aussie Buffalo hunters

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william williams

aussie Buffalo hunters

Post by william williams » Thu Jul 14, 2011 10:29 am

Aussie Buffalo Hunters


Thrown by his horse a crushed chest, along with a buffalo horn plunged through his chest.
Death, was instantaneous. That was the finding of the court coroner.
It was in the early nineteen sixties in the Northern Territory not very far south east of Darwin around what is now called Kakado; Where the buffalo hunters camps were.
Away out there where only flies, mosquitoes, and buffalo lived, was a group of men, buffalo hunters sitting round a smoky campfire, quietly drinking beer and remembering their mate, killed by a rogue buffalo just a week ago.
Now the men that worked those buffalo camps, the men I knew, were rough and rugged. They were a strange breed of men never caring about tomorrow, as they maybe killed or worse, maimed.
Their horses were tough and wiry maybe a little scrawny, unruly, bad-tempered but every rider knew his horse and trusted him to do his work
Now, I have told a little about the men and their horses. Now, I will tell you about an average day for the Australian buffalo hunter
The morning started a little before daybreak.
Breakfast was black tea and cold damper, a serve of stew made of buffalo meat, spuds and veggies.
The pickup team, who collected the carcases would move on down to the plains to where the Buffalo wallowed in the mud.
These men stayed in the Tea Tree scrub where they were well hidden from the buffalo.
While the shooters rode, further on looking for a mob of buffalo.
When found, the shooters would sit in their saddles, hidden down-wind, looking at the wallows and the buffalo, quietly talking to each other how their attack would be.
Usually one would take the right flank and the other the left.
Now they would check their rifle, then quietly they would leave the cover of the Tea Tree that was full of mosquitoes only to be greeted by the flies.
They would spread apart as they rode quietly onward to gain the upper hand.
Quietly they would ride as they slowly closed the gap.
The buffalo wallowed in the mud, for protection from the flies never thinking at that moment that death was on its way.
The buffalo sensed the shooters and their bellowing shattered the morning calm.
The riders dropped their knotted reins upon their horse’s neck; the horses knew what was expected of them and accelerated. The men glued to their saddles with rifle in their hands and rode as only possessed men can after those lumbering beasts.

Up along-side the beast they rode, evading the buffalo’s great horns.
They would fire, the beast dropped in death sliding on the ground.
Their horse may jump a hidden ditch a drain a log or veer but nary a rider would move in his seat as they charged on to the next buffalo.
Without a second glance they’d wheeled the mob and repeated it or stopped if the buffalo gained the scrub.
When finished they would turn, look back, only to see the mounds of death.
Quickly they would ride back and bleed the gruesome mounds. Their work was now done.
The carcasses were taken back by the pickup team to where the meat and hides were packed by others at the plant.
Now you readers can appreciate why these riders have my respect. While the ground they cross is covered with dead grass, it’s full of hidden holes, logs, gutters, roots, cracks so wide that you would shake.
Still nary a rein they would hold. They’d kept riding fast across those rough and often boggy grounds trusting to their horse. With the rifle, that they would with use both hands, they would ride watching their prey while moving as one with their horse.
These men are marvels, tough as teak. Their horses were well worth their weight in gold.
Up the in the Northern Territory, the work was tough, and not for the faint hearted.
But there was work then for men who can really ride, and shoot straight, whose daily work in my opinion. Might make the man from Snowy River shake in fear?

Written by Bill Williams ©

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Maureen K Clifford
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Re: aussie Buffalo hunters

Post by Maureen K Clifford » Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:23 pm

Crikey - the man from Snowy River held on :lol:

Lot to be said for having total trust between horse and man when you are doing this kind of work - they must have been top notch riders as well as good marksmen - certainly not a job for the faint hearted...don't they use bull catchers these day or am I thinking of something else?...maybe that's not for buffalo but scrub cattle.

Good yarn Bill

Cheers

Maureen
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Neville Briggs
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Re: aussie Buffalo hunters

Post by Neville Briggs » Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:37 pm

All hard work and hard life Bill. The closest I've been to a buffalo is munching on a hamburger with the works. :roll:
Last edited by Neville Briggs on Thu Jul 14, 2011 6:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Neville
" Prose is description, poetry is presence " Les Murray.

william williams

Re: aussie Buffalo hunters

Post by william williams » Thu Jul 14, 2011 5:06 pm

All the meat went to Germany and Europe and to Aussie pet food. and the hides to Italy for leather soles on shoes. Brucilosus abotus and Tibburculosus (TB) was the reason we were given why they were to be destroyed.

this is a true story.The person that was killed was Lofty Hosen-Thorpe I think that is how you spell it. He was a German chap and I was one of the two of shooters in my team. And there were a number of teams in the area. And yes Maureen they do have buffalo catchers now days but alas there were none in those days. And I must admit that I have come adrift from my horse. And my three horses that I bought up there with me one of them I bought and broke in at Willcannia and the other two I bought up from Victoria with me. In case you are interested Manfred I cut down a 303 jungle carbine which I strapped to my right forearm as I only shot them from 5 to 10 feet away.

Bill Williams

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Re: aussie Buffalo hunters

Post by Bob Pacey » Fri Jul 15, 2011 5:04 am

I reckon there is a couple of poems within this yarn Bill. and telling the story in that format would allow you to pass on the excitement of the hunt by the pace of the recital.

Just a thought.

Neville you are rubbing off on me I'm starting to think.

Bob
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After you grasp that everything else seems insignificant !!!

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Re: aussie Buffalo hunters

Post by Neville Briggs » Fri Jul 15, 2011 11:28 am

Fine, fine :lol:
Neville
" Prose is description, poetry is presence " Les Murray.

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