Bison Hunt

[RugerFan]

I'm heading out with a buddy tomorrow for a 12 day fly-in/float hunt to fill a bison tag I was lucky enough to draw. I will be using my Marlin 45-70 guide gun to slay the beast. I'll be shooting the RCBS 45-405-FN (#2 alloy). Moose, Grizzly bear, Black Bear and Wolf are also open and good possibilities. Wish me luck.

[Tradhunter]

Sounds great! Good luck! You definitely have the right tools for the job.

[CastingFool]

Good luck, and don't forget the pictures. It didn't happen if you don't have photos! lol.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

WOW Rugerfan, that is great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd prefer a boolit with a bit bigger meplat, but I think you'll get er done.

I use a 465gr Wide Flat Nose at about 1650fps and am just so impressed on deer and elk!

I hope you give us a hunt report soon after you arrive back home.

I have taken a buffalo with the above load, but it doesn't really count as it was a barn yard put down.

May not count, but one behind the ear was sure final!

Looking forward to hearing about the result!!!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[Bzcraig]

Good hunting and Godspeed!

[skeettx]

Awesome and Good luck
When you shoot your Bison, how much of the meat
will the plane be able to carry back?
Mike

[dh2]

Good luck I am very jealous,

[Weaponologist]

Good Luck, Please take lots of Pic's and post when you get back...That's probably as close as I'll ever get to going on a hunt like that....

[Djones]

I'm marking down ten days from now on my calendar. I woks you the best if luck on your hunt! Which model of marlin are you taking and what part of Alaska will you be hunting?

[RugerFan]

Awesome and Good luck
When you shoot your Bison, how much of the meat
will the plane be able to carry back?
Mike

All of it. Our float will terminate at the bush community of Nikolai. We will take a twin prop commercial flight from there to Anchorage.


I'm marking down ten days from now on my calendar. I woks you the best if luck on your hunt! Which model of marlin are you taking and what part of Alaska will you be hunting?

Model 1895GS. About 100 miles due west of Denali.

[dlbarr]

Hey RugerFan, I know you're gone by now but looking forward to the report after your return. I shoot an 1895 as well and am working on a similar load using the Lyman 457193 bullet. Eagerly awaiting your next post....

[dlbarr]

forgot to subscribe to thread.... :mrgreen:

[harley45]

tagged to see the pics!!

[5.7 MAN]

Tagged!

Good Luck!

[TCLouis]

Sounds like the PERFECT way to spend 12 days in the fall.

[tygar]

Lucky Devil! I put in for Buff for at least 25yrs & never got drawn. But got drawn for Kodiak bear 3 times. lol

Get er done!

[Bad Water Bill]

How many freezers do you have in reserve?

Sounds like a once in a lifetime hunt.

[RugerFan]

Details will follow soon I promise. Give me a bit to catch my breath and get this meat and taxidermy work squared away. Shot him on day 6, so we got out early. We were very fortunate to have the beast fall just around the bend from camp #4 so we could float right up to it. Made packing much easier.

https://s20.postimg.org/eauqwusel/Bison1a.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/n5vl7dh6x/)

[RugerFan]

Lucky Devil! I put in for Buff for at least 25yrs & never got drawn. But got drawn for Kodiak bear 3 times. lol

Get er done!

Wow! Kodiak bear is on my bucket list as well.


How many freezers do you have in reserve?

Sounds like a once in a lifetime hunt.

Two, but we are suddenly in the market for a 3rd.

[tygar]

Wow! Kodiak bear is on my bucket list as well.



Two, but we are suddenly in the market for a 3rd.

LOL well I would have traded 2 for 1 Bison hunt.

Where in MATSU do you live.

We lived out Fairview Loop.

Been looking at MATSU MLS cause I have to get out of this East coast hell.

Tom

[RugerFan]

LOL well I would have traded 2 for 1 Bison hunt.

Where in MATSU do you live.

We lived out Fairview Loop.

