boxer undershorts, three pairs of Merino or Coolmax socks, a lightweight jacket or sweatshirt, some safari gaiters, and a good pair of very lightweight boots would be all that was needed to wear for the hunt. We used a bucket with soap and water to wash clothes out on a daily basis. Of course, we needed about 3 sets of clothing for travel days where we had to be a little more presentable.
Allan
Post by: cacciatore on June 19, 2011, 09:40:00 AM
Post by: amar911 on June 19, 2011, 10:01:00 AM
You are assuming that something was taken. :rolleyes: Sorry, but you will have to wait to see if that happened. :readit:
Allan
Post by: maineac on June 19, 2011, 10:30:00 AM
Post by: steadman on June 19, 2011, 11:46:00 AM
Post by: LimBender on June 19, 2011, 03:58:00 PM
Post by: amar911 on June 19, 2011, 05:50:00 PM
The first day of the hunt was June 4, and we woke up to a light breakfast and then headed out in the Landcruiser with our gear. After driving to the area where we would be hunting, Andy and I got out and had walked about a mile when he spotted a big buffalo a couple hundred yards away back in some scattered trees. Unfortunately, the buffalo had seen us too and was staring at us as we got out our binoculars to study him. He looked really good – probably well into the 90s. When it appeared that he was going to keep watching us, Andy suggested we back off and try to go around the side and make a stalk with the wind in our favor and from a direction where he would not be expecting us. We headed off directly away from him and then started circling. The wind direction keep changing as Andy used his wind indicator ash bottle to keep squirting puffs of powder to test the wind. Eventually we got to a more heavily wooded area and saw a herd of buffalo crossing right to left in front of us. We tried to circle ahead of them, but never saw them again. Andy finally determined that we were going to bust up the animals, and we decided to exercise the better part of valor and back out of the fray.
As we hiked on to search out other animals, Andy spotted a boar feeding far off to our left and a little ahead of us. He tested the wind and decided we needed to keep going forward and circle to our left so we could come back on the downwind side of the boar as it fed towards us. It sounded like a good idea to me, so off we went. After our long circle we found ourselves approaching the boar as he fed towards us with his head often buried in the grass as he ate. Whenever the boar’s head was down, we were creeping slowly towards him, but as soon as he looked up we froze. At about 40 yards, Andy motioned for me to come around him, and as I came alongside him he told me to move forward slowly and see if I could get in position to shoot. Moving at a snail’s pace and stopping whenever the boar was not eating with his head down, I approached to within 20 yards. The area between me and the boar was wide open with nothing hiding me. I thought the rapid, hard beating of my heart might alert him, but it couldn’t be heard except by me. For a few seconds I paused to collect myself and calm my excitement, then I raised my bow and drew an arrow. I later found out that Andy photographed my final stalk and the moment I reached full draw and established a firm anchor. Here is the series of photos. You can see that the boar swapped ends. He was faced left when I started the stalk and ended up facing right by the time I drew the arrow. Just look for the tail.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00023.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00025.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00026.jpg)
Allan
Post by: Over&Under on June 19, 2011, 07:09:00 PM
Let's hear the rest, this is getting good!!!
Post by: Green on June 19, 2011, 07:18:00 PM
Post by: maineac on June 19, 2011, 08:01:00 PM
Post by: Jwilliam on June 19, 2011, 09:25:00 PM
Bill
Post by: excelpoint on June 19, 2011, 10:40:00 PM
Post by: azhunter on June 19, 2011, 11:45:00 PM
Post by: amar911 on June 19, 2011, 11:50:00 PM
Finally the boar decided he couldn't do anything but lie in one place and try to keep breathing. I could hear the air coming out of various holes in his body. Apparently, so could a young buffalo in the area, because as he was walking nearby he came over to investigate what was happening. When he got to about 15 yards, Andy stood up and said something like, "That's close enough!" Even then, the buff took a couple more steps and looked carefully to see what was going on. I snapped some pictures of the boar in the foreground with the buffalo in the background less than 15 yards away before the buff decided he had seen enough and left us alone. If you look carefully, you may be able to see at least three arrows sticking in the boar (look for the orange fletching), but there was another one that was broken off in him. The tree that Andy leaned the pack against is on the left side of the boar, and he is lying it its shade.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00027.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00028.jpg)
The boar was still alive at this point, although he was not going anywhere, so Andy took off to find Doug and Mick who had been called on the radio and were headed our way. When Mick arrived he took over. Mick, like some other Aussies I met, is a little bit crazy. He decided he needed to take the Stic knife (made by Frank Scukanec) that I had given to Andy when I arrived and plunge it into the boar's heart, so he started grabbing the hind legs of the beast and pulling on them to straighten the boar out. The animal had enough strength left to spin around and try to bite through Mick's leg before Mick could hop out of the way. Undeterred, Mick went back at it and managed to get another leg, stretch out the boar and stick the knife deep behind the right front leg. Meanwhile, Andy pulled one of my arrows out of the boar and handed it to me. Using it as a spear, I stabbed it repeatedly into the hole Mick had created until I had shredded the boar's heart. He finally gave up the ghost! I have rarely seen an animal that was more tenacious of life. Finally he was ready for the "hero picture", so here it is, along with some of the arrows (or arrow pieces) that were much the worse for the battle. It was a good start on the first morning of the hunt.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00029.jpg)
Allan
Post by: gregg dudley on June 20, 2011, 12:25:00 AM
Post by: amar911 on June 20, 2011, 01:16:00 AM
Allan
Post by: Ray_G on June 20, 2011, 01:40:00 AM
Post by: GRINCH on June 20, 2011, 01:47:00 AM
Post by: Thumper Dunker on June 20, 2011, 02:07:00 AM
Post by: piggy on June 20, 2011, 02:21:00 AM
Post by: Larry Surtees on June 20, 2011, 02:38:00 AM
