Author Topic: bison... (Read 837 times)

myronman3 · « **on:** February 05, 2004, 12:23:11 PM »

well i can hardly believe this myself, but there is a very good chance that i am going to go get a bison. although i dont consider this a sport, i am going to do it anyway because of the price and what i get. i bought a half a cow last year and it was just under $500. i get the whole animal for $500. my neighbor just got one and the animal he killed was nearly 1700 lbs. and i am going to use my sbhh to do it. so if i get stomped really good you guys all have a good laugh at my expense. i am curious as to how my cast 310 grain lee rnfp is going to preform. what a test! i killed a car hit deer a few weeks ago with them; but there is a little difference between that and a bison. it should be an interesting test.

Sixgun · « **Reply #1 on:** February 06, 2004, 02:59:49 AM »

I have an oportunity like that with a bufflo rancher in my area. I have never done it because I always have a critter in my herd of cows that is looking for a freezer to reside in.

Let us know how it works. That 310 lee is one of my favorite bullets in my sbh. I have had some really fantastic results with it on skunks and coyotes. I'll bet it will do just fine on a bufflo.

Sixgun

512 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 09, 2004, 11:48:35 AM »

myroman,
i am sure your load will work fine. i have shot many of them with 45, 454,
500 linebaugh. the most often used load has been a 310 keith cast of w/w and shot out of a ruger 45 colt. velocity has been around 1200fps. on body shots, we get an exit if no shoulder bones are hit.
bison are some of the toughest animals i have seen. hits in the body with big rifles sometimes go unnoticed. yet i have seen many die quickly with properly placed lung shots from a 45 colt. they are built differently than other animals. probably the biggest mistake people make when shooting them is to hit too low and too far back in combination. that results in a hit to the stomach. one of the most effective shots i have seen for bowhunters is high behind the shoulder and from behind angling in. that way they hit more lung and dont have the shoulder to stop the arrow. on a perfectly broad side shot, the best seems to be as close to the shoulder as you can get (know where the bone is) and from 1/3 to 1/2 the way up. you will still have to penetrate alot of shoulder muscle but not the bone. the heart is partailly covered by the shoulder. if you go too far forward, ahead of the shoulder, remember that the lung cavity tapers out quickly to the front. not much will be hit. if this sounds contradicting, just picture the lungs as a steep tapering cavity with the biggest mass to the rear of the shoulder blade. the greatest mass is relatively high. the stomach comes forward below that. the heart is most reachable from slightly behind the shoulder and about 1/3 way up. its my favorite shot and it damages the top of heart and the major vessels. they seem to leak faster than the lungs. my second favorite is the before mentioned high and angling in behind the shoulder blade. that shot will damage rib steaks though. we will shoot 2 more tomorrow. sounds like the hunter is using a 405 win. hope this helps. Jeff

myronman3 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 09, 2004, 12:35:00 PM »

i would say it helps! i havent any experience with bison anatomy. should be interesting. thanks for the info.

140orbetter · « **Reply #4 on:** February 09, 2004, 01:41:17 PM »

512: I've killed a few with my Blk Hk 45 Colt and 300 Hornady XTP ususally 1 shot 3" behind the ear and 2"lower drops them right where they are standing. I've killed but 2 with a compound peaked at 70# each with 1 shot tight to the shoulder on a broadside and mid way up the body. Both were complete pass thrus.
My question is where can you find a good bison hunt that is a tad bit more of a challange than the drive out in a pickup and "shop" for one? At a good price. My family likes the meat best of all red meat and I buy 2 yr old bull each year for the freezer. But a "hunt" it is not . 140 OB

myronman3 · « **Reply #5 on:** February 11, 2004, 12:23:56 PM »

it fell through until next fall. rats! i could almost taste the steaks. some you win and some you lose...

512 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 11, 2004, 05:54:16 PM »

140,
while i cant guarantee anything, i can say that the guy who buys mine has had some "interesting" hunts take place. he had 1 chap that wanted to take one with a muzzleloader and after quite some time they found out that a rifle was going to have to be used. they couldnt get close. barely got it with the rifle. next animal stands and almost lets you walk up to it. they have such a varied disposition. the only thing that i can say that might help is to try to hunt one animal if possibe. by that i mean 1 animal alone in the area you are hunting. the reason is because they have such a strong herding or flocking instinct that their security is in numbers. if they are alone and see you they almost always try to keep some distance between you and them. if there are other animals around, they will run to them. another thing that might help is to only hunt females. they seem to be flightier than bulls. also unsually better eating. hth Jeff

Conan The Librarian · « **Reply #7 on:** February 12, 2004, 03:07:11 AM »

I've seen the bison hunts and know a guy who guides for them. Just the amount of meat makes it worth the hunt. A good winter coat makes a nice trophy too. I know it's not the most challenging hunt, but it's a hunt as would have been conducted on the great plains centuries ago. I don't see anything wrong with it. I don't see it as being any less sporting than, say, duck hunting.