Been looking at MATSU MLS cause I have to get out of this East coast hell.

Tom

Wasilla. Ya, c'mon up!

[Djones]

Congratulations! Looks like a very fine beast. We can wait a little while for the story but don't leave us hanging too long!! Awesome job

[dlbarr]

Great looking Buff, RugerFan. Eager to hear the full story. Congrats on a successful hunt.

[John Allen]

Details will follow soon I promise. Give me a bit to catch my breath and get this meat and taxidermy work squared away. Shot him on day 6, so we got out early. We were very fortunate to have the beast fall just around the bend from camp #3 so we could float right up to it. Made packing much easier.

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l449/wolf913/Bison1a_zpsf10781b8.jpg (http://s331.photobucket.com/user/wolf913/media/Bison1a_zpsf10781b8.jpg.html)

congrats, That is awesome. I want to do a buffalo hunt once I get some time and the kids are out of college.

[taco650]

Can't wait for more details! Congrats!!

[RugerFan]

Ok, this is going to be kind of long so here is part I. I'll type up the rest of the float and get that posted shortly.

On 31 Aug My hunting partner, John and I loaded up my pickup and headed to Talkeetna, Alaska where we were to fly out with Sheldon Air. My wife came along to drive my truck home because we would be flying back to Anchorage with a different Air service at the end of the float.

Crazy how that pilot was able to get our rather large disassembled cataraft and all our gear crammed into that Cessna 185. We were packed in there like sardines. We joked later that the plane was the bush equivalent of a USPS flat rate box (“If it fits, it ships”).



About 90 minutes or so later, we landed on a small gravel air strip 15 miles inside the mountains on the South Fork of the Kuskokwim River. After a couple hours of carrying gear to the river’s edge, assembling/inflating the raft and stowing gear, we were on our way.

https://s20.postimg.org/7zpjgfr65/Float_start.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/hx0k9hyrt/)

Floating through the mountains we saw a cow moose and several Dall sheep, but no shooter rams. We floated until nearly dark and made camp on a gravel bar. No buffs yet, but we weren’t going to get to the projected target rich area till the next day.

I had previously asked the game biologist that covered this area where the bison would likely be in September. He said they usually concentrate between Egypt Mountain and the Dillinger River (this section is just outside the mountains).He emphasized they could be anywhere along our float, but usually hang towards the upper end during this time frame.

Now let me explain what miserable braided mess this river is. Not only does the braiding make the channels very shallow, but the water is extremely silty and opaque.This makes judging depth more difficult. The river is also a minefield of dead trees that are constantly washing down as banks erode. Makes braid choice as you’refloating very important lest you find yourself doing a lot of dragging.

Our second camp (and first in the target zone) was awash in buff tracks and patties. Unfortunately the sign was all old. They had been there in force, but were gone. We spent two rainy days hiking around the willow flats and foothills behind looking for Bison, but just found more old sign. We also saw wolf, bear and moose tracks.

https://s20.postimg.org/4u4xq88jx/Camp_2.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/56wbweqtl/)

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l449/wolf913/Wolftrack_zpsd12f11cd.jpg (http://s331.photobucket.com/user/wolf913/media/Wolftrack_zpsd12f11cd.jpg.html)

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l449/wolf913/BearTrack_zpsa57a02b3.jpg (http://s331.photobucket.com/user/wolf913/media/BearTrack_zpsa57a02b3.jpg.html)

The next day brought sunshine, so we got to dry out a bit and then loaded up and floated again. Now seeing a good willow flat and getting to it is two different things. As already mentioned, the river is very braided with multiple channels. If the flat you want to investigate doesn’t border a floatable channel, you’re notlikely to get there (as there are usually smaller channels that are still too deep to traverse with hip waders in between).

We would float a bit and stop when we could get to a decent looking area. Same story again and again. Nothing but old bison sign. That evening we made camp again followed by another disappointing day. I was beginning to wonder if this was going to be just the most epic sightseeing float ever.

