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View Full Version : (Part 2) NT Bunnies and a mixed bag


macka
18-02-08, 07:13 PM
Well first up all i can say is a very big thankyou to ben, your a bloody legend dude and an absoloute pleasure to hunt with i can't wait until ya manage to get down here and chase a few billies around or a deer. I dont know to many blokes who will take someone they hardly know out to one of their best spots let alone leave them there to camp an extra night. Thanks again mate will be a hunt i never forget.

Well we had only gone under 200km on the first day when we pulled into a new goat property we had gained access to. The plan was to just go for a drive around and see what sort of goat numbers were about before headding up past Cooper Peedy and camping a night near Marla a couple hundred km from the NT boarder. We soon found a mob of billies moving off a water back into the scrub. The thoughts of just looking at the goats were way gone as i grabbed my bow out and put some G5 Montecs i grabbed from Gecko the other day on. and we started our stalk. Simo being stingy on arrows didn't want to take his bow so he was camera man. We snuck in and noticed there were about 7 billies over the 30" mark with a cuple going a bit more than that. I was just in a black singlet and no camo which didn't help sneaking about and they were soon jogging away. One stopped at about 40 and i sent an arrow through him. The montec did a great job and i saw him sit down under a tree. We then jogged up ahead to get in front of the mob that was walking away to have a go at one of the bigger goys in there. We got in front and as they came into 20m we both got up from out the bushes and i hit the biggest billy giving a broadside shot. The arrow flew through and out the other side leaving a short but very thick trail to my downed billy. The trip was off to a flyer already and we had only checked out the goat place!

29 incher
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/29incher.jpg

32.5 incher
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/32incher.jpg

After our success we left the property and headded north another 600 or more km and camped up in a car park on the side of the road. The next day we were to cross the boarder early and go and catch up with a mate of simons that works on a property south of Ayers Rock. They said they diddn't have many camels about but we had the morning to waste anyway so went and checked it out. After meeting up with him he pointed us off in a direction and we drove around the sandy tracks and eventually spotted 2 camels out in the open. Simon was behind the bow and i followed with the camera. We got into 50m and with simon at ful draw just about to tough the shot off the young bull trotted of and dissapeared over the horison never to be seen again. A bit more driving and we spotted another few moving through the tree's. Simon told me to have a crack so in i went and DOH we forgot the video camera. You guessed it simon ended up looking over my shoulder and i smashed a young bul from 45m angling away.

My first camel with the bow. I hope everyone realises just how hard it is to get a camel up off its side for a photo!! I had to gut the bugger before we could push it up on its side. And this is only a small ish one.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/firstcamel.jpg

The rest of the drive in to alice was pretty uneventful besides a lot of beautiful country as well as the abundance of eagles on the roadkill.

We were a little early and watched some cricked while ben finished work. Meeting him at around 4pm at KFC saw us headding out to where we were going to spend the weekend. Not far from the dam we were planning on camping at Ben spotted a donky (NT BUNNY) feeding out not far from a creek in the paddock. After stopping the cars simon again told me to have a crack so i wasn't going to be told twice and i managed to nail the bugger on camera. Just a little far forward but it did the job and i swear these bastards die on their feet!

My first donky.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/firstdonkey.jpg

Just a bit further allong the road there was another one and we finally comvinced simon the pull the bow out and he had a drop of luck putting down his first animal for the trip and also his first donky.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/simodonky.jpg

No worries all back in the viechels again and off we go following ben next thing hey where's my release aide... oh **** where is my bow did i leave it on the back. Turn atound and sure enough poor simon had left his bow on the back and it had fallen off on the corrigated track. As luck would have it there was no damage to the bow only a dent in his sights, which were still in line if you can believe it!

By the time we caught back up to ben he had a camel on the ground he had stalked off the track. A nice little eater, if you can call a camel little. you can see the pic in his part 1.

