Epic Australian Water Buffalo Hunt Ends in Double Success

I will never forget laying my eyes on a water buffalo for the first time. The year was 2005, and my wife and I were on a mission trip, driving across Timor-Leste in Southeast Asia from the capital of Dili to the small town of Lospalos. Traffic was completely stopped by these gigantic animals with horns that seemed to span the entire roadway. I stared in awe, but I did not learn until much later that some of the very first buffalo introduced to Australia came from that same small island of Timor, just North of the Australian coast. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would one day have an opportunity to bowhunt them.

But 19 years later, in 2024, there I was in the Northern Territory of Australia being picked up by buffalo outfitting legend Alex Jagers. Alex operates Big Country Safaris and hosts more buffalo hunters each year than anyone else Down Under on more than a million acres of concessions. I first contacted Alex nearly two years earlier to inquire about the possibility of bringing my entire family along, including my wife, Katie, my 17-year-old son, Karson, and my 6-year-old daughter, Jorie. Alex was not only receptive to the idea of having an entire family, he encouraged it!

Worth The Trip

Getting to Alex’s camp in Arnhem Land is no small feat. Not only did we fly halfway around the world, but then we had to begin the 637 kilometer drive to camp, located deep in the heart of the Central Arnhem Plateau. The first 300 kilometers went smoothly on paved roads. Shortly after passing through the town of Kimberly, we hit the red dirt roads of the “Top End,” as they call it. A rough wet season had wreaked havoc on the roads, so the going was slow and the further we went, the narrower the road became. As the sun set, we were making our way through the Outback on nothing more than a faint, off-road trail. The last 12 kilometers alone took an hour to traverse. The lights of camp on the banks of Buffalo Creek in the distance were a welcome sight after being in the truck for 13.5 hours. Alex explained the journey usually did not take that long and that the roads and tracks would get better as the season wore on. A hot meal was waiting for us as we met the camp staff and found our way to the tent we would call home for the week.

Even though anticipation was high, I got a great night’s sleep after such a long day. The next morning, we had a big breakfast and discussed the plan of attack. Alex would be taking me in a UTV along with some of his crew, legendary hunter and author Lewis Reid, and one of the Aboriginal owners of the land, Preston Lee. We would be glassing for trophy bull buffalo in hopes of finding one that would be in a good position for a stalk.

The first bull that caught our eye is one I will not soon forget. He was a big bull with good length and heavy horns. Alex and I quickly made a plan of attack and left Lewis and Preston with the UTV. We had the wind in our favor, but as we waded through the tall grass to the wallow where we had spotted the bull, we were unable to locate him. It’s hard to believe a nearly 2,000-pound animal can disappear so easily.

As we meandered our way down to Buffalo Creek, we spotted a lone bull in the trees of the creek bottom. After glassing him, Alex told me he was a great bull, and we needed to give him a try. He was much grayer than the other bulls we had seen, as he was covered in a thick layer of dried mud. He even had mud caked on his impressive headgear. Alex and I began our stalk slowly. We constantly checked the wind to make sure it was remaining in our favor.

We made our way through the creek bottom in the shade of the many trees. The leaves had not yet fallen, so we were able to keep our noise to a minimum. As we crawled closer to the bull, we felt he was feeding our way. If we waited him out, he would feed by us close enough for a shot. Of course, the bull had other plans and bedded down. He was facing away from us, and the wind was good. So, we eased closer. We got to within 40 yards or so when he suddenly stood. We thought maybe he had caught our wind, but we were relieved to see he just began feeding. We held tight to the ground in the grass and waited to see his next move. After feeding only 10 yards or so, he bedded down again. Alex whispered we would only take steps towards him when the wind was blowing hard to cover our sound. The bull was facing away from us, so we took a few steps at a time and waited when the wind died. Soon, I ranged the bull and we were only 19 yards away.

It is hard to describe how large he looked lying under the shade of the trees in the creek bottom. Alex stayed back a few steps and motioned for me to continue to get a better angle on the bedded bull. I took several steps further to get more broadside to the back of the resting bull. I looked at Alex and he gave me the thumbs up. I drew my Mathews LIFT and rested my pin on the big bull.

Upon release, the arrow drove deep into the side of the bull, which leapt up and ran through the thick grass, straight away from my position. The arrow was buried to the fletching, and I initially thought my shot was a bit high. Alex ran over to me as we both watched the bull. After 100 yards or so, the bull stopped, wobbled and thunderously fell to the ground. We shared a handshake as we kept one eye towards the bull, making sure he was down for good. We waited a bit and approached him cautiously. After checking to make certain he was down, we let Lewis and Preston know the good news, and they were able to drive the UTV to our position.

After taking a few photos, we began breaking down the bull. It was then we realized that the shot was not high at all. Due to the angle the bull was lying, the arrow punctured the heart and both lungs. We loaded the bull and headed joyously back to camp. I couldn’t wait to show my family my water buffalo bull!

