More like a scene from a Hollywood movie than the perfect place for an exotic archery hunt, these islands off of the coast of Australia offer archers the opportunity to spot and stalk huge water buffalo in an unbelievable setting.

After supper, Bill laid out some maps and discussed the lay of the land and where we would hunt. Bill experienced good success in some areas, but there were parts of the huge island he'd never explored yet. We made sure he knew that we were keen to check out some of the new ground as part of our adventure.

The Honey Hole
Our hunt was a two on one, so Dale and I took turns stalking. This was fine with us because we wanted to share each other's hunt and possibly videotape the action as well. We drove to an area named the Honey Hole the next day. We shouldered our packs and slipped into the tropical forest. It felt good to hike through new country. The unfamiliar vegetation and birdcalls were almost intoxicating as we snuck into the wind, constantly on the lookout for buffalo. Bill spotted a couple of bulls and we circled around for the best wind and cover to approach. I was up to bat first. Bill led the way while Dale and I fell in single file behind him. We kept Billy's body between the bulls' eyes and ourselves. This kept our noticeable movement to a minimum. When we reached the

50-yard mark we stopped and dropped our packs. Bill slipped off his shoes and we followed suit. Before closing in, Bill tied a piece of surveyors ribbon on a bush, marked a waypoint on his GPS and chambered a round in his rifle.

I stayed close to Bill as we eased closer. Each footstep was a planned move and our stocking feet barely made a sound. Dale stayed back a bit to film without jeopardizing the stalk. At 25 yards, Bill pulled up behind a tree and nodded for me to go ahead. The two bulls that had been standing near each other started moving around. One bull's horns grew straight out before sweeping back and he was my intended target. I nocked an arrow and eased ahead, feeling clumsy and a little alone. After I'd gained a few yards, the second bull stumbled into some thick brush to my right with his rear end towards us. With only one set of eyes to deal with, I positioned a bush between the buffalo's eyes, and myself and slipped into 18 yards. I glanced back to locate Bill and was surprised to find him just a couple of steps back. He gave me the "Take him if you want him, but we can find a bigger one" sign. Looking back at the bull, I decided I wasn't in love with the shot he offered. He stood broadside, but leaning forward with his leg blocking some of the vitals. I'd run out of cover so I just watched as the bull joined his buddy and they walked away. We saw 20 some more buffalo and spent quite a bit of time watching them the rest of the day, but had no opportunities to stalk.

Another Day
We headed out early the next morning. Bill drove to a place where we could hunt Lawrence's Creek. He said the buffalo like to graze on the salt grass flats and walk back to the forest in the morning. Three miles from the truck we spotted a bull feeding. Dale wanted to try him. We closed the distance, lost the packs and shoes, and started the final approach. I followed Bill and Dale into 20 yards. When they slipped in closer, I stayed put. Watching Dale close into 12 yards through the viewfinder, it occurred to me that he was facing the moment of truth. All the planning, practice and anticipation were over. It was time to shoot! Dale held his bow in the ready position, arrow nocked. When the bulls near front leg moved forward, Dale sped a shaft into the now forward crease. On impact, the bull whirled to face Dale and Bill and glared in their direction. Nobody moved a muscle until the bull bolted and ran to our right. I exhaled as the bull disappeared, crashing into the underbrush. We listened intently for several minutes before retreating to our boots and packs. Bill thought we should wait a bit and kept us entertained with tales of aggressive hogs, displaying the scars on his legs to back them up.