It wasn't until after dark now that we set up camp about 300m or more off the water and there were brumbies stampeeding past camp in to water. Gee's this will be handy to get to sleep we thought. After a yack and tea we started getting ready for bed thats when the fun started. I was just crawling into my swag on the back of my tray and simon was getting his swag rolled out on the ground at the back of my ute next thing there was a short howl just back behind simon. After all the dingo talk i did the night before he didn't even flinch. I jumped up and said you hear that. He goes " that was just ben or you being stupid" next thing there was a blood curtling hoooooooooowwwwwwwllllllll and simon nearly nocked me over as he jumped up on the back of my ute so fast i didn't have time to move. I jumped down and turned my light on and there not 15m away was a nice looking dingo he casually moved of into the bushes with his mate. Simon slept in the front of my ute the rest of the weekend hahaha.

I was just drifting off to sleep when some wierd noises very close had me very interested thats for sure i jumped ud and could clearly see a heap of camels moving past camp on their way into water in the moon light. I already had my bow with me incase the dingo came back. I jumped down and slowly walked towards the latgest shape there. getting into 10m i put an arrow into the big beast following it up i put another into it and walked back and jumped into bed. The next day i found my bull not far from where i last saw him. i had hit him with a montec and a supreme and he went down fast. The big bugger was to stiff to roll into any other position than where it lay so here he is. My first mature bull.

Just measured him at 29 3/8dp.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/bullcam.jpg

Well that day was brumby galore so many horses came in and out it was amazing to see the numbers. They really do need culling or rounding up or something. We did our small part and i shot my first 2 brumbies. A black stalion for my first and a brown for my second. I dont have the pics so ben if you read this you can wack them up if you want. Simon also managed a nice shot into a stallion and ben nearly shot the bugger again for him while he was out stalking in the scrub.

I'll put simons horse up when i upload it.

Ben managed to put a donky down for himself not long before he headded back to alice to go the pool for the afternoon he tells us... bloody hell after running around all afternoon it sounded like heaven to me as well. Nearly thought about jumping in the dam.

We said our goodbyes and simon and myself sat i the shade for a couple hours. Finally we got our arses into gear and went over to the dam and put a few more branches arounf the hide ben had made. We had a few horses come in and a mob of 6 donkeys but with arrows getting down a little now we were looking for a big camel. Next thing in they came! 2 big buggers and simon had his best chance so far for a camel. The biggest came in first and started drinking 35m away. he did everything right slowly rose and took the shot undetected. I filmed the arrow go stright under the big beast and into the water. What the? how do you miss a camel from 35m esp. one that big!?!? After looking at the footage it seems the arrow had deflected off some leaves on the hide. Very dissapointed but still a chance. Not long after we had a mob of camels come in and wind us and take of soon followed by 2 lone bull camels that came into water on the oposite bank. It was a 50m shot but i was confidant on an animal that big and took the shot. I'm not real sure what really happened next all i can come up with is my cam hit a branch in the crammed blind because the bow nearly jumped out my hand but the arrow still struck the camel. Trouble was it was way far back. The big bull walked up and bank and fell over before i could even shoot it again. I put another in it just to make sure and went to have a look. He was my biggest bodied one yet by far and the first shot must have taken liver or kidneys because he diddn't got far.

Here he is photo taken next day. Gutted him that night and used ute to pull him up. These things are as big or bigger than a scrub bull IMO.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010283-1.jpg

I went back to get the ute because there was only another half hour of light left next thing simon came running back yelling at me. There were some more camels coming in and he wanted a crack at one on video. We snuck back there and sat behind a couple little bushes on the damb bank. We watched as 2 camels slowly made their way in towards the water. Next thing we could hear a soft stampede and we looked behind us to see a cloud of dust way of in the distance. The noise was getting louder and louder and soon we were watching the most unbelieveable sight i have seen while hunting. There was a mob of camels of around 100-150 animals at full gallop coming straight towards us. I hear a little voice "ah should we get out of here" coming from simon but the chance of getting stampled was out weighed by the chance of a camel for simon. The massive mob circled around the damb and we were soon blind from a cloud of dust then out of the gloom they all wandered down to drink. I had the camera rolling the whole time and a twang soon rang out and simon put an arrow through a good bull. The rest of the 100+ mob drank for about half an hour and the dust and low light let us sneak in and simon finished off his first camel. he was one happy camper and it should score alright as well!.

Here he is he finally did it.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010284.jpg

The total taly for the trip between 3 hunters was.