Post by: LONGSTYKES on June 20, 2011, 09:02:00 AM
Post by: Sharptop on June 20, 2011, 01:08:00 PM
Post by: hunt it on June 20, 2011, 01:11:00 PM
Post by: BUFF on June 20, 2011, 03:14:00 PM
Post by: OBXarcher on June 20, 2011, 04:14:00 PM
Let hear more
Post by: Zenzele on June 20, 2011, 05:25:00 PM
Post by: amar911 on June 20, 2011, 11:49:00 PM
The fishing hole was something very special. It is fed by a waterfall and then goes into a deep gorge that is over a hundred feet deep. That was one beautiful place! We caught a variety of fish, but the main one was the barramundi. Mick and Andy had hauled in a small boat with a trolling motor that worked very well on the small body of water. The little lake had many fish and a fair number of saltwater crocodiles. We saw one that was about 9 feet long and had one about that long swim directly towards the side of the boat, only to submerge about 4 feet away and swim under us. The best fishing was at the waterfall where bait fish were obviously coming down the falls and were being eaten by the barramundi below. Here are some of the fishing pictures taken that second day and on two other days during the hunt. That wasn't my biggest fish of the trip, but I think the first one Andy has in his hands in the first picture was his biggest.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01087.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01077.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01079.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01076.jpg)
On a humorous note, the last time we went fishing I was getting ready to cast using a bait casting rod and reel -- the best fishing rig that Mick owned. I don't know what I caught it on, but when I started to pull the rod up to cast it the lure snagged on something and wrenched the rod out of my hand. After fishing all my life and never having it happen to me before, I watched as the rod, reel, line and lure arched in slow motion, end over end, and splashed into the water a couple of feet from the boat!!! I plunged my arm into the water as the rig sunk just deeper than I could reach. Then I grabbed Andy's rod and tried to stick it down as deep as possible and snare my sinking rod with his lure. But I was completely unsuccessful as my rod, reel, line and lure disappeared into the depths below. I say "my rod, reel, line and lure" because I realized immediately that I had just bought them! We tried jigging for the rod in the deep water, but it was a hopeless effort. Such is life. At least I caught a lot of fish before I through away the fishing rig. I had thought only my arrows would be disposable! I did settle up with Mick at the end of the trip to pay for the replacement of his sunken tackle.
Allan
Post by: steadman on June 21, 2011, 12:32:00 AM
Post by: amar911 on June 21, 2011, 01:18:00 AM
Allan
Post by: piggy on June 21, 2011, 01:50:00 AM
Post by: Benny Nganabbarru on June 21, 2011, 05:10:00 AM
Post by: straitera on June 21, 2011, 10:57:00 AM
Post by: steadman on June 21, 2011, 11:02:00 AM
Post by: amar911 on June 21, 2011, 11:34:00 AM
Allan
Post by: Nakohe on June 21, 2011, 11:57:00 AM
Donald
Post by: on June 21, 2011, 12:12:00 PM
Bisch
Post by: Hawkeye on June 21, 2011, 01:41:00 PM
Post by: razorsharptokill on June 21, 2011, 05:11:00 PM
Post by: Cyclic-Rivers on June 21, 2011, 09:40:00 PM
Post by: The Vanilla Gorilla on June 21, 2011, 10:40:00 PM
Can't wait for tonites episode of Allan Goes To Australia!!
Post by: Big Ed on June 22, 2011, 07:35:00 AM
Post by: wislnwings on June 22, 2011, 08:03:00 AM
Post by: FerretWYO on June 22, 2011, 10:32:00 AM
Post by: hunt it on June 22, 2011, 12:00:00 PM
Come on Allan I wanna know how many arras you came home with. Let me re word that as I'm sure it was 0 (Andy will have talked you out of any you had left) how many got bloody?
Post by: Ron LaClair on June 22, 2011, 12:23:00 PM
Post by: FerretWYO on June 22, 2011, 12:34:00 PM
Post by: cacciatore on June 22, 2011, 12:59:00 PM
Post by: xtrema312 on June 22, 2011, 09:47:00 PM
Post by: Friend on June 22, 2011, 10:26:00 PM
Post by: Oregon Okie on June 23, 2011, 01:31:00 AM
Post by: amar911 on June 23, 2011, 03:15:00 AM
When we got almost to the area where we had seen the bull the first day, Andy spotted a nice one off in the opposite direction from where the first one had been. We decided to put together a stalk and see how good this one really was. As always, it was vital to make sure the wind was in our favor, so Andy got out his powder puffer and tested the wind direction. We circled down wind and began our approach. This was a sly old bull and kept us on our toes by doubling back on his trail and nearly catching us off guard. We had to back out quickly before he spotted us. He also moved from one side to another and all around, clearing the area of any potential danger as he fed. Meanwhile, Andy and I were scurrying around, testing the wind and trying to stay out of sight. Finally, the bull started walking away from us toward an open area. Andy and I picked up the pace and quickly moved directly at him, but only when he was walking and facing away from us. When the bull would stop or look back, we would immediately freeze. It looked like he was going to cross a large, burned-off, clear area and go into the trees and grass on the other side before we could get to him. Instead, he slowed down as he came to one of the few remaining trees in the open area and seemed to be ready to bed down. If he bedded facing away from us, we would have a long 250 to 300 yard stalk across the open space to get close enough for a shot. If he bedded facing left, right, or back towards us, then we probably would never be able to stalk up on him before he saw us and took off for parts unknown.
We had now been watching the bull for well over an hour, and we were fairly convinced he was the same large bull we had seen the morning of the first day. Andy told me that there were not many bulls of that size that had been spotted on their hunting concession before, and this bull was only a short distance from where we had seen the bull on the first morning. All that led us to the conclusion that we had found the same bull, not his seemingly identical twin.
We sat behind a tree almost 300 yards away from the bull as we watched him start to settle in for a nap and chew his cud. At first we thought he would lie down at a quartering angle that would be bad for a stalk, but he cooperated by putting his head directly into the wind, facing away from us. We surmised that he thought he had thoroughly explored the entire area we were coming from and had cleared it of any danger, so now he would want to lie facing into the wind in the direction he had not been in order to be aware of any threat that he might not have known about.
