Hunt buffalo and wild pigs in Arnhem Land. Bodeidei Camp and Dreamtime Safaris can offer a professional Arnhem land hunting experience, that can involve local Ngkalabon men. Hunting Safaris are offered as an exclusive charter experience for small groups between May and September.
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A high density of game live on our concessions of Bodeidei, Weemol, Mobane, Kliklimara, Gopuliu and Bangui. Francois and Yoann have over 20 years of hunting experience in Africa and Australia and work within the strict guidelines of the Northern Land Council (NLC) program. Generally, the game is Wild Water Buffalo Bubalis Bubalis Arnee – an Asian variety introduced from Timor to the Northern Territory at the beginning of the 19th Century. They have established and thrived in the outback with the only predators being dingoes, sea and soft water crocodiles and man. As a hard hooved animal the environmental damage to land has been an ongoing problem and significant eradication programs were organised in the 1980’s throughout the Northern Territory. However, the program did not extend to Arnhem land due to Aboriginal ownership of 9 million hectares and the general remoteness of the region. Hence Arnhem Land shelters the last population of wild Asian buffaloes that can still be hunted on a vast natural territory. |
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Program
Australian Aborigines have lived for 40 000 and land management remains a significant and strengthening aspect of nurturing cultural practices. The 'land ethic' inspires the people to include soil, waters, plants and animals in the boundaries of their community. Hunting and gathering , as opposed to cultivating and construction, feature strongly in the dreaming stories, art work and daily lives. Traditionally birds, fish, crocodiles, and wallabies were the prey, and now the western introduction of foreign species that have now become established within the biodiversity of Arnhem land, in particular Asian buffalo, wild pigs and donkeys.
Dreamtime Safaris hunting tour provides 5 full days of hunting and can be tailored to your needs. This represents a unique opportunity to experience hunting on Aboriginal land in the Top End of Australia
This trip enables clients to have a combination of the thrill of plentiful hunting, the reward of being able to take home the buffalo horns and assisting the local community by donating fresh meat, deluxe camping and all the established experiences of dreamtime safari including bush walking, wildlife spotting , swimming, viewing rock art and interacting with local aboriginal people.
Additional information
Hunting methods:
The search for the larger animals are conducted through the practice of stalking and tracking, accompanied by Aboriginal trackers who are famous for their knowledge of the bush. The travelling is done from the camp in a four-wheel drive and then on foot to the locations with more game. As soon as the first tracks are found or as soon as the animal is encountered, the hunt proceeds on foot, so that the approach is done in the most ethical, respectful and secure way.
We do adapt the hunts to the needs and physical conditions of the hunters.
We can also guarantee an approach as close as 50 metres to the animal, the ideal position for a more precise shooting, including bow or crossbow hunting (see the article hunting expedition 2010)
Anatomy and morphology
The adult wild water buffalo can measure up to 3 metres long and 2 metres high, weighing roughly 1000 kilos with the female reaches two-thirds this size. The span of its curled horns can reach up to 2 metres.
It mainly lives in swamps, marshes, billabongs and freshwater rivers and its territory is vast during the rainy season. During the dry season, herds gather and live in restricted areas with the herds numbering around 40 buffalos, led by a dominant male or female. Old isolated males, ‘old men’ as Aboriginal people call them, wander in search of food and wallow in large mud holes to get rid of skin parasites. The skin at the back of the neck of old buffalos can be 5 cm thick. Despite its huge size, the buffalo can easily camouflage itself in its environment and be invisible, especially when it has sensed a presence. Its sight and hearing are fairly poor, but its sense of smell excels so it is much more difficult to approach a herd of buffaloes than a few solitary old buffaloes.
The Arnee buffalo is not aggressive, although he is strong and powerful. The buffalo is certain of its strength when on its own territory though man is one of its only predators. When hunters come close, buffaloes do not easily panic, but they sometimes start charging when they sense that they are being approached too closely… It is of utmost interest to track and approach the animal thus dealing with its unpredictable behaviour.
Click here to see photos of Hunting Experience