BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

Myfathertook his wild free ranging WY bison monday morning, quite an old bruiser, was in a bachelor group of 6-8 males, pretty certain he was the biggest certainly top 2. May go B&C, so that'll be pretty awesome if he qualifies, having to look into all the details of what goes into that, but ya, quite an animal.

Getting a shoulder mount, that should be pretty awesome too when it arrives.

If I recall correctly, almost 18" long horns, bases I forget if they were 16" or 18" but around that range I think.

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

that's something i want to do some day, congrats.
how much meat did he get?

don

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

3 150qt coolers full of meat, stuffed full. Left some in Jackson with a friend.

760 lbs of useable meat/bone, they say 60% of that is what they get from it, so....the estimate is about 450 lbs of meet.

Haven't had any yet, hope it's all delicious though.

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

cant see pics!!

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

Bison is probably my favorite wild game meat. It is excellent.

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

I thought the Henry Mtns and some parts of AZ had the only free range bison in the US ?

Yellowstone bison maybe ?

I'd love to do a bison hunt

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

There are other bison that are free ranging. He's almost certainly referring to a Yellowstone Park bison that came out the east side toward Cody. Wyoming F&G has a "wild bison priority list" that they maintain and when bison wander out of the park, they call someone to come hunt them. Most guys enjoy this hunt, and bison are wonderful table fare, but you probably wouldn't find this hunt to be to your liking.

There are a few other free ranging bison hunts out there, including the Custer State Park in South Dakota. Others are on some of the Indian Reservations, particularly in Montana like Fort Belknap and I think the Crow Reservation might have a few hunts as well. Most hunts are not considered free range, as they're not totally wild herds, even though the bison are wild. I hunted them on a 120,000 acre ranch in Montana, wasn't considered a free range hunt, even though that's one heck of a big chunk of country with almost no fences on it. Didn't matter, it tasted the same, and looked the same. It was interesting to do once, though I'd probably shoot one again just for the meat. I shotone and donatedpart of itto the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. I shot another a few months laterfor my own freezer, and then paid for anotherthat I had the ranch shoot and donated it to the Madison Valley Food Bank. They weren't very expensiveand it seemed like a good thing to do at the time.

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

CAelknuts I'd like to shoot one for meat, horns/skull and hide with my recurve.

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

With a bow, most hunters would find them to be a fair chase hunt, regardless of whether a private herd or not. Even a private herd on thousands of acres would be very fair chase with a bow. They generally live in open country, so staking them isn't easy. On the other hand, they're not as wary as most other species, and are approachable to a degree. The problem comes in trying to approach them to primitive bow range.

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

Congrats. Wish I could see the pics.

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

CAelknuts notice I said shoot and not hunt:D

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

added another pic again, not sure why they'd go away? after I post? any help? I'll try uploading a few rather than inserting.

This was south of yellowstone near Jackson, they migrate out of teton nat'l park into the national elk refuge and nat'l forest.

I also read that alaska and parts of Canada have free ranging, the AZ bison I thought were free ranging as well but on a couple of small ranches? maybe theyre just free ranging but limited to small areas?

That custer co park in SD I heard was kinda like a cattle hunt, even though they consider them free ranging....I've heard that's a joke. The rules do seem to be a little weird about free ranging or not. But it's pretty cool none the less to hunt free ranging wild officially vs. a ranch.

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

Wow sweet! my uncle has this rifle.

It is a quigly Sharp .45-120. Very nice. Anyway In a few years he is gonna do a free range hunt and I will get to tag along and filmShould be an awesome experience!
-Jake

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

damn that looks like a big bison!

very cool on the hunt, really sweet photo too I might add

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

Thanks, those are the teton mtns in the background. Was beautiful country, makes me wonder about the rat race around here...though I like things about where I go and things back home when I come back.

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

That's a heck of a nice bison. You're lucky that he still has his tips, as they often broom them down as they get older. You're in for some very fine eating! Did you save the back skin for tanning as well as the mount?

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

Have the cape for the shoulder mount, the rest of the hide is being tanned, probably will just be a rug, though a fur coat might be pretty wild....

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

I think a buffalo robe would be pretty neat. Then all you need is a period flintlock rifle and you could pretend to be Jim Bridger. ha

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

Very impressive animal.

RE: BBD - Big Buffalo Down!!!
 

With that much meat, I would hope that's it's delicious too - LOL

I'm sure it will be. I've had buffalo a couple of times (burgers and steaks)and have always thought it tasted great!

Wow - they are big animals. Bet it was a lot of work getting him broke down and in the coolers!!