Regardless of the reason, the bull lay down under a tree almost 300 yards away, upwind from us, facing the other direction. Andy and I were happy about it as we planned our stalk over totally flat and open terrain. Andy suggested that we would have to remove our shoes and socks and leave them and every extra item we had beside the tree we had been hiding behind. I agreed and dutifully became barefoot and empty handed, other than my bow and arrows and shooting tab. We started the long, slow, quiet stalk across the black, charred remains of clump grass that dotted the otherwise bare earth. Andy led the way as we moved directly toward a single, small tree that stood about 20 yards from the bull and slightly to our right. I was told we would go towards the tree, and when we were 10 yards from it I was to pass Andy and make the final approach for the shot, much like I had done with my boar.
It seemed like forever that we crept towards the bull, and then we were 30 yards away with Andy motioning for me to take the lead. I walked so slowly now that I hardly felt I was making any progress, but finally I was close to the tree. I made signs with my hands to find out whether Andy wanted me to be on the left side of the tree where the angle of the shot would be more from the rear or to be on the right side of the tree where the shot angle would be better but we were more likely to get busted by the bull. He pointed to the left side, so I slowly closed the distance to what I later measured as 17 yards.
I positioned my feet as closely as possible to where they typically are when I shoot targets in my back yard and pretended I was taking another shot at a very big black target. I then held my body as straight as possible and took several deep breaths to calm the immense excitement that I felt, all the while looking up at the sky over trees to the right of me some distance away. It is the same relaxation routine I use when shooting at targets, and it was working for me. I turned my attention back to the bull that was slightly curled with his tail to the left and his body tilted and arched to the right like a banana lying on the ground with the stem on the left and the main part first curving to the right and continuing to curve back left again. Except that the other end of this big, black "banana" had huge horns and a nose that was facing directly away from me. I picked the shot vector that would cause my arrow to enter his right rear ribs and range up into the lung area, then I set myself to draw. As I drew back on the string, my 68 pound bow felt like it was only 40 pounds, and I easily pulled the nock of the arrow two inches beyond my anchor point before I even realized it. I had to let my right hand slide forward and find the dual anchors of my index finger in the corner of my mouth touching my upper right canine, and the first joint of my cocked right thumb sitting against the lower back corner of my jaw bone. I held my solid anchor for two to three seconds and felt my body fully expand and stabilize before releasing the arrow. As if in slow motion the arrow came off the string and headed for the unsuspecting buffalo.
The broadhead hit exactly where I intended to place it, and the arrow appeared to penetrate fairly well. I had been worried about the shot angle and the heavy ribs that would have to be bypassed to reach the vitals. The surprised bull jumped to his feet, looked at Andy and me, and quickly moved off about 50 yards away, immediately turning to face us. I had pulled a second arrow and nocked it, but there was no point in trying to shoot it at that angle and distance. There was frothy blood coming from the hole where the arrow was sticking. The bull did not seem inclined to challenge us, but he was not running away either. He seemed to be unsure of what we were or why he felt so sick. He moved off another 20 yards and again turned to face us. After a few seconds longer he decided it was time to depart, and rather than heading towards cover, he began moving across open terrain where we could keep him in sight. We did not change position so as to keep from alarming him. With blood coming from his side and his mouth, he headed across the field and down into a distant creek bed. He did not come up the other side. After waiting for some time for him to die, we eventually walked over toward him and could see that he was lying in a small pool of water in a mostly dry creek bed where he appeared to be dead. As we slowly and quietly closed the distance, we realized he probably really was dead, and we were right.
Although Andy had earlier proclaimed the bull as being in the 90's, he now excitedly exclaimed that it might even score 100 or slightly more, which would be the biggest bull they had ever taken off the property.
I think I may have held everyone off too long. So, here is my big, beautiful (to his mother), Asiatic buffalo bull, as we found him lying in the creek, with Andy squatted beside him, sizing up the horns.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC00989.jpg)
Notice the frothy lung blood coming from the wound, clearly showing penetration into the right lung and profuse internal bleeding at the top of the lung.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC00990.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC00991.jpg)
One more picture to leave you with tonight. There will be more pics tomorrow when I have more time to post. This is after Mick and Doug were radioed to join us and we pulled the buff out of the creek using the Landcruiser. To say we were all happy and excited, especially me, would be a gross understatement!
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01018.jpg)
I know some of you are asking, "What did the buffalo score?" That's what I was wondering too at the time, but I had to wait for Mick to get his tape and do the measurements. So now you get to wait. I'm going to bed! :archer:
Allan
Post by: Dry Creek on June 23, 2011, 05:05:00 AM
Post by: Green on June 23, 2011, 05:20:00 AM
Post by: piggy on June 23, 2011, 05:33:00 AM
Post by: Sharptop on June 23, 2011, 08:09:00 AM
Post by: hunt it on June 23, 2011, 08:29:00 AM
Post by: cacciatore on June 23, 2011, 08:35:00 AM
Post by: wapiti792 on June 23, 2011, 09:06:00 AM
Post by: Lin Rhea on June 23, 2011, 09:11:00 AM
Post by: Terry Green on June 23, 2011, 09:11:00 AM
Really cool pics of the hog with the buff in the back ground...
That is a heck of a BUFF you killed also!!!!
Post by: straitera on June 23, 2011, 09:13:00 AM
Post by: steadman on June 23, 2011, 09:54:00 AM
Post by: Rik on June 23, 2011, 10:06:00 AM
Welcome to the Buffalo Brotherhood Mate!
Nice bull too!