By the next day’s float, we were well west of the target area where the bison were “likely” to be. Coinciding with that was the old sign we were seeing was diminishing as well. Making camp that night I was feeling a bit discouraged.

In the morning we headed south behind camp through the alders and brush. Now we were seeing no sign at all. After wading a couple small creeks and crossing a narrow beaver dam we eventually came into a small grassy clearing. Beyond that was a brush line and then another narrow clearing. John was about 10 yards to my right when I got my first glimpse down that next clearing. I couldn’t believe my eyes. A BISON!

Jiminy Cricket that thing looked huge. The bull was 50 yards away and feeding towards me. I motioned to John what I was seeing and we both eased down to one knee. We were in the open with no immediate cover and only had the small brush line to hide us. Now all I needed was a broadside shot.

It continued to feed towards us and at about 30 yards it looked over the brush at us and froze. We were busted. I had no idea how spooky bison were or how’d they normally react in that situation, but I was pretty sure he didn’t like having us that close. By this point the bull was quartering towards me somewhat, but I had a pretty decent shot. I put the front sight on his shoulder and pulled the trigger. That behemoth did a 180 and began a hasty retreat. Before he departed into the brush I was able to fire 3 more rounds aimed at his chest. John said he saw the first 3 shots impact, but wasn’t sure about the forth.

As we eased passed the brush line to survey the scene, a second buff the same size stood about 50 yards away glaring. After a brief stare down that one departed to the south east. We thought that maybe he was standing his ground waiting for his buddy that certainly must be dead nearby. I couldn’t imagine an animal soaking up 424 grain projectiles like that and getting very far.

I was in for a surprise. There was plenty of bright red lung blood on the ground where he began his retreat and smeared on a nearby tree, but the blood trail abruptly ended there. We discussed giving him time to expire, but I was concerned that if the bull was still moving, he would get into an inaccessible area. The openings in the brush and soft ground allowed us to move very quietly, so we decided to proceed. We split up and began a sneak and peak for blood/tracks/carcass.

Very shortly I heard John whistle as he had certainly found something. I went over to meet him and he said, “Your buffalo is over here standing by the river. He’s obviously hurt bad.” He led me to where he saw the bull and I ranged it at 130 yards, but wanted to get closer to 100 if possible. About that time the bison started into the river. It was shallow enough for him to wade across and he did so fairly slowly and looked in rough shape. I scooted up to a pile of drift logs at the river’s edge, got a good rest and waited for him to reach the other side. I was NOT going to shoot that monster in the water.

Once he labored across, I let him take a few steps on dry ground (105 yards). With a quartering away shot (on his right side) I put the front sight on his rib cage and pulled the trigger. The big bull shuddered at the impact, but remained standing. I hit him two more times and then watched his legs get wobbly. Now I finally knew he was mine. He laid down and rolled over. Done deal! Now the work begins.

https://s20.postimg.org/nnqqn86rx/Buff_down.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/zcuqb6xqh/)

[Leatherhead Bullets]

Great story! Definitely on the bucket list!

[RugerFan]

The boolit on the left was the first shot from the second volley. It entered at the back of the rib cage taking out two ribs and lodged in the brisket.

The next one was also from the second volley. It entered the right hind quarter, traversed the entire buff and lodged in the neck under the hide.

Number 3 was found in the guts and was from the first encounter (not sure which shot).

Number 4 was from the second volley and entered about 6” from boolit number 2. It was also found in the neck.

Number 5 was dug out of a chunk of meat back home during final meat processing. Had to be from the first encounter.

Lung and liver damage was extensive. The bull also had a hole in his heart. That was one tough hombre.

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l449/wolf913/Boolits_zps7ecfe8d3.jpg (http://s331.photobucket.com/user/wolf913/media/Boolits_zps7ecfe8d3.jpg.html)

Edit to add: I forgot to mention my boolits weigh 424 grains with gas check (before lubing).

[dlbarr]

RF, what boolits are those?

