Tatonka's First Buffalo

[Kenny Wasserburger]

My buddy Michael Jackson,

Shot his bull with my Shiloh Business rifle aka Tatonka in 45-110

1-20-07

About 8 miles north of our family Ranch.

20-1 Gov bullet with 104 grs of FG Goex Express.





Mike-Jimbo and myself




Mike and our friends Vern and Bryan Youngberg

[montana_charlie]

Some guys in another thread would probably like to know where to go to pick up a load of those chips. Seems there is some doubt that they can generate enough heat to melt lead.
Judging from the density of the pies, they must keep quite a few animals penned up...
CM

[jballs918]

one must wonder what they all do with that meat. i have heard that stuff taste really good

[44woody]

it is one of the best pieces of meat I have had the pleasure of eating when Halfbreed came down from KY last year he brought a roast with him and we put it on the smoker I am here to tell you it was one excellent piece of meat I have been told that it is alot better for you than beef 44Woody

[waksupi]

Kenny, are you sure that's Micheal Jackson? I thought he was kinda black?
He will have strong jaws before he gets that ol' boy ate.

[piwo]

Outstanding! As a shooter, I'd love more details on that front, as a hunter, my question would have been "Now what do we do!"

Tell me about the logistics of dressing and removing that monster!! Truck with a wench, cut in 6 or 7 pieces, do tell!!!!

I too have enjoyed bison steaks on more then one occasion, and they are as prime doings as any $50 steak in a Chicago, Denver or KC fancy restaurant. Green with envy doesn't begin to cover it!

[ELFEGO BACA]

Maybe I should shoot my Buffalo meat instead of buying it

[WBH]

I am in the process of looking to book a Bison hunt for next year. I have been in touch with John Morningstar of Thousand Hills Ranch. Any other opinions on where to book?
I raise beef cattle and custom finish the ones we keep for friends and family. I would put my steaks up against anybodies. BUT...I do hear Bison can be some fine eating. I can only imagine the size of those Briskets. Better get a bigger smoker boys.

[scrapcan]

Well boys from the looks of things in that picture it would be easiest to pull the loader up to the bison and hang him up to dress out and skin. You then put the new tarp or sheet in the bed of the truck or on the trailer and lay him down and off to the processor you go. That is the best deal about hunting on a ranch.

Wyoming does have wild bison hunts but you get to do all that on your own and not with the nice tools ( i.e. loader). If you apply you wait on the list till they need one dispatched and then they call you and you have a certain amount of time to get there and get the job done.

A co-worker went with his dad who shot one this past fall in Teton Park. shot it in the morning and it took them all day to get it into the truck. I think he told us it was about 50 yards off a road. They had to use a chainsaw to cut the hide to get the head off. Lots of ground meat and they had to buy a much larger gridner to get the job done.

application for Wyoming Game and Fish wild bison for Non-resident is at the following
http://gf.state.wy.us/downloads/pdf/...let/07NR43.pdf
Application should be read carefully, there is a fee for application and a license fee if your number comes up.

There are several Bison ranches in our area that offer hunts. And one I know of in Belle Fouche South Dakota. If interested send me a pm and I will get you some contact info. Most have some abilty to get it dressed and off to a processor and can help with getting teh hide or head to the correct place for you.

[BruceB]

My wife and I were fortunate enough to hunt completely-wild Wood Bison in the Northwest Territories of Canada for quite a few years, back in the '70s-'80s. They ranged over thousands of square miles. As residents, we could just buy a $25.00 tag and go hunting....no draw.

These are a somewhat larger, darker critter than plains bison, and they live mostly in bush country which is interspersed with open grassy areas which range from a few hundred square feet up to many square miles, in some places. The grasslands are where they feed, and offer the best chance of locating the herds. A lot of rough 4x4 driving, and a great deal of glassing across those grasslands were involved. If animals were seen, the stalk commenced, because they are quite spooky.

Since the ground is mostly boggy, we waited until after the ground froze before hunting. We could then cover a lot of country with 4x4 trucks. This was a good thing, because the animals GRAZE at 3-4 mph....a man on foot is hardpressed to keep up with them.

The oldest bison we killed was a bull of about 13 years' age. He was the ONLY bison we saw in ten days of hard hunting, up and away before daybreak and back in camp after nightfall. We burned eight 55-gallon drums of gas among the three trucks in our party! Estimated live weight of the bull was about 3000 pounds...the liver was 70 pounds, the heart about ten pounds (minus a .404 Jeffery hole right through it!). I estimated the paunch weight at over 400 pounds, and thanked Heaven that gravity was helping me get it out! The hide, after tanning, spanned our 12-wide "house"with the nose against one wall and the butt and tail leaning-up against the other.

As we were in wooded country, as soon as a bison was down, I would cut three trees to make a tripod right over the animal. A 2-ton chainblock on the tripod then made gutting and skinning far easier. We always managed to get the 4x4 right up to the kill site, which allowed us to haul such stuff as that chainblock, axes, chainsaw etc.