Post by: buckeye_hunter on June 23, 2011, 10:15:00 AM
Post by: FerretWYO on June 23, 2011, 11:06:00 AM
Post by: Ron LaClair on June 23, 2011, 11:29:00 AM
http://www.shrewbows.com/
Post by: Charlie Lamb on June 23, 2011, 12:20:00 PM
Congratulations on the adventure. :thumbsup:
Post by: jeanpaul3006 on June 23, 2011, 12:41:00 PM
Post by: xtrema312 on June 23, 2011, 02:27:00 PM
Post by: Lost Arra on June 23, 2011, 02:58:00 PM
Nice job! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Please elaborate on the earth tone/camo clothing with contrasting royal blue pack. Is that your Thunder pack? :)
Having shot your buffalo bow I cannot imagine an arrow not passing thru any living animal. Those are some tough beasts!
Post by: GO Rogers on June 23, 2011, 03:14:00 PM
Post by: Over&Under on June 23, 2011, 03:22:00 PM
Post by: Doug Campbell on June 23, 2011, 03:25:00 PM
Post by: Nakohe on June 23, 2011, 04:52:00 PM
Post by: Benny Nganabbarru on June 23, 2011, 05:37:00 PM
Post by: Zenzele on June 23, 2011, 06:25:00 PM
Post by: Sharptop on June 23, 2011, 06:37:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Ron LaClair:Ron, As much as Allan loves his Shrews I suspect you have made his day!
Congratulations Allan, that is an awesome accomplishment... :thumbsup: I have taken the privilege of featuring you and your Buff on the Shrew Home page.
http://www.shrewbows.com/
Post by: pdk25 on June 23, 2011, 06:42:00 PM
Post by: amar911 on June 23, 2011, 08:38:00 PM
The reason for wanting to get a bow like the new Shrew that will be built for Doug is that for guys like Doug and me, a 70 pound bow is near the maximum we can accurately shoot. At 23 years old, Andy is less than half our age of 58, but Doug and I are bigger guys which helps a little at our "advanced" age. Andy's trad bow that he has for buffalo is 75 pounds, is not nearly as smooth as my Shrew, and does not fling an arrow any faster than my bow that is 7 pounds lighter, but with me having an additional inch of draw length over Andy (mine at 29.5" versus Andy's at 28.5"). I could draw and shoot Andy's bow, which was 78 pounds at my draw length, but my ability to hold it at full draw, stabilize, and shoot accurately with it was not adequate for my standards. Besides, my shoulder hurt after shooting it even a half dozen times. Andy would like to shoot a somewhat lighter bow too. My Shrew Buffalo Bow was about the same speed, was far smoother and easier to draw, was far more accurate in the hands of everyone who shot it, was built great, and looked great too. Doug's new Buffalo Bow is probably going to be as good or better in every way as mine, but I want to test it before I reveal the specs I gave Gregg and Ron for it. Expect a review sometime around September or hopefully sooner if I can get it from Doug for evaluation. By the way, Andy also has a gorgeous Shrew Classic Hunter that is 56" 65#@28.5", but is not quite as heavy as he wants to use on buffalo, which is why he is going to get a bow like Doug's if it turns out as expected.
I think my Buffalo Bow is great for hunting buffalo, and I doubt I will "upgrade" it to be like the one Doug ordered unless the performance is enhanced even more than what I think it will be. But if I were ordering my first Buffalo Bow today, I would get one like Doug's.
I want to thank everyone who has commented on my hunt and supported me in telling the story. There is still more to come, although I will tell you that by this point all my expectations for my hunting success had been met and exceeded, so it largely became a matter of seeing how Doug would fare with his hunt. I will be showing more pictures of this big buffalo bull, and will remind you that I still have more than half the hunting time to talk about.
To make sure you have something to look at now, here are a few additional pictures of the buff and my Shrew Buffalo Bow with the EFA quiver and AD Hammerhead arrows. If you want to know what the open, flat area looked like where we stalked and shot the buffalo, just look behind me on the other side of the creek in the pictures where I am sitting on top of the buffalo. We were on the other side of that large, burned-off field.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01010.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01000.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01019.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC00995.jpg)
Allan
Post by: Guru on June 23, 2011, 08:47:00 PM
Post by: amar911 on June 23, 2011, 09:08:00 PM
It is hard to tell exactly how much penetration I got. As you know, when a big animal like that starts moving, the arrow is going to start being pushed on by its inside organs and body parts which will make the arrow start to come out of its body. The buff went quite a ways after it was hit, and it was moving and breathing heavily which would tend to force the arrow back out. By the time we got to the buffalo there was still about 12 inches of arrow in him. We did do a little cutting to investigate what the arrow hit and how it moved through the ribs and into the right lung. Here is a picture of the incision we made with the skin peeled back around the entrance wound at the ribs. In the picture, Doug is holding my nice Stic (Sticshooter) knife that is pointing to the spot where the broadhead struck the rib, then moved to the right to enter the space between that rib and the one to the right of it. Unfortunately, Doug was covering the entrance hole with the knife blade when I took the picture, so you will just have to use your imaginations of what a hole looks like. :rolleyes: If the bull had not been lying in a curved position that spread out the ribs on his right side, the overlapping rib structure might easily have prevented entry into the chest cavity. The arrow is high and back on the body, but the vector is very much in a downward and forward direction to pierce the top of his right lung and angle downward into it. The arrow almost certainly did not penetrate the left lung, but the right lung would have filled with blood with the only exit hole being at the top.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01028.jpg)
This next picture shows the thickness of the skin on the back of the neck of the buffalo. For reference, the blade length of the pretty little Stic knife I gave to Andy is slightly over three inches.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01027.jpg)
I would have liked to have done a complete autopsy, but the amount of work that would have involved was not appealing to any of us.
