Australia Buffalo

[375Fox]

I don’t doubt you had this experience, like any government department anywhere in the world there are people who are not over regulations. But you don’t need a firearm license to get a game license, you got a bum steer on that one.

And just to play devils advocate, USA isn’t exactly a walk in the park for internationals. Despite the hoops we have to jump through to get gun licenses here none of the states I wanted to build points for in US would recognise my Australian hunting license in lieu of the hunter safety you require. That’s why I wasn’t ever able to start building points in MT, they want a hunter safety before you can start and wouldn’t recognise my license. Went with WY because I don’t need to complete it until I apply for tags.

Just take a US hunter safety course. They are online now and good forever. Doesn’t matter which state it’s taken in. Pennsylvania online course is $50.

 

[deewayne2003]

I don’t doubt you had this experience, like any government department anywhere in the world there are people who are not over regulations. But you don’t need a firearm license to get a game license, you got a bum steer on that one.

And just to play devils advocate, USA isn’t exactly a walk in the park for internationals. Despite the hoops we have to jump through to get gun licenses here none of the states I wanted to build points for in US would recognise my Australian hunting license in lieu of the hunter safety you require. That’s why I wasn’t ever able to start building points in MT, they want a hunter safety before you can start and wouldn’t recognise my license. Went with WY because I don’t need to complete it until I apply for tags.

LOL... Ok back to my second trip that was to the NT

I had to take an online NSW course because NT only offers it in person but does accept the NSW online as an equivalent..... The NSW course was hours online and is hosted by a company in Richardson Texas.

After taking the course I then had to pass the tests which were over 100 questions and had to get a 90% before I could be given permission to apply for permission to enter the NT back country hunting blocks.

Documents submitted......
Application with passport photos - Signed by state police after warrant check
Proof of NSW online course - Taken in substitution of NT course
Proof of back country access tests completion - (to access T.O. land of hunting blocks)
Copy of Texas Drivers license
Copy of Texas License to carry a handgun
Copy of Valid Texas hunting license
Copy of Valid Oklahoma hunting license
Proof of belonging to an OZ shooting sports club - Required
Proof that said club has $1mil liability insurance per member - Required
Copy of previously attained Victoria International Visitors Firearms Permit

All this so I could hunt with friends while using a borrowed rifle.

As for bringing your own gun into OZ without a letter of invite from a Safari Outfitter or an accredited shooting competition.......... NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!

The NT police told me
"If you come to OZ and hunt with a safari company using your own rifle and then want to hunt more with friends you would have to leave the rifle with the safari operator or other secured storage facility and then borrow a rifle from your friends to hunt with."

The NT police told me this without me having asked the question.....

Best part of OZ is when you get out of the cities and getting the paperwork behind you, the people of Australia are amazing and in the rural areas could give less than a shit about laws.

DO NOT let me experiences with OZ paperwork discourage anyone from going, all the problems I have dealt with in the past came from doing the right thing by OZ laws and my friends there that have been gracious enough to take me hunting.

 

[R eight]

That’s the problem I ran into in Victoria…..

Texas(like all free states) has no firearms license!
Texas state police have NO STAMP to place on these forms!

I literally sat in the lobby of the Texas state troopers headquarters with 3 state troopers reading the forms and laughing their asses off and they called down the head off Texas license to carry handguns(only license in Texas)

Finally they came to the agreement that they would sign the papers and write their badge numbers on the form and write in… “Texas has no state police stamp and requires NO license to own a firearm”

They would only do this if I produced my license to carry and DL and they would run a warrant check on me while I was standing there; I agreed and the warrant check came back clean.

I then had passport photos taken and included all the forms, Texas hunting license, Texas hunters safety card, Oklahoma hunting license and copy of passport.

All of this to be able to legally BORROW a firearm in Victoria.

Then the police wouldn’t issue me a gun permit because I didn’t have a deer stalking license and the game department wouldn’t issue a deer stalking license because I didn’t have my firearms permit…..

When I go back I’ll be going with Alex and after learning he’s gone through the customs and border patrol training to know the process inside and out…… that shows me he goes above and beyond because he’s the only outfitter I’ve ever heard of doing such.

A bit of nostalgia for me reading your post.

