Following last month’s review of the Chapuis X4 double-rifle, Mark van den Boogaart tests its mettle in the NT
Back in 2022 Ian, Jono and I made the trek to the Northern Territory to hunt with a local connection. As new hunters to the Territory we flew to Darwin, hired a vehicle and drove to a property five hours south. It was a great introduction to hunting the Top End and, more importantly, we got to meet the owner and establish a connection, the reason being our man would be leaving Darwin soon and wanted to ensure access to the property was in good hands.
About 18 months later the idea of another Territory hunt began to percolate and after a chat we decided to change things up. One of the challenges of traveling by plane and living out of an expedition bag is gear limitations, both what you can take and what you can bring home. The answer was to drive. The lead vehicle would tow a camper trailer that would act as shared base camp, the support vehicle a standard box trailer for fuel, water and lots of other gear. It would also make a great transporter for trophies and meat if we were successful.
Driving from southeast Queensland to the Never-Never is a matter of time, patience and persistence – our trip was 40 hours to the last fuel stop and another couple to camp. All up we were almost two full days in before we set up camp along a stretch of river a long way from nowhere. Joining Ian, Jono and I was Trevor, an experienced deer hunter though unsuccessful NT buffalo hunter, Adam who was new to the game and Michael, a dedicated bowman keen to test his skills on Australia’s version of big game.
We were suitably armed with the possible exception of Michael, packing .30-06 rifles firing 180-grain projectiles, .300 Win Mags spitting out 220-grain bombs and a brace of safari rifles, a 9.3×62 and my 9.3x74R. My intention was to take a Sako 85 bolt-action in 9.3 as I had on the previous trip, yet through unforeseen though ultimately happy circumstance, I’d be carrying a double rifle. It was my first time with a double and the Chapuis X4 in 9.3x74R seemed just the ticket for buffalo and big boars.
Arriving in the first week of September, ahead of us were six days of dry dusty conditions, temperatures in the high 30s and smoke from distant fires always on the horizon. As we’d likely be walking about 15 kilometres a day and carrying packs, we wanted to quickly locate game so our first priority was water.
At that time of year there’s still some about, though you can almost watch it evaporate, so luckily we’d some great technology at our disposal. Using a smartphone mapping system that doesn’t need a signal, our maps were overlaid with possible and probable locations. Remarkably the water predictions were 80 per cent accurate which would, during the next six days, greatly improve our success rate.
Complementing the maps were our Zoleo communicators. Not only do they offer PLB-style safety, pairing them with other units means you have access to satellite text communications. Consequently, we are able to stay in touch with each other at all times and even send a text home. We decided to split into two groups and for Jono, Adam and I, day one was very slow.
Ian, Trevor and Michael managed to get close to an old trophy bull which, not surprisingly, was the talk of the camp that night.
This was a cattle station with an added population of buffalo, donkey and pig, yet it seemed the sheer weight of numbers of cattle pushed the buffalo away from the obvious water supplies. And when we did encounter buff sign on the water’s edge, it was around deeper and shaded water – rather than drinking like cattle, they got in the water and stayed there. And it looked like they were watering in the middle of the day while the cattle were hanging around a feeding station.
It really was guesswork and conjecture but we chose to put it to the test. Identifying a possible water source away from cattle, we crossed a major tributary and headed east into the prevailing wind, spotting some overarching trees and a glimmer of water among the shade. We pushed on and came across fresh buff sign. They we close but not on or in the water so we split up, Jono heading right while Adam and I went left.
Contouring around the base of the rise towards the western face I spotted a herd of buffalo. They we held up in shade and unaware of our presence so I called Adam over and told him to have a go. He was a little surprised I was giving up our first chance but in whispered tones I convinced him to go for it and, taking aim with his .300 Win Mag, he lined up and fired his first shot at a buffalo.
The shot was good but these guys are no easy beats and with the herd now moving at pace, we zeroed in on the straggler. A second shot was fired and we watched it hit the deck – Adam had his buff on the ground. It’s often said that after the shot is when the real works begins and that’s most definitely true of buffalo. Racing the heat and mindful of the distance we had to cover, we went to work taking some choice cuts and a trophy for Adam.
On first arriving the property manager had spoken of ‘The Swamp’, which was in fact a small chain of billabongs and grassy depressions holding water. Interestingly, cattle watered on the grass while the buffalo, as we’d discover, preferred the tree-lined billabongs. Arriving around 11am the plan was to take up position and glass into the afternoon with the intent of an ambush. Just as Jono, Adam and I moved out of the trees, I spotted a buffalo and luckily we were right with the wind and able to quickly take cover before giving our position away.
Our retreat also allowed us a better view and we soon spotted more beasts on the water, a calf, a juvenile bull and the larger animal we saw first. They were 50m apart and while a prevailing easterly continued to blow, there were two small bodies of water between us and our intended target. No-one wanted to cross the water and while it wasn’t a long or difficult shot, we were mindful of the ability of buff to take a hit so had to shorten the distance.
Our approach was to double back and cross a dry outflow to eventually position us behind a large gum tree on small spit of dirt between the water. Using a rangefinder to gauge distance, if we could make the tree we’d be within 50m of the target, the only problem being we’d have to sneak past the youngster. It was decided I’d lead Jono in, position him to take the first shot and, if need be, back him up with the double.
Everything went to plan until the young animals spooked and ran to the lone buffalo, the whole situation changing instantly as it looked like they were ready to bolt. Taking his chance, Jono stepped out and fired a cracking shoulder shot on the target. Mortally wounded it turned as again, taking no chances, I emptied both barrels and watched it drop within feet of its original position.
After our successful morning we spent the afternoon exploring the property in comfort of an air-conditioned vehicle. While rounding a boundary fence we spotted a brute of a boar so I tracked him through the termite mounds and waited for the shot. As he stepped out I centred the red dot on his shoulder and fired a salvo from the double, those 286-grain bullets making quick work of porky who was on the ground instantly. He was a real old one-tooth warrior, though that tooth was a sizeable hook.
I’m not keen on hunting the same area on consecutive days but as things are ‘different’ in the NT, I accepted that rule may have to be broken. And so it was that near the billabong where Adam took his first buffalo, Jono spotted movement with three beasts moving along the tree line, wet and shimmering as the light reflected off their hides.
We’d noticed they tended to move uphill in the afternoon, possibly to catch any breeze, and that’s exactly where these three were heading. Taking an intersecting path we closed the gap and as I was first up, I stood behind a large termite mound and put that red dot on the leader. It was a good hit though Adam, on reflex, fired a follow-up as I reloaded and fired on the second. The high lung shot was literally deflating as it collapsed on the spot and I yelled for Adam to take the third. We had all three on the ground in a tight group just meters apart.
As a group we managed seven buffalo and 10 pigs for the trip and even though Michael didn’t take a buff with the bow, he went full draw at 35 yards on two occasions and added two highly respectable boars to the tally. It was Friday morning and our time in the NT had come to an end. Breaking camp in pre-dawn heat we’d everything loaded just after sunrise, including a lot of dust, and began the two-hour drive to the property gate, eventually hitting the bitumen where our convoy split for the trip home.