!["[dntthnk]"]("graemlins/dntthnk.gif" "\"\"")
Allan
Post by: Jeff D. Holchin on June 23, 2011, 09:58:00 PM
Post by: Ron LaClair on June 23, 2011, 10:12:00 PM
:biglaugh:
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01010.jpg)
Post by: HARL on June 23, 2011, 10:29:00 PM
Post by: Bowhunter4life on June 23, 2011, 11:39:00 PM
Post by: pdk25 on June 23, 2011, 11:49:00 PM
Post by: slivrslingr on June 24, 2011, 04:25:00 AM
Post by: doug77 on June 24, 2011, 09:45:00 AM
doug77
Post by: hunt it on June 24, 2011, 01:17:00 PM
Post by: duncan idaho on June 24, 2011, 01:17:00 PM
Great hunt and story..Thank you
What are the specs on your buffalo arrows?
Post by: amar911 on June 24, 2011, 02:04:00 PM
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00031.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00032.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00033.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00034.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/IMG_0843.jpg)
It may not look like Andy was struggling with the head of that buff, but he wanted us to hurry and get the pictures so he could put it on the Toyota and take it back to camp! You can really get a feel for the mass and length of the horns with the buff's head on Andy's shoulder. It is a very strained smile on his face -- more like a grimace. :help:
Allan
Post by: amar911 on June 24, 2011, 02:10:00 PM
The arrows are 600 grain AD Hammerhead arrows that Paul Mattson of Badger Arrows made up for me with 100 grain brass inserts, 70 grains of screw-in brass weights behind the inserts, an aluminum collar between the insert and the front of the shaft, unibushings with g-nocks at the rear and 4x4" shield cut feathers. With the 315 grain Ashby broadheads from Alaska Bowhunting Supply, the total arrow weight was 915 grains. They fly perfectly, even with 145 grain Ace hex head blunts in place of the broadheads -- just ask Andy!
Allan
Post by: JohnnyWayne on June 24, 2011, 02:35:00 PM
Post by: cacciatore on June 24, 2011, 02:40:00 PM
Post by: Terry Green on June 24, 2011, 02:51:00 PM
Post by: BUFF on June 24, 2011, 02:54:00 PM
Post by: amar911 on June 24, 2011, 03:27:00 PM
Allan
Post by: steadman on June 24, 2011, 07:18:00 PM
Post by: amar911 on June 24, 2011, 07:43:00 PM
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01018.jpg)
Our testing took us the rest of the afternoon, then we headed back to camp to wait for Mick and Doug.
Allan
Post by: amar911 on June 24, 2011, 08:01:00 PM
Here are a few pictures of us as we were walking around looking for buffs or hunkering down to avoid them seeing us. There was lots of water in the area (like you see in the first picture) which kept the animals fairly spread out. We seemed to blend into the surroundings pretty well.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01033.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01036.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01037.jpg)
Allan
Post by: amar911 on June 24, 2011, 08:28:00 PM
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00035.jpg)
The ground and grass here were hard, fairly dry and crunchy, so I moved very slowly and as quietly as I could with my somewhat noisy boots. Next time I go over there, I am going to take along a pair of moccasins that I can carry with me and change into for the final stalks. Unlike Mick, whose feet look like those of the Aborigines and are tough as leather, my feet are soft and tender and do not fare well in this terrain. The moccasins would have been perfect. But at a distance, with the wind on our faces, the buff did not hear or smell me as I moved forward. As a point of reference, the tree between me and the buffalo is about 18 yards away from him, which would put me in a good spot to wait before trying to move to his broadside for a shot.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00036.jpg)
At 40 yards I nocked an arrow, just in case I decided to shoot him if I got the chance. I knew I would likely be heard by him with the noise my boots were making as I gingerly took one step after another.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00037.jpg)
Here I have made it to around 22 yards, and I am starting to think that the little bull's hearing is not too good since he hasn't busted me.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00038.jpg)
If I had gone barefoot, I think I could have made it into a good position to have easily shot this smaller animal, but at about 20 yards, he heard the noise of my boots crunching on the rocks, dirt and dry grass. I drew my bow as he spooked, but he didn't hesitate in getting far away from me, raising a cloud of dust as I watched him over the top of my drawn arrow, with nothing but a big rear end to shoot at. Wow, that was fun! :thumbsup:
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/Image00039.jpg)
Allan
Post by: stik&string on June 24, 2011, 10:11:00 PM
Post by: amar911 on June 25, 2011, 12:19:00 AM
Andy and I wrapped up the hunt with me feeling extremely satisfied with my experiences. We hunted to the last light of the last day, but despite some close calls like Doug had experienced throughout the week, we were not able to get a second buffalo. Here is a picture I took of Andy after we had just walked many miles, only to have some buffaloes pass across the top of the cut bank in the background where we had just been a couple of minutes before.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01066.jpg)
The week of hunting with Andy closed with me glassing for buffalo from the escarpment that overlooked the long valley where I had taken my buffalo more than three days earlier.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01117.jpg)
When we got back to camp, I was able to take my last look at the skull and horns of my buffalo that hung above the one Andy had taken earlier with his bow. There is a big difference between his buffalo that scores 85 and mine that was finally confirmed by Mick as being exactly 100 inches. We measured it first in the field and then later on multiple occasions after it had been caped and boiled, and all of the measurements were the same. I was literally a happy camper.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01114.jpg)
Allan
Post by: The Vanilla Gorilla on June 25, 2011, 01:10:00 AM
Post by: GRINCH on June 25, 2011, 01:15:00 AM
Post by: amar911 on June 25, 2011, 12:30:00 PM
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01063.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01060.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/DSC01049.jpg)
After a swim and sitting in the warm waterfall, the four of us made our way back to the Landcruiser and headed for lunch in town and then on to the airport for our flight back to Darwin. Andy and Mick dropped us off to wait for our plane, and we said our goodbyes and pledged to return in a couple of years (God willing). It had been a great hunt, but it was now over. I had been wildly successful with a nice boar and a huge buffalo, and Doug was happy for the experiences despite not having killed any animals.