I’m an ex cop, State and Federal in Australia. Well and truly retired….your post reminded me of a day in the job many years ago.
A bit of background. Was about 1982 and I was a young copper who had just transferred to a regional station after a couple of years in a remote country 2 man station in the state of Queensland ( bigger and prettier than Texas). Queensland gun laws back then were very basic. No machine guns allowed and handguns were licensed. Every thing else was fine. No license required. No storage required…zip nothing. Was a paradise for a gun nut like me. And I was very proud of that. But not all of Australia was like that. West Australia and the idiots that exist there have, even back then, had absolute bull shit laws.

Anyway, I’m at this new, big station. And I, being a young country copper have somehow unintentionally upset the senior Sgt. He teaches me a lesson by putting me on the enquiry counter for the entire day shift. Fuck….driver’s license renewal and lost and found property is going to be my day.

Anyway, first customer of the day. An old barstard comes into renew is driving license….D.O.B 1890 something. A spritely WW1 digger too. Highlight of the day. Any way after a long period of helping old ladies with lost property in walks a bloke in his 30’s. He informs me that he has come to register his firearms . Arh…assumes I…..handguns. No, this idiot ( he is from WA) informs me that no, he only has rifles. So, after some confusion I , with great pride, informed him that he now lived in the free state of Queensland and that he could own any bloody rifle he wanted without having to ask anyone. He looked at me in shock and said “but I’ve got a high powered rifle…a 30/30. “ those poor dumb west Australian barstools ha,ha. At the end of my shift I told my snr Sgt… even he laughed. But then he told me my prentice wasn’t finished and it was counter duty for me tomorrow. I then stopped laughing.

Anyway, times have changed. I cannot believe that I now live in a country that has so changed.

So…I know why your State Troopers found your request funny.

Cheers mate.

This post was conceived and written on my phone. Typos and grammar errors are intentional.

 

[JPbowhunter]

LOL... Ok back to my second trip that was to the NT

I had to take an online NSW course because NT only offers it in person but does accept the NSW online as an equivalent..... The NSW course was hours online and is hosted by a company in Richardson Texas.

After taking the course I then had to pass the tests which were over 100 questions and had to get a 90% before I could be given permission to apply for permission to enter the NT back country hunting blocks.

Documents submitted......
Application with passport photos - Signed by state police after warrant check
Proof of NSW online course - Taken in substitution of NT course
Proof of back country access tests completion - (to access T.O. land of hunting blocks)
Copy of Texas Drivers license
Copy of Texas License to carry a handgun
Copy of Valid Texas hunting license
Copy of Valid Oklahoma hunting license
Proof of belonging to an OZ shooting sports club - Required
Proof that said club has $1mil liability insurance per member - Required
Copy of previously attained Victoria International Visitors Firearms Permit

All this so I could hunt with friends while using a borrowed rifle.

As for bringing your own gun into OZ without a letter of invite from a Safari Outfitter or an accredited shooting competition.......... NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!

The NT police told me
"If you come to OZ and hunt with a safari company using your own rifle and then want to hunt more with friends you would have to leave the rifle with the safari operator or other secured storage facility and then borrow a rifle from your friends to hunt with."

The NT police told me this without me having asked the question.....

Best part of OZ is when you get out of the cities and getting the paperwork behind you, the people of Australia are amazing and in the rural areas could give less than a shit about laws.

DO NOT let me experiences with OZ paperwork discourage anyone from going, all the problems I have dealt with in the past came from doing the right thing by OZ laws and my friends there that have been gracious enough to take me hunting.

I’m hoping to do a backcountry hunt in the next year or so and I’ll have to jump through the same hoops.

I think it’s like anywhere in the world, get away from the cities and you meet the real people of that country/culture.
Australia is probably an exaggerated version of this. It’s one of the things I find ironic about Australia. City people love to play on the “she’ll be right” Aussie culture but when it comes down to it they tend to hate all things about rural Australia and that culture. Anyway, I digress.
Once you get the laws and cities in the rear view mirror it’s a great place to visit and hunt.

 

[JPbowhunter]

Just take a US hunter safety course. They are online now and good forever. Doesn’t matter which state it’s taken in. Pennsylvania online course is $50.