5 camels
5 brumbies
3 donkeys
2 goats

It was an awsome couple days hunting and a hunt i shal never forget. the next day we headded for home and by the time we got home i had done 3390km i my ute. Another massive thanks to ben and i hope to catch up with you soon.

Anyone over brizzy way should introduce yourself as well as bens shortly moving over there he's a great bloke and a good hunter. I'm sure he would love to swap some big game hunting for a deer or goat as well.

thanks for viewing

Macka

Antarcher
18-02-08, 07:37 PM
Absolutely unreal Macka. Can't wait to see the footage and it was definitely worth the distance travelled. Well done once again

Arra Slinger
18-02-08, 07:40 PM
well done mate :) good to see you had a ball :)

clint
18-02-08, 07:44 PM
Awesome story/trip mate thats alot of kilometres. Well done taking out two firsts.They look like monsters!

spiderbait24
18-02-08, 07:45 PM
thats is WICKED!

hunt or be hunted
18-02-08, 08:08 PM
bloody unreal macka, 100+ camels charging straight for you:eek: i wouldn't be hanging around to see what happens next but you did and came out with the the best result possible. very good pictures and an awesome read. thanks for sharing mate.

dan.

belegstrongbow
18-02-08, 08:23 PM
Blimey!
That is one of the most amazing and interesting hunting stories I have ever read.
Those camels look like dinosaurs. Thanks for the story and the photos.

macka
18-02-08, 08:58 PM
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/simohorse.jpg

Here is one of simons first brumby, a big stallion.

I haven't any pics of the couple i got only vid footage. i think ben might have one tho.

a few more camels
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/Mackadebowhunter/P1010289.jpg

Macka

HOOD
18-02-08, 09:20 PM
Congrats guys well done glad it all came together for you both.
Happy days:cool:

fallowhunter
18-02-08, 09:23 PM
awesome trip, well done.....

Ben Kleinig
18-02-08, 09:26 PM
Macka, Simon, Ben: Flamin' well done! Hat's off to you all!

TOWER*2007
18-02-08, 10:19 PM
good work fellas, thats a fair effort.

PeterM
18-02-08, 10:36 PM
Awesome stuff mate!:D

Bowdy
18-02-08, 11:35 PM
Great stuff Macka.
Congrats on a great trip and some top animals.
Grant.

ozzyshane
19-02-08, 07:29 AM
Great stuff guys did u get a chance to chew on some camel ,horse ive had hores before and it was ok Thanks Shane

Clemo
19-02-08, 10:11 AM
Looks like you guys had an adventure you wont forget in a while. Well done.

Mozza
19-02-08, 10:32 AM
good stuff Macka:)
I really like the way you have taken the time to set up the game for the photos too, it looks so much better

stevenn
19-02-08, 11:47 AM
Good one fellas,cant beleive the size of them camels,bloody huge.cheers steve

Evil Taco
19-02-08, 02:21 PM
great work macka i didnt realise how big them camels get and how big the herds are... from what ive read you have been planning that trip for a while now... what are you planning to hunt next???

Bowpig
19-02-08, 02:40 PM
awsome stuff boys, well done !!

bowpig

macka
19-02-08, 05:32 PM
Thanks for the replies fella's it sure was an adventure up there thats for sure. And i have a bit of good footage for one day if i get enough to put together.

Shane, we grabbed a back strap out but never ended up trying it. Ben has eaten a fair bit and thinks its great. Trouble was every time a mob came in we were after a big bull and the younger ones never got shot at.

Evil Taco Next thing i'll be chasing around for a while are a few deer i recon and maybe a goat here or there. Wait and see what unfolds.

Anyone thats ever woundered about hunting a camel or 2 its a hell of a hunt and good fun. They are easy as to get acess to on the big stations because they are hated. so give it a go. I recon they are pretty under rated.

Macka

brucester
19-02-08, 11:03 PM
Mate, great story and pics. A shame you didn't get to try any of the meat maybe next time. I agree that placement of your game made for good photos, sounds like it was a bit of work to get their best side.
cheers

fiend
20-02-08, 02:03 PM
You are a legend Casey!!

Jezza
24-02-08, 01:25 PM
Great Story,Great Pics, and a great variety of animals.
good work Macka

rory
27-02-08, 07:39 AM
I want to shoot a camel!

Really well done Macca and Co, great trip, great memories :)