The flight back to Darwin was uneventful except for the sweet little 19 year old flight attendant who oozed youth and charm. She reminded me of my daughter 7 years ago when my daughter was 19. We arrived in Darwin, which this time was familiar as we checked in to our hotel where we knew the desk people by name -- David specifically at that point. We checked into our room, lay down exhausted, and fell asleep with thoughts of the hunt still floating in our heads. Dinner time found us awake again, but not for long, as we truly were beat from a lengthy week of exertion and lack of sufficient sleep. We could only imagine how Andy and Mick felt as they started their second of six weeks in the bush with two new hunters for the week.
As we fell asleep again for the night, we closed chapter one of our trip to Oz, but we knew that more action existed starting when we would wake at 4 am for a 5 o'clock pickup in the lobby by our fishing guide. We had to prepare to change gears for the second chapter of our adventure, which ended up being a wonderful surprise. I will start a new thread for part two of our adventure. Thanks for coming along with us on this first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.
Allan
Post by: Wolfkiss on June 25, 2011, 03:34:00 PM
Congrats on the Buff, and the Boar who didn't want to give up.
Post by: HARL on June 25, 2011, 04:16:00 PM
Post by: DannyBows on June 25, 2011, 07:34:00 PM
Post by: Manitoba Stickflinger on June 25, 2011, 08:05:00 PM
Post by: chinook907 on June 25, 2011, 11:12:00 PM
Post by: Jwilliam on June 26, 2011, 06:11:00 PM
Bill
Post by: L82HUNT on June 26, 2011, 07:11:00 PM
Post by: amar911 on June 27, 2011, 12:57:00 AM
The new Shrew high poundage, high performance bow is already being built according to the specifications I gave to Gregg and Ron. It looks like the bow is going to be even better than I imagined. The use of the advanced materials is going to make the limbs lighter, stiffer, stronger and better performing, while the bow itself will look as good as any Shrew ever produced -- which means it will be gorgeous. The bow is designed to be able to be built for the heaviest and most potentially dangerous animals that roam the earth and to do so in a relatively light, high performing, modern design reflex/deflex longbow. Because the bow is so well suited to hunting large and dangerous game (depending on the weight that the archer is capable of drawing), it is my understanding the bow may be named the "SHREW SAFARI". Up to a certain weight (around 75 to 80 pounds) the standard 5/8" BowBolt and standard Shrew grip will be available. Above that, the larger diameter 3/4" BowBolt would probably be used, and the grip size would have to be increased somewhat to accommodate it. Of course, the bow could always be purchased as a one piece, but I naturally prefer a two piece for travel.
Even though the Shrew Safari has not been officially announced by Ron, I know the orders are already coming in, so it is going to be a hot new item. I don't know of any other bow like it. This bow is the culmination of several years of using various combinations of natural and advanced building materials in order to utilize them to the maximum benefit. When my Shrew Buffalo Bow was built two years ago, the material choices were very limited. There was a wide variety of veneers to choose from, but the solid phenolic riser and the bamboo cores were pretty much required in order to provide the strength and toughness needed for a BowBolt and for the potential abuses that places like the Outback of Australia or the thick bush of Africa can throw at the bowhunter. Now, with the new materials that have been adopted for use in numerous applications in the Shrew line, additional design options have become available.
No, the Shrew Safari does not have foam cores! I am a huge fan of foam cores and have the first Shrew bow ever built with the foam. It is great for light to moderate weight bows and produces very consistent limbs that are not affected by moisture. In well designed bows, foam cores tend to result in limbs that are smooth and fast. Bamboo is great too and tends to be less subject to damage from abuse, especially in longbow limbs. The bamboo limbs do tend to be heavier, which can result in lower speed with normal weights of arrows in light to moderate weight bows. For heavy draw weight bows shooting very heavy arrows for large game, limbs need to have some mass to move an arrow well. The trouble is that bamboo core limbs can develop too much mass as the draw weight of the bow increases to the point needed to hunt the really big critters. So, how does a bowyer keep the toughness of bamboo and get the limbs lighter and faster while maintaining the draw weight at a level high enough to throw heavy arrows with sharp points at really big and often dangerous animals? That's where the modern materials come into play that the Shrew masters have been using for the last few years. Even in the last 9 months there have been new materials incorporated into some models of Shrews. With all the various materials at hand, it was a matter of designing a bow that would effectively use the best of them to create a state-of-the-art, short, reflex/deflex longbow for the adventurer trad archer to take on safari.
After coming back from Australia, and following discussions there with Andy Ivy about how I thought a better bow could be built for buffalo in Oz and for all the dangerous game in Africa, I started talking with Gregg Coffey about creating an upgraded version of my wonderful Shrew Buffalo Bow. Gregg and I shared our design ideas and came up with a concept. Gregg then took the ideas to Ron who reviewed them and agreed they ought to produce a superior bow. The okay was given on the project. Now the first bow has been glued up and is ready to be worked into the finished product. It already is looking like a winner. In fact, with only rumors circulating, there are already 4 firm orders that have been placed for the Shrew Safari. I won't leak out the secrets at this point, but you can probably expect that the bow will still use the tough-as-nails, tried-and-true bamboo cores that are in my great little Shrew Buffalo Bow. But instead of the thick laminations of only bamboo in the cores, you can imagine multiple laminations of other modern materials that are found in the more exotic Shrew bows that have been built in recent times. Despite the fact that syntactic foam is a wonderful material in the right bows, you won't find any in the Shrew Safari. The advanced materials that will be laminated together with the bamboo in the limbs will allow the limbs to be thinner (belly to back) than the all-bamboo core limbs, but the strength of the limbs will actually be higher. Think in terms of the advantages of plywood, or for a closer comparison, of the advantages that were seen when bows were first developed using fiberglass laminations on the backs and bellies of the limbs versus all-wood self bows. The laminations of modern advanced materials creates another significant leap in performance design. The Shrew Safari limbs will be lighter, faster, just as quiet, tougher and good looking. Okay, that is the theory anyway. The real test will be in the shooting of the bow, but I have no doubt it will be a real winner. Without going into a lot of detail, one thing that has been determined is that with the new materials layup design, all the old rules go out the window. The limbs start producing high draw weights with less material than was expected, meaning that it will be easy to get a high draw weight bow with lighter mass in the limbs and lighter overall mass for the bow. That means a really high draw weight Safari Shrew will weigh about the same or less when carried than my Buffalo Bow, which itself is a delight to carry for mile after mile. Also, the lighter mass and higher modulus limbs will develop higher speeds and cast the arrows faster. My favorite part about that is the ability to shoot a lower draw weight bow and get the same performance of a bow built like my Buffalo Bow that is several pounds of draw weight more. The Shrew Safari bow that is currently being built also has a very nice, smooth draw curve that increases at a steady rate that is even better than anticipated.