GREAT hunt, btw!

[Maineboy]

Nice story! Thanks for sharing.

[Djones]

Congratulations again. Thank you for the detailed story! I am amazed at how tough that buff was! Have a great weekend.

[Fishman]

Wow! Great story!

[TXGunNut]

Good job, congrats! A good hunting story well told, thanks for sharing it with us. Any idea what that critter weighed?

[dk17hmr]

Amazing hunt!

Shooting until the animal stops moving is a big deal when the animal is that big.

[RugerFan]

Good job, congrats! A good hunting story well told, thanks for sharing it with us. Any idea what that critter weighed?

The ADF&G web site says an adult bull can weigh over 2,000 lbs on the hoof. That's probably the upper end of the scale, but I'm guessing mine wasn't too far off of that considering the horns are likely to make B&C. I'll know for sure after the 60 day drying period, but the green score is looking good.

[smoked turkey]

Whew! That is a very handsome beast, and surely worthy of the effort you put into it. I am amazed at the animals ability to absorb all that energy and still keep going. Congradulations on a very successful hunt. Got to be one of the best hunts a person can experience.

[taco650]

If my count is correct, you fired 7 times with 6 confirmed hits and recovered 5 slugs. It seems amazing to me all the good, solid hits that animal took before going down. They must be really tough! Thanks for sharing your story!

[tigerbight]

Very nice hunt. I live in the Palmer area. Been putting in for years for Bison, Musk ox and Kodiak Brown Bear maybe some day. Great job and good story.

[RugerFan]

RF, what boolits are those?

GREAT hunt, btw!

RCBS 45-405-FN (#2 alloy)

[youngda9]

Amazing story and pics RugerFan. I browsed through some of your other pictures on your site and am extremely jealous. You have great hunting land and game there in Alaska....outstanding. Very cool. Congrats on your success.

[TCLouis]

Look at the size of tha puddle of blood and after all that time and bleeding en route to the final resting place.

Takes a while to do all of that bleeding.

[skeettx]

Good bleed out,
I would bet the meat will be super and quite tasty.
The large 45 cal bullets and especially through the heart do bleed
it out well.
Neat!
Mike

[RugerFan]

Finally got the rest of the story typed up.....

Needless to say, we were very fortunate that the bison died right next to the river and just around the bend down river from where our camp was. No long distance packing required.

Gutting/skinning/butchering this brute was quite a task. We finished that evening and was able to load him up and floated down a bit and set up camp. We were just far enough away yet close enough to check on the gut pile for any bear or wolves that might pay a visit (none did).

That evening at dusk a small herd of about 25 bison (including a huge herd bull) came within about 100 yards from us across the channel. It’s as if they knew my tag was punched. They also came by to visit the next day. Weird.

https://s20.postimg.org/h2n7ey5ot/Buffs.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/rph0kddu1/)

The meat (in cloth game bags and heavy plastic bags) chilled overnight in the river. Then came out of the plastic and hung on a massive game pole we constructed with overhead cover to keep the sun off it. Temps remained cool enough and all the meat survived.

https://s20.postimg.org/zczboxn4d/Meat_pole.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/yngjckmkp/)

Our original plan was to pull out at the bush community of Nikolai (Pop100) and fly from there to Anchorage on Friday 12 Sep. I filled my tag early enough in the trip that I got on my rented Sat phone and got our flight moved up to the 10th with a possibility of leaving even earlier if the air service had an empty plane in our area after dropping off moose hunters.

