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9ThreeXFifty7:
Our attitude towards the meat might offend some of the members here, so some explaination is warranted. The Asian water buffalo in Northern Australia is not a native animal, but a feral pest. If unchecked, they will build up their numbers without predators or natural diseases and soon over-run the land, causing enormous environmental damage. Such was the situation prior to the 1980s, at which point the Government committed millions of dollars to a helicopter shooting program. Buffalo were shot to waste out across the floodplains in the tens of thousands.

In the US you shoot managed native wildlife on a tag system, so of course you are going to collect all the meat you can from every kill. Here though, the important thing is to keep the numbers in check and protect the environment.

Also, the political reality is that if the buffalo build up their numbers to the point where a camper-van full of German tourists hits one on the Stuart Highway one night, resulting in deaths, the helicopter gunships will be in the skies immediately to hammer their numbers down once again. The tourist dollar takes precedence over all else here at the moment

Having said all that, we collect meat during the cooler months of the year if possible, taking the backstraps, shoulders and rumps and back-packing them out. Fully boning-out a carcass would only occur if the vehicle could be got to within a short distance of the fallen animal.

The best bits, the rib-eye, are probably the hardest cuts to retrieve, especially if there is no fresh water handy to clean up afterwards, so unfortunately they are often left.

The ribs are my favourite, roasted whole over the coals of an open camp-fire on a chilly dry-season night. Marvellous!

Sadly, it was over 40 degrees celsius (~105 farenheit) 'down the track' on the weekend, with very high humidity ahead of afternoon thunderstorms. The buff was shot around 2 pm on a meadow at the base of the escarpment, some 8km from the vehicle 'as the crow flies' up a rugged creekline from the main valley. No meat was collected that day!

The horns, however, are hanging in a tree in my backyard as I type this, and the flies are beginning to gather!

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Marrakai
When the bull drops, the bullshit stops!
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www.marrakai-adventure.com.au

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