The next day, Alex let us go fishing as a family with Lewis’ wife, Robyn, who also was an outstanding camp cook. I did want to hunt a big cow buffalo as well, but with the high numbers of buffalo, there was no rush, and the family time was appreciated. We ventured up the creek a little over a mile and came to a beautiful waterfall. Freshwater crocodiles lined the sandy beaches and quickly scurried into the water as we passed. We baited our hooks and were soon catching bream and even a few pesky turtles that would not leave our bait alone. It was a wonderful time together in one of the most remote places we have ever visited. My daughter Jorie was quick to let everyone in camp know she caught the biggest fish.

Doubling Up

On day three, we began our quest for a wide, old buffalo cow. We loaded in the UTV and headed out from camp. We drove for more than an hour and then Lewis, Preston, and my son, Karson, dropped Alex and I off for the hunt. We enjoyed a quick sandwich under a shade tree before we began our hike.

It was a beautiful area, with lots of small creeks, colorful birds and, of course, plenty of buffalo. We walked for hours looking at various buffalo, finding lots of nice bulls and quite a few cows. It was a great afternoon, but we never found the right cow to stalk. I wanted an older cow past its prime and ready to be thinned from the herd.

Day four found us back on the hunt. We dropped off Robyn and my family at the fishing hole and began our walk from there. Alex and I walked for a few hours in search of our elusive cow. Once again, we found some nice bulls and even some wild cattle, but just not the cow we were looking for. We returned to the fishing hole to collect the family and all returned to camp.

After a good lunch, we decided to try a new area. This time, Alex and I set out alone and drove more than an hour. We parked the UTV in a beautiful creek bottom with the creek on our right and a big, red rock bluff to our left. It was a picture perfect scene for a bowhunt. We walked a couple miles, checking out various buffalo and came upon a group of cows. We decided to give one a try, but after we got within 30 yards, they figured out we were there and our stalk was blown. It was getting later in the day, but we continued on. We crested the next rise and saw a few buffalo in the grass. The grass was very tall from the rainy season. So, we decided to move closer and get a better look. We dropped our packs and began our stalk.

As we moved into position, a mature bull materialized from the brush to our left. He was aware of our presence and decided to alert the cow. He made his way straight to her and tried to push her away. When she took a couple of steps, we could see she was exactly the type of cow we were after. She was an older cow with wide horns.

From there, everything happened fast as Alex whispered for me to prepare for a shot. I quickly stepped forward and ranged the cow at 34 yards. I dialed my mover sight, hooked my release and drew my bow. The pin settled and I released. The arrow disappeared into the massive cow, causing it to spin around in an effort to figure out what had just happened.

She began wavering only a few seconds later, then fell to the ground with a thud. Words cannot describe the size of these animals when you are on their level and face to face. I could not believe I had my second water buffalo on the ground. We waited several minutes, then approached with caution. The shot was a complete pass-through. All the time, work, practice and preparation of finding the right gear for these large animals had paid off.

We took a few minutes to celebrate a successful hunt and take a few pictures before breaking down the animal. The cow was at least 20 years old and had lost most of its teeth — exactly the kind of animal to remove from the herd. We had a bit of a pack out, and it was well after dark by the time we made it back to camp. Once again, everyone was all smiles as we pulled in and received a hearty congratulations from Karson and a high-five from Jorie. After a hot meal, it was easy to sleep, knowing I had accomplished my goal of taking two great buffalo with a single arrow each.

Day five was relaxing, as Lewis took us around on the UTV scouting for the next hunters. With my kids riding along, we saw dingoes, wild horses, exotic birds and, of course, buffalo. We took time for lunch and packed up all our gear for departure. Lewis surprised Karson and I with signed copies of his book, I Did It My Way: The South Pacific 15, a book chronicling his pursuit of a hunting feat few have accomplished, all free range and self-guided.

I always enjoyed our chats with Lewis while riding or sitting by the campfire. When a man like that speaks, I told Karson, you’d better listen. I learned Lewis often took his family on hunting adventures as well. I once heard it said that you should let your children see you chase your dreams so, when they are older, they will not be afraid to chase their own. There is so much more to a hunting experience than just the hunt. The friendships made, camaraderie with fellow outdoorsmen and the opportunity to see another part of this amazing world God created combine to make for an incredible experience and memories that will last a lifetime.

Leaving Alex’s camp early the next morning was bittersweet. Having to say goodbye to Lewis and Robyn was tough, especially knowing that, in all likelihood, our paths will not cross again on this side of heaven. It was a beautiful sunrise as we made our way slowly back to wider roads and, eventually, the city of Darwin. Another hunt was complete, and the memory bank was overflowing with moments I will cherish forever.

Luke Guest is an avid bowhunter, outdoorsman, photographer and owner of Hunters’ Hollow in Oxford, Miss. His love of bowhunting has taken him as far north as the Arctic Circle and as far south as Australia and South Africa.

Author’s Notes: On this hunt, I shot a Mathews LIFT 29 with 80-pound limbs and outfitted with a QAD Ultrarest Integrate MX 2 rest, HHA Tetra Ryz sight and Easton FMJ Dangerous Game arrows tipped with 200-grain Grizzly Stik Maasai single-bevel broadheads. My finished arrow weight was 765 grains.

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