Buffalo hunt

[Boz330]

I'm considering a Bison hunt at the Bison ranch in ND with a Sharps, cast and BP. Just wondering if anyone has been there?

Bob

[texasnative46]

Boz330,

PLEASE post details, when you have them.

I'd like to try my XB on a Bison.

yours, tex

[GregP42]

Boz,

You know if you go you have to share pictures right? And when is dinner? Yes I am still alive, just been unable to shoot with you guys for the last few years.

Greg

[LazyTCross]

I am from ND. Not sure where the bison ranch is but I have shot 2 buff at a friends place in SW ND. Been around and witnessed a few more grunters taken down. Good times!

[Boz330]

https://www.thebisonranch.com/
I thought that the prices were pretty reasonable and if you shoot something early enough you can bird hunt to. They recommend head shots, I'm not sure if my eyes are up to that with iron sights at my age, but getting to the vitals through the shoulder will ruin some meat but afford a bigger target.

Bob

[LazyTCross]

Head shots have to be pretty precise on a buff. Small brain. Thick skull. I can relate. I have seen them shot poorly in the head with large calibers and cast boolits only to run off. That being said, hit them correctly and they pile up pretty quick.
Might want to spend a few minutes and find the anatomy on a buffalo. Lungs and heart aren't quite in the same layout as a whitetail.

[starmac]

This reminds me that I need to call my SIL and see how he did this last weekend.
A friend of ours drew a much coveted buffalo tag and he was her backup shooter and more important PACK MULE. He was no doubt chosen for his massive size and muscles. lol

[Boz330]

Head shots have to be pretty precise on a buff. Small brain. Thick skull. I can relate. I have seen them shot poorly in the head with large calibers and cast boolits only to run off. That being said, hit them correctly and they pile up pretty quick.
Might want to spend a few minutes and find the anatomy on a buffalo. Lungs and heart aren't quite in the same layout as a whitetail.

That is what they say in their literature.
In their picture gallery most of the pictures show high power rifles only 1 Sharps that I saw. There were a number of bulls taken with bows. If I got that close the head shot might not be so bad even with irons. I have an MVA scoped Highwall but in 40-65 which might work pretty good on a head shot.

Bob

[runfiverun]

their heart sits up behind their shoulder.
a lung shot is going to be a wait a while thing, they have about double the lung capacity of a horse.
punching the shoulder into the heart is better except you lose the 3 lbs of heart hash for brunch, and you lose a little shoulder meat.

one thing you want to look at is getting a 2.5 yo they are about 90% the size of an adult but they haven't busted up their horns fighting yet.

[starmac]

Well the kids just stopped by on the way back from their buff hunt. I had thought they were coming back yesterday, but they didn't get it on the ground till yesterday evening.

They said the area they were in was over run with moose, but that area is youth only for moose. lol

[StolzerandSons]

Wow, prices have gone up a bit since I last hunted buffalo. I shot two on consecutive years at RBL Ranch near Ucross, Wyoming back in 2001 and 2002 for $400.00 each. Of course this was right after Ted Turner flooded the market with Buffalo from his ranch in Montana so most of the buffalo ranchers were desperate to thin the herds and make enough money to get by until the market picked back up.

The best heart/lung shot is from behind the shoulder with the buffalo quartering away and slightly uphill from you. Be prepared to shoot more than once, the first I shot from this position with .338 250gr Nosler Partitions and the first bullet went through both lungs and the thing flinched then snorted blood out it's nose and went back to grazing, the second shot clipped the top of the heart and it went down. Both bullets were recovered under the hide on the opposite side about 3" apart.

The second one a year later I shot with my 50-140 Sharps with a 500gr water dropped wheel weight cast bullet, I hit where the skull meets the spine, made a mess of the hide and neck with bone shards everywhere but it dropped like it was struck by lightning.

Both were taken from under 50 yards so hitting the back of the skull wasn't exactly a long or hard shot. Practice with the rifle and ammo you plan to use, get comfortable when the time comes(buffalo in general and especially domestic ones aren't real spooky animals) and don't let the ranch hand pressure you to take a shot you don't like...remember you are paying them to have a good hunt.

Good luck and have fun.

[LazyTCross]

The major arterys on the top of the heart are the ultimate hit. It's kinda at the point of the shoulder where the long hair ends. Look at the front legs and make sure the onside leg is forward or you will have to shoot threw it. Also the lungs kinda go up and back different than a deer or beef. If you get to far back and low you are behind the diagram.


I watched a heifer get shot in the head with a 45-70. Than a 416 Taylor..... she looked pretty spry when she came by me. I was lucky and got her on the run through the top of the heart with a 629 smith 300gn. Was a bit exciting!!

[LazyTCross]

Have a picture of the event. But I am new and can't figure out how to load it

[GhostHawk]

I have to admit this is something I would like to do next fall.
And for the first time I may actually be able to afford it.

Living in Fargo it would not be a big trip for me.

[M-Tecs]

My high school friend has about 500 buffalo. They don't do hunts but the do slaughter a bunch. With a properly placed head shot it doesn't take much of a caliber. Things can get interesting if the shot placement isn't proper.

[RPRNY]

Something in the 500 grs range, whether of the GG or PP variety is going to go right through a bison at any reasonable range one would care to shoot an iron sighted rifle, and make an awful mess along the way. As long as it's a solid lung shot, the bison is going down and, on the plains, the fact that he may run 150 yards before going down is really neither here nor there - unless he goes off a butte or, into water. I spend some time on the Crow Reservation in southeast MT and the advice I hear from them is keep hitting just behind the top 1/4 of the shoulder until fuzzy is down.

[Beerd]

Not much of a"hunt" but 250 grains of cast lead from a .356 Win dropped this one at maybe 50 yards.
If my memory is right I put the bullet 4 inches below the base of the horn.

..

[knifemaker]

I have taken 4 buffalo with a 45/70 using a 350 gr. cast lead on two and a 350 gr. Hornady RNFP on the other two. I used a neck shot. Aim point was about 4-5 inches below the horn base and 6-8 inches towards the neck. It will severe the neck spline at the base of the skull. They go straight down without taking a step. If you want good meat, nothing over 3 years old for best meat. Those big trophy bulls have tough meat and that ends up being one heck of a lot of hamburger.

[LazyTCross]

Not a very romantic trophy picture. But I did finally figure out how to post a picture !


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[MT Chambers]

I believe that bison should only be hunted with period correct rifles, shooting one with a 300 Ultra mag. is like fish in a barrel.