Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire To Kill a Bison...

Yes, he did, 100%. About a tenth of a second before the bullet hit him he turned to his left to face us. Still a bad shot, but thank you for that. Glad someone else saw what I did in the video.

So many was that coulda gone fubar. That was indeed a good shot 😎 Congrats Leighton

So how were the tenderloins, did I miss the pics?

He dropped like a toilet seat! Impressive!

I am quite surprised the other bison didn't gather around their fallen comrade and try to get him up as they usually do.

Good Job Leighton!

Lman, that buff definitely turned towards you, before the shot broke !

Enjoyed your excellent adventure, very much !!

Thanks for taking us along.

Stealing that one!

Just got this today from AKDFG. Also, a little bird told me three hunters whacked the wrong sex bison during this season. That must've stung in a few different ways and no doubt can't have been a nice feeling. I feel badly for those who hit a tag but were unable to work within the new parameters. I'd have been livid to have hit a tag as a NR but had something else I needed to deal with for the dates given and not been able to do the hunt. I guess lady luck always has her say in some things in life...

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Hello,

We just wanted to update everyone to let you know that the bison hunt for this year is now closed for the season.

All groups met their quotas therefore we will not be offering a spring hunt. Again we sincerely regret having to make so many drastic changes to this years hunt, we understand that it was not ideal for all of you hunters. We are hopeful that the next few winters will be mild and that the bison population will rebound so we can provide additional hunting opportunities going forward. We will be offering a reduced number of permits again next year. And just a reminder that because you have drawn a permit this year, residents are required to wait 10 years before applying for another bison permit, and non-residents may not re-apply. Again, we understand that this may seem unfair due to all the changes.

If you have not yet filed your report please do so. You may file by mail, online, or call us at the Delta office (907-895-4484).

Thank you to all of you who have been so patient and understanding this year.


Sincerely,

Delta Area ADF&G Staff

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To the AK guy who hit TWO DJ bison permits, you're one lucky SOB!

Pretty happy you drew, got to hunt, and succeeded.

I bet that curry was delish.

I understand Kamo's desire for full transparency... the campfire is ruthless in that regard..... BUT I believe at this point he performed excellent and no apology is required.
A fine hunt with a fine outcome... congrats Kamo...

bison burgers for lunch at deer camp. not a single complaint from the two of us.

If 3 turned themselves in (or got caught) I bet there were others. With a total quota of 60, and at least 5% making a bad mistake, and 50% not killing a bison... a lot of folks probably regret drawing the tag.

The bullet was supersonic, the shot was tight to the base of the skull, the head turned because the bullet hit right behind the skull. Slowed to frame by frame with sound it is a perfect shot but not planned.

How’s business at The Cave since this thread was posted?

If the cow shooters turn themselves in, the magistrate is usually lenient but their tag is gone. On the bright side, three local families on the Road Kill List were able to get a complete bison carcass from the Wildlife Trooper.
There was also one case of Wanton Waste where the only the head and loins were taken.....a serious charge.

I did not realize they use the Road Kill list to distribute mistakes... very good use.

Ah, sweet, sweet redemption.

Today I received a box from Anchorage. In it was my bison robe and cleaned and bleached skull, and horns. Guess what? SD was wrong, and I was right about that bull turning into my shot. How do I know this? Because there's a ~.375" hole in the bull's face just inside his left eye socket. There is also a corresponding hole about an inch in diameter in the back of the skull, right where the skull meets the first vertebra--the one that the buys discovered was shattered by the TSX. The bullet went into the face, through the sinuses, out the skull and directly into the spine. Still a horrible effort on my part, but I'd be lying if I said that seeing that didn't make me feel just a wee bit better. That bison swung hard to the left just before the bullet hit him.

I recall when we were taking the bull apart my asking why blood had spilled out of the bull's mouth and nose, being that I hadn't poked a lung. The answer I got was, well, wrong. The blood was coming out the nose and mouth because that fat bullet went into his face and followed gravity's path.

To those couple of guys on this thread who after seeing the video I posted of the kill shot agreed that the bull turned into the shot a split second before dropping? You were right.

That shot was taken at only around 250 yards. Makes me think that long range shots (for me, that's anything over maybe 400) and the accompanying bullet flight times can make for some bad results, even if the shot itself--when taken--was perfect. Critters move.

Anyway, food for thought, maybe. Sorry this isn't a 'have you ever...' type post.

kamo gari;
Good evening to you my cyber friend, I hope that the rest of the day matched the package from Alaska arriving.

If I didn't say it looked to me like it moved, I meant to because when I watched the video on the fairly large screen I've got, that's what I saw.

Regarding things going wrong on shots that aren't even all that far.....

One of the longer shots I took at an unwounded mulie was this one, who I could see was bunched up and ready to move, but I'd hunted hard for a few seasons looking for a buck this age class and felt I "deserved" it so I took the shot.

I was prone resting on a stump so the rest was good for a lung shot, but between the time it took my brain to tell the finger to pull, the lock time of the rifle, the bullet's flight - 165gr BT out of a .308 Norma at 3100fps - it turned into a liver/gut shot Leighton.

We chased that thing into a blowdown shin tangle canyon nightmare where I hit it again about an hour later.

It turned into a further nightmare when buddy who had just got out of surgery fell on the fresh snow, so we got one back leg out, went down the mountain to get some help and returned in the dark with his two teenage sons and my usual hunting partner.

My face sort of tells the story here of how happy I am with myself over it all Leighton.



Anyways I am truly glad you got that bison and that you shared the hunt story with us as well as these latest post mortem results.

Hopefully it's okay I shared my story as another example of "stuff happening" sometimes when we hunt.

Best to you all.

Dwayne

My friend Dwayne, I've looked forward to and read every post you've made here for well more'n a decade now. That includes this last one, where your experiences, sentiment and feelings I welcome, understand and appreciate very much. As always, thanks to you for taking the time to post. Best regards to you and yours from me and mine, sir.

I don't call Burns "Johnnie MIC'Gutshot" for nothing.
Animals move at the shot all the time. The further away, the more they move before impact.

I was going to refrain from commenting as i didn't get to the party in time ( i don't make the ferry schedules), but i did get to enjoy the hunt in my own way. By the time i got to Anchorage all that was left was Elephant gin and meat. I believe i feasted 4 times on the spoils of Leighton's hunt😁 emaciated or not, the meat was excellent. I must have watched "the video" a dozen times. I do agree it was the best, worst shot ever. 🥂
Well done my friend.