I still haven’t to date seeing how WY point creep has escalated but I’ll get it done before I decide to cash in my points.
Coincidentally, PA is a state I’d like to hunt in the flintlock season someday.

 

[PaulT]

What is considered a Trophy Water Buffalo as in length of Horns?

Manny, the answer to your question depends on who you are hunting with and how they manage their concession.

When I was operating buffalo hunts I would focus on age as opposed to "score", or horn length, and I would discuss this with inquirers prior to them booking.
I would tend to dissuade those seeking the younger, higher scoring bulls and aim hunts towards bulls 9 - 10 years of age and greater.
Dependent on a few factors such as genetics and area (flooplain v's dryland scrub) a 9+ year old bull will have 17" bases. It's the bases that take time and age to develop, again dependent on the area.
A mature bull at 9+ years with 17+" bases and 30'+ horn length makes a fine bull to take.

 

[458JCE]

A bit of nostalgia for me reading your post.

I’m an ex cop, State and Federal in Australia. Well and truly retired….your post reminded me of a day in the job many years ago.
A bit of background. Was about 1982 and I was a young copper who had just transferred to a regional station after a couple of years in a remote country 2 man station in the state of Queensland ( bigger and prettier than Texas).

So…I know why your State Troopers found your request funny.

Cheers mate.

This post was conceived and written on my phone. Typos and grammar errors are intentional.

R eight is even funnier in person

 

[R eight]

R eight is even funnier in person

Funny peculiar….not funny, ha ha.

Fixed it for ya mate! I have to do everything and no one appreciates it!

 

[BIG COUNTRY SAFARIS AUSTRALIA]

Evening Gentleman

I hear your frustrations with bringing rifles into Australia. However bringing a firearm to the NT of Australia to hunt buffalo and Banteng in 2026 is a simple process. In 2024 we moved to an online system.

The hunter needs to upload via the NT Police online portal
- a copy of there concealed carry permit or firearms licence or a criminal history check
- the firearm make, model and serial number
- a copy of their passport, drivers license and visa, flight details
- outfitter name and license number
- dates of hunt

It is that simple. The outiftter will then be issued with your import docs and firearm licence and will send it to you. You will give this paperwork to customs when you land in Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney when you land. They will let you and your firearms in with open arms.

Now the export paperwork is the killer. Any outiftter worth his money will organise this for you whilst you are in Australia. He will give it back to you as you leave Darwin. When you give this paperwork to customs on your departure they will do backflips of joy as it has been sorted in Darwin by the outiftter and the local customs branch. They will simply check your gun against the serial number, stamp your completed paperwork and escort you to your airline desk and the front of the line!

The big problem people visiting Australia hunting run into is that they get to their departure port 2 hours before their flight leaves with no export paperwork and expect the customs officers who could be busy with a multitude of other airport tasks to sort it for them. Hence they miss their plane. This is the story behind 99 percent of australian gun horror stories.

I have 20-30 clients a year bring their firearms with no problems. In fact many tell me that is an easier system then bringing rifles into Africa and you also don't have to pay bribes! At the end of the day do your homework and make sure you hunt with an outfitter who can organise your export paperwork for you whilst you are in camp with them!

Regards Alex

 

[Sarg]

A footnote on this in regards to my earlier post, we actually took a nice Black Bull the next day after a marathon foot hunt with our Finnish hunter & his extremely component wife.

Unfortunately being unfamiliar with photo etiquette & perhaps being European he wouldn’t let me wipe the blood or clean up the Bull for photos so I only have a blood smeared photo to show sorry !

Alex has full use of this hunting area also in combination with his huge Buffalo Concessions !

I have never had any problems either contacting or receiving a reply from Alex even if he was busy in the hunting fields !

 

[PaulT]

Nice bull Sarg.

 

[Dawgdave]

Who, how, when, where? Who has been to Australia to hunt buffalo recently?

 

[PaulT]

View attachment 786967

Nice bull DD.
With at least two visible, large, entries I bet there's a story there.
Well done.

 

[458JCE]

My son and I hunted Northern Territory last week.

 

[458JCE]

I can't upload photos on my phone (I'm flying to NZ at the moment) - will post photos when I land.