I hope I am not jumping the gun for Ron and Gregg on the Shrew Safari bow (or whatever name Ron chooses to call it). I know Ron will make the official announcement to the world if and when he decides the bow is up to his and Gregg's high standards for a Shrew bow. If the bow doesn't live up to those standards, I'm sure it will never officially be introduced. I'm just glad the two of them are so responsive to the needs of their customers, that Ron created the platform from which some of the best hunting bows in the world have been built and can be adapted to new models, and that Gregg has the skill to bring the concepts to reality in the form of new Shrew bows that many of us can use and enjoy.
By the way, I don't get any discounts, free merchandise or other inducements. What I do get is a couple of great guys who will listen to my ideas about what I want and help bring them to life if they seem appropriate. (There are other great bowyers out there who are also very responsive to their customers, and several of them are friends of mine whose bows I own and treasure.) I have been dreaming about this new concept bow for the last year, and once the design was completed with the help of the Shrew guys, the gestation period for the birth of the bow has been pretty short. I am excited, but I already have another Shrew currently being built and unfortunately am down on the list a ways and to get a new Shrew Safari. Fortunately, I order two new Shrews a year, so I am always only about six or eight months out on the waiting list. That is one reason I have more than a dozen Shrews, with one now being built and three more on order. I don't spec out the bows until the last month or so in order to be able to make sure I get the latest and greatest Ron and Gregg have available.
Oh, Bill, don't tell anyone about the Shrew Safari -- it's a secret! :nono:
Allan
P.S. Ron, if you read this and decide I should have kept my mouth shut, call me and I will edit out this post.
Post by: Jwilliam on June 27, 2011, 05:33:00 AM
Thanks for the heads up !!! Ron and Gregg sure do produce some wonderful bows !!!! :notworthy: Guess it's a good thing I got right back on the list after receiving my Classic Hunter in March. :biglaugh: I'm very curious to hear more about the Safari in the next couple of months.
Bill
Post by: hunt it on June 27, 2011, 07:36:00 AM
Post by: amar911 on June 27, 2011, 07:50:00 AM
Chapter 2 is coming. I just need more time in every day to get all my work done and also post things here. You will like it, I think. Hint: it was not your everyday "fishing" trip.
Andy and I talked a lot about you while we were there -- and some of it was good! :bigsmyl:
Allan
Post by: tradbower on June 27, 2011, 09:01:00 AM
Post by: Ron LaClair on June 27, 2011, 09:51:00 AM
Allan, your enthusiasm and ideas are a motivating force for Gregg and I. We really appreciate your support. The "Shrew Safari" is a catchy name and I like it. I had told Gregg we should call the new model the "DeVore Special"...
Post by: hunt it on June 27, 2011, 11:32:00 AM
Post by: rushlush on June 27, 2011, 02:32:00 PM
Post by: Terry Green on June 27, 2011, 07:45:00 PM
This would be my 'Dream Hunt'. Never thought much about a dream hunt before....cept when Denny Sturgis went down.....and I was invited but could not go due to family circumstances. (not wife or girls)....but this thread sealed the deal.
If I ever get back to New Zealand to visit my yarn supplier....I just gotta figure out a way to get in on this hunt.
Again....Tip of the hat to ya Allan. :campfire:
Post by: Colotrad on June 27, 2011, 09:37:00 PM
Now you have me looking to get on the shrew list again...if my freshly rebuilt shoulder recovers fully, so I can pull a heavier bow again.
Congrats on a mighty fine buff and a great concept for a new shrew.
Post by: Big Ed on June 27, 2011, 09:44:00 PM
Post by: Wary Buck on June 28, 2011, 12:10:00 AM
Post by: amar911 on June 28, 2011, 03:39:00 AM
Ron - I appreciate all you and Gregg do with the wonderful line of Shrew bows. The Buffalo bow was a great pleasure to carry and shoot. I can't wait to shoot a Shrew Safari! Sorry about the information leak. I will leave it to you to fill in the details when, how and if you choose to do so.
David - I know Andy and Mick are looking forward to seeing you. I went fishing with a different guide. It is a neat story with more to it than you may think. I am out of town working and will start chapter 2 when I get home.
Steve - I have been there with my shoulder too. Best wishes on a quick recovery. Better get on the list. By the time you get the bow you will be able to shoot it. Only go as fast with rebuilding as your doctor, physical therapist and shoulder tell you.
I thank all of you who have posted for your comments and encouragement. You are a great bunch of guys.
Allan
Post by: kibok&ko on June 28, 2011, 04:02:00 AM
Post by: ozy clint on June 28, 2011, 05:18:00 AM
Post by: kibok&ko on June 28, 2011, 06:44:00 AM
Post by: amar911 on June 29, 2011, 06:08:00 PM
Allan
Post by: tippit on June 29, 2011, 08:55:00 PM
I just got to read your entire hunt. What a thriller! Congratulations. Andy is quite a impressive young man to have as your backup...Doc
Post by: amar911 on June 29, 2011, 11:57:00 PM
Yes it was a great time with Andy. He is a really remarkable young man, and now a real friend. I talked to Larry Surtees today about his time with you on the bear hunt, and I read the entire thread. I am going to have to do that sometime. Congratulations on your hunt too. It looks like you are really hammering out those knives too. Good to hear from you.
