The Tiwi Islands are located off the northern coast of Australia in the Arafura Sea. They are comprised of Melville and Bathurst Islands. Melville is the largest, covering 6220 square kilometers of dense forest, tidal flats and sandy beaches. To the archery hunter wanting to pursue water buffalo, it is a real life "Fantasy Island."

I've wanted to hunt Asiatic water buffalo ever since reading Fred Bear's Field Notes when I was sixteen years old. In 1967, Fred and his friend, Bob Munger, hunted these beasts on Marajo Island off the coast of Brazil. This was Fred's last major overseas bowhunting trip. They certainly encountered some hardships during their hunt, but finally bagged their trophies.

I first heard about Melville from noted archery hunter and author Don Thomas, after he participated in an exploratory hunt. Don hunted there with Australian hunter, guide, and author Bill Baker. Many archery hunters in OZ refer to Bill as the "Fred Bear" of Australia. After hearing Don's glowing reports of his experience, it seemed fitting to book a buffalo hunt with Australia's own "Fred Bear." I contacted my hunting buddy, Dale Karch, to see if he was interested in another venture. I smiled when he snapped back, "Yes, when do we leave?"

Getting Ready
Mature, Asiatic water buffalo bulls can weigh over a ton. They have very thick hides and wide ribs that nearly touch together over parts of their anatomy. Bill recommends a minimum bow draw weight of seventy pounds and minimum arrow weights of 750 grains. For broadheads, he suggests strong single blade construction that are dry-shaving sharp. He also believes a lubricant coating on the head and fore shaft aid in penetration.

We had six months to get ready. Dale and his wife, Sandie, own 3 Rivers Archery. I told Dale that I thought a narrower broadhead would be the ultimate buff head. Using his business connections, Dale presented me with a dozen and a half Zwickey prototype heads a few weeks later. The months passed quickly as we rounded up the right gear and practiced with different arrow combinations. I settled on a 90-pound takedown longbow. Dale picked a 73-pound takedown longbow of his own design and 1000 grain carbon shafts.

Not only can the buffalo be dangerous, but some of the other critters that roam the Tiwi Islands also can pose a serious threat to your well-being. The author encountered this saltwater crocodile while he was still-hunting along a small creek.

Late in June, we made it through all the connecting flights and met Bill and his wife, Linda in Darwin. After a great supper and a night's rest, we took a shuttle to the charter service. The 80-kilometer flight to Melville was smooth and scenic. Bill asked the pilot to swing over some of the areas we would hunt before landing in the village of Snake Bay.

Les and Annette Woodbridge greeted us on our arrival. They owned the comfortable, remote fishing camp where we would stay. After a visit and a few drinks at the main camp, we loaded up and made the two-hour drive to the Johnston River Camp. After unpacking and settling into our comfortable accommodations, Dale and I put our bows together and loaded quivers. With a few practice shots into a sand pile we felt ready to start hunting the next day.