 

[Dawgdave]

Nice bull DD.
With at least two visible, large, entries I bet there's a story there.
Well done.

Shooting my first bull between the eyes, in the river was EPIC!

 

[Hedge774]

More difficult than most of Africa! Maybe Cameroon was as bad. Never imported a gun into Europe... just used outfitter guns.

Do you know how hard it is compared to NZ?

 

[Tim Blackwell]

Alex's operation at @BIG COUNTRY SAFARIS AUSTRALIA is second to none in my experience. I've done quite a bit of NT hunting, and about to embark on my third trip with Big Country next week.

You can book there with confidence. The NT is no place for a second rate outfitter. It's properly remote, wild country with serious logistics involved. Alex consistently delivers the goods and has an incredible number of buffalo on his concession.

 

[458JCE]

We drove into the concession to an area that we had not seen before, parked the ute and had lunch. We walked a couple of kilometres down a plateau and saw this malevolent-looking Bull on the way. I took a photo because he was looking at us like we owed him money.

We dropped down off the plateau through swampy sections of ground halfway down the slope into a flowing creek. I was surprised to see so much water at this time of the year, in the middle of the dry season. We followed the creek down to a cascade over rocks into a large deep pool. We had a leisurely break and ate snacks and refreshed in the creek. The rocks were surprisingly comfortable to lie on.

At around 16:00 we climbed up the rocks beside the “waterfall” to the top of the plateau. To make the climb, I slung my rifle over my head, something I rarely do. When we came out onto the plateau we were only a few hundred metres from the ute, having circled back along the creek to the waterfall.

James was leading, with me behind him and Tom maybe 10 metres behind me. James found a flat rock that looked like it had once been part of the ocean floor and wondered out loud if he could carry it as far as the ute to take it back to camp. At that moment, Tom yelled “BULL!” and ran to the only substantial tree in the whole area.

I looked to my right an saw the murderous eyes of a Bull coming at indescribable speed straight at me. I thought “this is it, I’m dead, don’t move”. At that moment James moved (I assume he unslung the Kreighoff 500-416 DR) and saved my life – the Bull saw the movement and diverted to James and passed only a couple of metres from me. Time slowed and I saw the next couple of seconds in milliseconds. While swinging the Double towards the Bull I saw the horror on James’ face as he missed the de-cocker on the gun and realised he didn’t have time to correct the mistake. He steeled himself (he later told me that he thought “this is gonna fukn hurt”) and waited until the Bull could not respond to his move and pirouetted out of his path. The Bull’s left horn missed his arched belly by millimetres, if James had put his shirt back on after his swim he would have been toast.

The old Bull ran on for nearly 20m (a younger Bull would have been much more nimble) and when he wheeled to have another go, James put a .416 through the septum of his nose and down his throat. Luckily (there was SO MUCH luck in this encounter) he must have hit the carotid (fountain of blood) and the Bull immediately lost blood supply to the brain. Almost instantaneously, Tom put a 338 Woodleigh bullet into his heart broadside and the Bull went down. I put a Spoor 9.3 finisher into him after he was down. James turned around to me with a mixture of elation and terror on his face and said “I nearly died!”

The photos have the piece of stone that nearly killed us prominent. It was not until some time later that we figured out it was the same Bull that looked at us balefully on the way down the plateau.

I am fortunate that I was with two young men who remained steady under pressure, were nimble enough to avoid injury and for the truckload of luck that was with us that day. It was great experience for James as he flew to Botswana 2 days later to guide Elephant hunts.

Memorable end to a phenomenal hunt.

 

[PCC600]

Alex's operation at @BIG COUNTRY SAFARIS AUSTRALIA is second to none in my experience. I've done quite a bit of NT hunting, and about to embark on my third trip with Big Country next week.

You can book there with confidence. The NT is no place for a second rate outfitter. It's properly remote, wild country with serious logistics involved. Alex consistently delivers the goods and has an incredible number of buffalo on his concession.

Not a place where you want to run out of tyres or diesel . Nearly double the size of Texas with a population of 265,000 people most of whom live in Darwin/ Palmerston . I try and get around via helicopter . Saves a lot of time .