We loaded that big bull into our IHC 4x4 Travelall (like a Suburban) in one piece, by putting a log (former tripod pole) through the front windows from side to side, and hanging the chainblock at its middle. We then used the chainblock to skid the bison up a couple of logs into the truck. With the bison's head against the back of the front seats, his butt was still on the ground, so I lashed the legs up free of ground contact and drove 12 miles to camp with the rear doors tied open. A cooool but happy trip, that was! We had a heavy meat pole at camp, a big log about 15 feet off the ground mounted to a couple of big trees. Skinning and quartering were performed there.

It was the best game meat I've ever had, including that big bull. Roundsteaks from him were a good three feet long! Where younger bison had a rim of fat around such steaks, the big fella had a rim of gristle...but the meat inside that rim was wonderful.

We had some genuine adventures hunting bison, and no mistake about it!

[montana_charlie]

So, BruceB, $25 for the tag and $300 for the gasoline bought an actual hunt.
Wonder how that price (and the experience) compares with today's shoots...
CM

[Kenny Wasserburger]

This is a picture when we made the first stalk, got within 250 yards a lead cow winded us and away they went.

They crossed a deep draw and came up to the fence line where they been feed out the day before. Stan often feeds then in that area so lot of chips there.
We spent close to 1.5 hrs trying to get into postion to make a clean shot.

Rancher came with large front end loader we chained his legs together picked him up and hauled him to the ranch were the rancher had a rack to lay the buffalo on skinned him down part way then lifted he up again with the loader and peeled the hide down buy picking up the buffalo with the loader.

Mike rode with the rancher and the buffalo stayed on the flat next to the fence, and they got with in 150 or so yards the big bull came out of the herd and moved towards then at 65 yards Stan got pretty nervous and yelled at the bull, he turned and Mike made the shot.
Actual spot to the bull where Mike made the shot, herd in the back ground. Bull came almost 90 yards towards them.


The bull was picked up off his feet and twisted in mid air lit on his back, never made a single kick. One shot was all it took out of my 45-110 Shiloh Sharps Business Rifle.



Swanson's Ranch is about 8 miles north of my folks Ranch. Stan used to run 250-300 head but is cutting back due to the drought conditions the past 5 years.

Kenny Wasserburger


PS the hunt was much cheaper then the world Famous Durham Ranch near gillette for the same type of bull.

Taxidermist said if the bull had been wild, would of made boone and crockett.

[scrapcan]

Kenny,

I thought I had recognized the last name. I work for a state agency that deals with CBM and I get to see alot of names for the land owners. Is their a Frank related to you, that is a name I have seen quite a few times. That picture looks like it may be in the Edwards road Reno Road Area south of Wright. or maybe down by Antelope Creek. Am I anywhere close?

Quite a few buffalo being raised in the Powder River Basin. Good to see they are being put to good use for other than shipping out to a slaughter house.

[Kenny Wasserburger]

Actually,

I work in CBM, for Lance Oil & Gas. But the hunt took place about 50 miles south of Newcastle Wyoming, Near my folks ranch which is 42 miles North of Lusk Wyoming.

I live in Gillette though.

Been Doing the BPCR thing for many years now. Also hold a BPCR Long range match at the Ranch every year.

Kenny Wasserburger

PS.

No Franks in the Family

[Bigjohn]

Outstanding! As a shooter, I'd love more details on that front, as a hunter, my question would have been "Now what do we do!"

Tell me about the logistics of dressing and removing that monster!! Truck with a wench, cut in 6 or 7 pieces, do tell!!!!

I too have enjoyed bison steaks on more then one occasion, and they are as prime doings as any $50 steak in a Chicago, Denver or KC fancy restaurant. Green with envy doesn't begin to cover it!

What's a "WENCH" gotta do with moving that beast?

Mind you, some of the characters in them photo's looked like they just stepped off the pages of a history book.

all round folks,

John.

[L Ross]

I'll be heading out again in a couple of weeks for my third buffalo hunt/shoot. I used to think moose was my favorite until I got some "fat cow". Skinnin' and guttin' on a windswept plain in February will be part of a new experience. Raw liver fresh from the cow is not nasty at all, just very rare.






L Ross

[scrapcan]

Kenny,

How close are you to redbird? Our agency has a couple of observation wells Near the Boner Ranch. I have been all over Press Williams Ranch doing water right inspection. My cousing has a friend that has a guide service for deer and antelope in the lusk land creek area, Troy Hall. And I went to school with Jeff Miller and TY Thompson who are form teh lance creek area. My wife's sister and her husband live in Gillette, she works for Yates.

I like Northeast Wyoming, but tha tprobably comes form spending a whole heap of time there over the last 8 years.

[Ivantherussian03]

Well, Some of those pics look like they of could of been taken in 1880's some where out West!! VERY NICE

Congratulations

[Kenny Wasserburger]

manleyjt,

Folks place is 5 miles west of Redbird right on lance Creek.

I dated Jeff Millers sister Tiffinay back along time ago!


I have been in Gillette 23 years.

Kenny

[Rafe Covington]

Looks like you had a great time, congratulations.

Good Shootin