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My post about the .25-06 was of course meant to be somewhat humorous--but is also absolutely true.

Hunting bison can indeed take various forms. My friends in Alberta who hunt wood bison that stray outside Wood Buffalo National Park (which straddles the Alberta/NWT border) tend to use the same rifles preferred by Cape buffalo hunters. These are wild bison and sometimes charge seriously. Since much hunting takes place in winter, with the hunter up to his knees in snow, stopping a charge is very necessary, since running ain't an option. The .375 H&H is considered a decent minimum, but some use hunters use .416's or .458's.

I have only shot one bison, an eating-size bull in mid-winter that, as Mark described, took about three minutes to die. The rifle was a .375 H&H with 300-grain Nosler Partitions, and shooting him twice (both times fatally) did not speed things up.

That was a meat shoot, plain and simple. The rancher told me that how long they take to die depends a lot on the season. In winter, apparently, their metaolism slows down so much that it takes longer. In summer they die quicker.

I have seen quite a few other bison shot. The quickest-deadest from a chest shot was a mature cow my wife shot in Texas in warm weather. It was actually an interesting hunt, as the cow was in fairly thick thornbrush, and had shown some aggression when her brother had been killed a few days earlier. Eileen stalked her for 2-3 hours before getting just the right shot, and put a 130-grain Triple Shock from a .270 through both lungs just above the heart. The cow went about 40 yards and keeled over within 20-30 seconds. Live weight was around 900-1000 pounds.

I have also seen bison taken with traditional blackpowder cartridge rifles and they do about as well as anything on heart-lung shots, as long as the bullet has something of a flat point, is heavy enough to penetrate, and is put in the right place.

If I ever do it again I will either use a .25-06 (when slaughtering one for meat) or on a real hunt, something much bigger.

I also once helped field-butcher a cow bison with stone tools, which was actually a lot easier than it sounds--and was a lot more efficient than many of the "modern" field jobs I've seen.


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Originally Posted by Mule Deer

I also once helped field-butcher a cow bison with stone tools, which was actually a lot easier than it sounds--and was a lot more efficient than many of the "modern" field jobs I've seen.


From what little knowledge I have of stone tools, I have heard that a good flintknapper can get an edge much sharper than is possible with steel. A professor I had for an archaeology class spoke of a flintknapper from Idaho who had to have open heart surgery and talked the surgeon into using a flint blade because it was sharper than a scalpel and the scar would heal better.

Anyway, sorry to get off topic, but I do have a real question. I've noticed you guys mostly consider Bison hunting to be a meat hunt, which I understand. My question is where are the few places one can hunt a truly wild, free ranging bison?

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Wyoming for sure, I believe Utah and Ak has some and sounds like Canada has some..

Last edited by gotlost; 12/04/07.

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Brian
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Sorry, but for their size I think they have tiny lungs.
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Several free-roaming herds in AK including the Delta, Chitna and Farewell Burn herds.


Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Wow, they make those Chevettes powerful up there in Alaska...never saw one pulling a horse trailer and haulin out a buffalo down here ;~))

Very interesting info gents.

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Originally Posted by Mule Deer


I also once helped field-butcher a cow bison with stone tools, which was actually a lot easier than it sounds--and was a lot more efficient than many of the "modern" field jobs I've seen.


George Frison and George Ziemens, two archaeologists I know, along with Bison Pete (Gardner), the Bison rancher who I also know, wouldn't of happened to have been there too, would they?


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Utah has two herds. The herd on Antelope Island is kinda of a wild herd. Antelope Island is a large island in the Great Salt Lake. About 21-25 miles in length and several miles across. The buffalo have free access to the entire island.

There are many mountain bikers, horse riders, hikers using the trails, that the buffalo don't worry much about humans. So even though they are free roaming, I would not consider them much of challenge to hunt. As they do not run away and hide from humans. In fact once a year they are herded into a large pen, vacinations are given and the animals are sorted. Usually 300 animals are sorted out and sold at an auction. Lots of bison ranchers like to buy animals from the island to broaden their gene pool in the ranch herds.

The other herd is the Henry Mountain herd. These are truely wild buffalo. They are very hard to hunt and will challenge an experienced hunter. They will disappear if they wind you, let alone see you. It is very rough and remote country.


It's common when I ride horses on antelope Island to ride close to the herd. The cows will circle up and march toward the horses. The big bulls usually just ignor you unless you get to close in which case they often charge.
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I think Bison have a lot in common with Rough Grouse. After going out in some places that hadn't been hunted for a long time, I amazed another hunter as I shot one grouse after another as they sat on the ground - his comment "And they call them the wily Rough Grouse?!"

We went back a few weeks later, and the tire tracks and the shell cases showed they had in fact, been hunted in the interim. This time, they spooked at a twig braking, and were taking off when we were 50 yards away, his new comment was "NOW, I see why they call them the wily Rough Grouse!!!"

I toured Antelope Island - and those Bison are as tame as any cow, or the numerous Bison I took pictures of in Yellowstone.

Canada's Wood Bison (and the Plains-Wood crosses in B.C.) are truly WILD!

If they smell you - and a herd can do that when you are still many hundred yards away, or see you, or hear you, they WILL stampede away into the thick stuff - and your hunt is over. They are as wily and wild as any Whitetail or any Elk.

The difference?

These Bison I speak of - never see a man - unless he's hunting them. They understand, like the heavily hunted grouse, that man is bad news, and that they'd best be moving out if they want to survive.

To equate Bison that see people on a regular basis, with wild Bison, is to equate farmed Fallow Deer with Whitetail deer that live in areas where they are heavily hunted.

In short - there is NO comparison.

Want to HUNT Bison?

Come to Canada.

Here's a couple of nice Yellowstone bulls I photographed:

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]


Brian

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Originally Posted by Brad
Aussie, far be it from me to pass judgment on where other's draw lines. There are more than a few animals I'd never shoot. That's a personal thing and needs no explanation.

To me a buffalo "hunt" is really a "meat shoot" which is why they should be head shot. Saves meat and puts them down dead asap just like a cow. My Grandad had a slaughter house and as a kid, before it was made illegal, we'd use a Sears single shot 22 to put down cows for slaughter. I see Bison exactly as I see cows and definitely don't see them as a game animal per se.


I never heard of that law, is it just in Montana? We still have a cold storage in our family. I worked there for several years, and many more hunting seasons, and they still use .22lrs to slaughter cattle, sheep, and hogs. I did used to break out a .22mag once in a while when I dropped a bison -- I'm not sure if I had to, but I just did. It makes it easier for the taxidermist that way. From 10' to 30' right between the eyes and a few inches up I never saw one that didn't die instantly.

My dad also used to raise buffalo years ago (well Bison Pete who I mentioned earlier in this thread did, but on our land). We'd feed the retired bulls then drive back along them while they ate and let the "hunter" drop one from 50 yards or less. They got to bring their own rifles, but my dad was always laying across the hood with an 06 trained on their head just in case. IIRC I don't think he ever had to use it for back up. I always thought it was funny when the hunters would put on their safari suits get a photo, their mountain man suit and black powder rifle, get a photo, and their camo and fluorescent orange for another photo, all while my uncle would be sitting over there with his winch truck waiting to haul the carcass back to the cold storage.

Last edited by JacquesLaRami; 12/08/07.

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