buckstalker1187

Anyone here been on a buffalo hunt? What did you like and dis like about it? I have tried the meat and I love it. Infact I love it so much that I am thinking about taking a trip with my girlfreindto maine and hunt one. (they say they have trophy bulls?) I would absolutly love to hunt them.....If anyone has any advise on someone I should contact about a good bison hunt I would appreciate it....
Does anyone know what kind of hunt I should expect if I was to go to maine to hunt bison? I absolutely do not want a penned in hunt...I would really like free roaming. I dont mind if they were raised there...but no shooting in close areas....please help

mark nelson

Hunted buffalo last fall, it wasn't too hard of a hunt, pretty easy really,and I can see where they were almost wiped out. I shot mine out of group of 20 or so and at the shot they just stood there. It wouldn't have been hard to shoot 2 or 3 more. I do agree that the meat is GREAT and might hunt one again just for the meat but if I do I'll use a bow next. There is only about 3 or 4places in the US where you can hunt them free range and you have to draw a tag. I hunted in South Dakota and drew a tag my first year, it was a cow only hunt.

game4lunch

Maine???? Buffalo??????? Has to be a high fence hunt.
They aren't even nor were they ever native to that region. Moose . . . sure!
So, don't expect to hunt free ranging. In fact, here in Wyoming where they used to blanket the prarie for miles, most buffalo hunts are on private lands. There are some public lands hunts, but as mentioned above, they are drawing only.
Realistically, buffalo are easy to hunt because they are not prone to spooking. So, hunting them is more like going to the grocery store than some elaborate spot and stalk chase. Go get one for the reasons you want, great meat and a nice wall hanger.
I'd start with searching for Buffalo growers associations in that area. The people that raise them often times know each other, and probably all other growers in the US.
One last thing, take a big gun. One that shoots well within 100-150 yards and has the knockdown power to handle a semi tracktor trailer.

Let us know how it goes!

Truth be told....

You might as well shoot the neighbor's beef cattle. Doesn't look like much fun to shoot or to hunt to me. They seem to be pretty stupid animals, not real wary. Now a cape buffalo would be a whole different can of worms.

mark nelson

I shot mine with a 35whelen and a225gr Barnes TSX. Worked like dream, I love this rifle!

Colorado Bob

I'm looking into a place here in Colorado over in the San Luis Valley. It's 65,000 acres which they hunt them on. That's 10 square miles. I'm probably just going to do a meat hunt. Debating on whether to use my 444 or 375 H&H. Good luck---CB

stubblejumper

Free ranging wild bison can be a very challenging hunt.On the other hand,hunting on a ranch can be as easy as shooting a domestic cow.

buckstalker1187

Thats what Im wondering about. I really dont feel like traveling very far (I live in new york) so Maine seemed to be fairly reasonable. And I also don't feel like waiting for what could be years to be chosen in a lottery.

But I hear people all the time say (thats unethical) or (its like shooting cows) I don't really want to be unethical, and I wantedthe huntto pose some challenge. I am used to hunting on 580 acres and some seasons nobody sees more than 1 deer. I like to see game (preferably more than 1 a year..... but I dont want it to be like going to one of the neighbors farms and shooting one of his cows either...And on the other hand, I love the meat and would love to get my hands on several hundred pounds of it. So I really dont know what to do.I would basically be doing it for the meat portion of it. What does everyone think about how ethical it would be?

121553

Bisons are pretty dumb animals, free range or penned. Look at it as a meat hunt and enjoy. The only free range bison that I know of is the ones that migrate out of yellowstone and I think the anti's and the new governor has put a stop to that now, not totally sure though. Canned bison hunts went for $600.00 a cow and $1200.00 for a bull, but this price was a couple years ago. I even contemplated about doing this with a bow but I really have never had any bison meat that wasn't dried out so I would rather take that money and get a moo moo cow. If thats what you want to do then enjoy.

Bobby

hillbillyhunter1

Although there may be some actual challenging hunts for wild buffalo, thru a tough draw (as mentioned), I think most understand that bison hunting in most placesis just a small step above cow hunting. It's really more like Bison purchasing with you getting a little trigger time instead of the rancher. Still,it's the one kind of penned hunting that most would see no problem withprobably. Most know how it works already. If you want to make it challenging you could always use a sledgehammer instead of a rifle---that might get the adrenaline flowin'