Anyone hunted Buffalo?

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avs11054

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I'm thinking about putting in for Buffalo for the first time and was just wondering who out there has hunted one before. I live in Arizona. There are two places here where you can hunt buffalo. From looking at the game and fish website, it looks like one of the hunts is a guided hunt by a game and fish employee. The past hunt history suggests you're virtually guaranteed to shoot one, however, the draw for that area says it is for yearlings only. How big would a yearling be? It looks like the hunt is anywhere from 6-9 months after they're born. The other hunt allows for any buffalo, but sounds like you have less of a chance of harvesting one. While it would be sweet to shoot a large bull, I am more interested in the meat. I also don't have space in my house to mount a buffalo, and would be kicking myself if I shot a bull and didn't mount it.

Also, anything special I need to take for the hunt besides normal clothing, survival gear, cleaning supplies, etc?

What caliber would be best?

Anyways, chances of getting drawn are slim to none, but you never know when you're going to get lucky.

Any thoughts?
 
I shot a bison bull, but I'm no expert on them. A yearling probably weighs 300lbs. (female) to 450lbs. (male).

Since you would be guided to some degree, you ought not carry much more than you normally carry during say, a deer hunt, although you should get a Camelbak if you don't already have one.

A bison takes a while and some effort to eviscerate, so a pair of knives and a sharpening steel will come in handy. You need to figure out how you're going to get a large animal out of the field. :D

A .30-06 with 180gr. controlled-expansion bullets is plenty of gun for a young bison.

mbogo
 
What about a .308? I'm guessing that would be ok too if a 30 06 would work. I would guess I could probably just quarter it if it is that small. And a friend has a few ATVs, so I could probably convince him to tag along :)
 
I shot a Bison here in Kansas; on the "Z-Bar" ranch.
Firearms were (more or less) period correct. I used an '86 Winchester in .45/70 with a 430 gr. WFNGC cast bullet @ 1950 fps.
This was a large cow that was 1300#s field dressesd and skinned.

They can take a lot of punishement.
I wouldn't turn down an opportunity to shoot one with a 180 gr. TSX (or other controlled expansion bullet) in .308.
Heavy bone and tissue require reliable penetration and good shot placement.
 
I acted as my buddy's spotter on a hunt in Wyoming. More like a sherpa, really. There wasn't much shooting skill involved in our outcome. Tall sage, about 75 yards, .45-70, and a lot of cutting and carrying.

In hindsight, i'd recommend a chainsaw:neener:....and an empty chest-freezer, cause that's a lot of meat. A steel is a good suggestion too, since it'll take more than one knife-edge to get the job done.

They are healthy and delicious eating. Good luck!
 
desidog said:
I acted as my buddy's spotter on a hunt in Wyoming. More like a sherpa, really. There wasn't much shooting skill involved in our outcome. Tall sage, about 75 yards, .45-70, and a lot of cutting and carrying.

In hindsight, i'd recommend a chainsaw:neener:....and an empty chest-freezer, cause that's a lot of meat. A steel is a good suggestion too, since it'll take more than one knife-edge to get the job done.

They are healthy and delicious eating. Good luck!
Click to expand...
How far were you from the car? And how many trips did it take back to the car with the two of you?
 
How far were you from the car? And how many trips did it take back to the car with the two of you?
Click to expand...

Too far and too many. A wheelbarrow might not be a bad move either.

Between that Buff hunt and the Elk i got that same year, I have a new rule to hunt by: If you're over a mile from the road, don't shoot...But i'm lazy like that! These days i'm back East and it's a non-issue.
 
avs11054 said:
What about a .308? I'm guessing that would be ok too if a 30 06 would work. I would guess I could probably just quarter it if it is that small. And a friend has a few ATVs, so I could probably convince him to tag along :)
Click to expand...
A .308 is ballistically about 90% of a .30-06, so it would be fine.

ATVs are an excellent tool, if permitted in the hunting area.

mbogo
 
You know how you gut and retrieve a buffalo? With a tractor that has a loader. Works great. ATV? Yeah, right...

If you want to quarter a buffalo, bring a power saw of some sort.

I'm all for the .45-70, myself.
 
I'm going in January on a cow hunt, will be using a Marlin 45/70 Trapper w/400gr.
 
I killed a dandy meat bull on the Catron Ranch in NW South Dakota. I crawled to within 100 yards or so. My .308 carbine was zero'd for 150 yards so I held a little low.

The animal folded up and dropped at the shot. My bullet struck the butt of the ear and as it exited, blew out a chunk of skull and much brain mat'l. The animal never knew what happened.

I recommend any super accurate rifle for brain shots. For chest shots, I'd probably go with 12 gauge slug gun and 300 grain sabot.

TR
 
Does one really have to "hunt" bison? Or is it more like drive up near them, get out and shoot? I wouldn't think they'd be very skittish.
 
avs11054, no here in Oklahoma. I have never been and have no idea what to expect. A friend of mine set this up, but I am going to call the ranch tomorrow(today) and talk to the guide. I want to use my new Marlin(here's a picture) it's not a guide gun. It's called a Trapper, it only has a 16in barrel. Ought to be fun in a 45/70, but I guess it all depends on what the guide say's. If all else fails I will use my 300wsm. IMG_2265.gif IMG_2264.gif
 
rondog said:
Does one really have to "hunt" bison? Or is it more like drive up near them, get out and shoot? I wouldn't think they'd be very skittish.
Click to expand...
I guess maybe not. From what I've been reading about it in AZ, one of the places you can go you go with a Game and Fish employee. They take you out, and when you find the herd, they tell you which one you can shoot. Looking at the past years, the success rate was almost always 100%. So they must know exactly where the herd is.

And as far as being skittish, there are a couple videos on youtube of buffalo hunting. In some of them, after on is shot, the other buffalo don't even move. They just keep standing there
 
Buffalo home range castle rule! Stand your ground and be a Buffalo!
 
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