Allan
Post by: Steve O on July 03, 2011, 10:31:00 PM
Thank you for the excellent recap Allan.
Post by: USN_Sam1385 on July 04, 2011, 02:35:00 AM
I agree that this would be a hunt that I would throw onto the bucket list.
I see that you are an attorney..
I just finished my B.S. in December, and I am getting ready to start practicing for the LSAT on October 1st. I hope to go to Washington U. or SLU as a backup.
Thanks again for the read.
Post by: tradtusker on July 10, 2011, 06:09:00 AM
Well Mick and I have just arrived back from our 7 weeks in the wild outback of the Northern Territory already miss the highway of stars across the heavens, call of the dingo in the darkness.
Allan, its really was a pleasure hunting with you both. Id like to add a few things and throw in a few pics when i get on top of things here back in the rat race.
Allan Please PM me your Contact Number i have a lot to fill you in on, do you have skype?
Look forward to catching up!
Cheers Andy Ivy
Post by: Gary Sorensen on July 10, 2011, 10:35:00 PM
I'm a bit slow on the draw on this one, but wanted to congratulate you on a very exciting and successful hunting adventure. Thanks for sharing with all of us.
You really got me hooked on the Shrews. I just received my second one a couple of months ago and like it even better than the first.
Post by: amar911 on July 11, 2011, 12:17:00 AM
Thanks Gary, Sam, Steve, Jeff, Clint and everyone else for the comments and for coming along with me on the hunt. Sorry I haven't gotten around to Chapter 2 yet. I have been swamped with work and being out of town on other matters. I promise I will finish up my stories of the adventures in Oz this week. Even Andy and Mick don't know what happened after we left them at the McArthur River airport. Plus, I want to hear from Andy when he posts his thoughts on my hunt and the later ones.
I also appreciate getting featured at the top. I never thought I would make it up there!
Allan
Post by: Holm-Made on July 11, 2011, 01:22:00 AM
Post by: Michael Baker on July 11, 2011, 07:21:00 AM
Post by: tradtusker on July 14, 2011, 02:36:00 AM
First day in camp Allan was showing me a few of his custom knifes (tradgang sponsors) knives of course.
He had some beauties, then pulls out another and i though "wow you brought a lot of knives" the last was wrapped up in plastic, i remember thinking "must be a new one" i had a good look at it and Allan said "what do you think about that one" to which i replied "very nice i like it" and Allan said "good because its yours"! ha ha
Its a beauty from our own Stikshooter. I think Allan figured i put my gear to use...So It went strait onto my belt and by the end of the season had skinned 10 Buffalo, 3 Scrub bulls and well as many of my testing and cutting out shoulders and ribs. Super tuff and just takes a few strops on the jewl stick to get it back to Shaving sharp.
Allan, thanks Again its a great knife.
Here are the 2 stik knives at work on Allans buffalo
(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h101/tradtusker/IMG_0834.jpg)
here's a young bull
(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h101/tradtusker/IMG_0908.jpg)
Old school Buff camp out in this wild country
(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h101/tradtusker/IMG_0763.jpg)
Post by: tradtusker on July 14, 2011, 02:49:00 AM
(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h101/tradtusker/IMG_1011.jpg)
The Big croc in our fishing hole
(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h101/tradtusker/IMG_4359.jpg)
Post by: tradtusker on July 14, 2011, 02:53:00 AM
(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h101/tradtusker/IMG_0767-1.jpg)
Fresh Barramundi anyone? We'l have this one for supper
(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h101/tradtusker/IMG_0949.jpg)
already up but i thought it was a cool action shot just before Allan released on this Boar.
(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h101/tradtusker/IMG_0791.jpg)
Post by: tradtusker on July 14, 2011, 02:55:00 AM
(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h101/tradtusker/IMG_1083.jpg)
Post by: tradtusker on July 14, 2011, 03:08:00 AM
Allan and I got up to the usual adventures, covered a few Kms, back in camp we shot plenty of arrows, i did not have my shrew in camp, so would twist Allans arm for a shot every now and then, man his is a great shooting bow, very similar to mine in Draw weight.
Iv got another on order Ha ha might even go the recurve this time we'l see
Post by: Green on July 14, 2011, 04:29:00 AM
Post by: piggy on July 14, 2011, 07:40:00 AM
Cheers
Paul
Post by: tippit on July 14, 2011, 09:26:00 PM
It is very pleasing to see how happy you are in you element...tippt
Post by: jcar315 on July 15, 2011, 07:25:00 PM
Awesome pics and story telling to match.
Congrats!!
Post by: Shedrock on July 15, 2011, 08:21:00 PM
Post by: duncan idaho on October 25, 2011, 10:05:00 AM
Post by: KentuckyTJ on October 25, 2011, 10:33:00 AM
Post by: Steve Clandinin on October 25, 2011, 11:27:00 AM
Post by: pdk25 on July 31, 2018, 01:25:58 PM
Post by: Yellow Dog on July 31, 2018, 09:14:36 PM
Post by: pdk25 on April 27, 2022, 12:45:54 AM
For anyone considering going to Australia, this is an informative post. Especially the testing on page 7.
Post by: Terry Green on April 27, 2022, 06:19:56 PM
Post by: pdk25 on April 27, 2022, 09:33:44 PM
Post by: Terry Green on April 27, 2022, 09:48:32 PM
He hasn’t passed, but he no longer has the allotment in aboriginal land where the hunts were held.
Ah, yes..... that's right, he lost the right to hunt that famous area he had. I knew there was something that happened.
Post by: ozy clint on April 28, 2022, 05:52:49 AM
Post by: pdk25 on April 28, 2022, 10:40:24 AM
Post by: rastaman on April 28, 2022, 10:42:34 AM
Post by: rastaman on April 28, 2022, 10:43:15 AM
Post by: pdk25 on May 12, 2025, 10:03:27 AM