After letting the meat hang for a day and a half, it was time to move. During our Sunday float we saw a couple more bison herds plus some singles and pairs. A couple hours before dark John spotted a black bear lounging on the bank a few hundred yards away. We pulled off and tied up the raft. We had to cross 3 braids and was able to get to a good shooting position 133 yards from the bear that appeared to be taking a nap in the waning sunlight. John put it to sleep for good with his .270 Weatherby mag.

https://s20.postimg.org/m7jtitt8t/John_BB2a.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/x750ufjnt/)

We made our last camp a little down river and built a grizz-keep-away-fire for the night. The

https://s20.postimg.org/ivq439qvh/Fire.jpg (https://postimage.org)

last stretch to Nikolai was mostly devoid of the aggravating river braids and was generally one main deeper channel. A few miles from our pull-out point we spotted a young bull moose on the bank, but he lived to see another day.

https://s20.postimg.org/xayuaop59/Moose.jpg (https://postimage.org)

Once at Nikolai, we were welcomed warmly by the people there. They were VERY kind and accommodating. I paid an older fella a modest fee to transport our gear and meat with his ATV and trailer. The Village council allowed us to hang the meat bags in their open-air fish house that had overhead cover. Very nice of them.

https://s20.postimg.org/f0mq0p7pp/Nik_Airfield.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/5suhk00nd/)

https://s20.postimg.org/pwe3w1snh/Dog.jpg (https://postimage.org)

We also got to meet hunting guide John Runkle and his wife who are based there in Nikolai. They are great folks that also helped us with moving gear. John guides for moose, bison and I think he said bear as well. He also mentioned that he hadn’t been guiding for Sept bison, but would consider it if asked. John’scontact info is:

JohnRunkle
Box9130
Nikolai,AK 99691

Ph:907-293-2329


Alaska Air Transit was able to get us out Tue morning after dropping off moose hunters in McGrath. An awesome hunt overall.

[RugerFan]

Here's a short video showing one of our camps with bison nearby.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6oYEKb8LB8&feature=youtu.be

[10-x]

Todd,
Thanks for the email and update. Congratulations,more foundry type on the way to you. Wish I could help processing that critter.
Take care,
10-x

[mannyCA]

Great write up!

[CastingFool]

Thank you for sharing, Rugerfan, that was one great hunting trip!

[JDL]

I know it's been over a year but, I just found and read of your hunt. Congratulations on a most excellent hunt and write up!

[white eagle]

livin the dream
congrats nice supply of meat

[BobT]

Great story and great hunt! Thanks for sharing and congrats!

[Markbo]

Very cool. I didnt even know there were Bison up that way. Great story. Thanks for sharing

[DW475]

Congrats on the Bison!

[Lloyd Smale]

you found what weve experienced. Big bison are hard to kill. I don't think a different bullet would have made a difference. Ive seen the killed with many different cast bullets out of many different rifles and handguns and saw only one that dropped after being shot. Ive seen the shot with a 4570 and just continue grazing for a minute and fall over dead. One I shot with the 475 stood broadside to me looking at me at 50 yards while I emptied my gun into it. All 5 shots hit the lung hear region. At the 5th shot it started swaying and dropped. that was the one that dropped. Even John linebaugh tells the story about how little reaction he got on them with the 500 and 475s.

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Thank you very much for taking the time to write all the information. This was a fun read and I will do it again.
Have read numerous "Buff Hunter' books from the 1860-75 era. 500 grain bullets were viewed as minimum. Even the "50's" with 550-700 grainers were no garentee that a bison was going down right there.
What you did was well thought out and well executed. Big animals take more time to bleed down to that "lack of oxigen" status.
Thank you Mike in Peru

[Gibbs44]

Thanks for the write up and pics. It looks like you had a heck of a hunt.

[Les Staley]

Thank you for sharing that with us. I just started casting that same boollet. Hope it will be enough to kill a North Idaho whitetail. Only bison I ever killed was a two year old heifer. Took her with a 45-70 and a J-word 300 gr on a ranch outside Ekalaka Montana. Just a Shoot, not really a hunt, but excellent meat, and a nice December primed robe for my trouble. Should do it again sometime and let my grandson do the shooting. Thanks again, Les

[wmitty]

Hmmm... looks like I'll skip the .50 BMG and just go with the 20 mm. Great writeup!

[flint45]

Grat hunt wonderful country congratulations .