Best Buffalo Hunt?
 

I know there have been previous topics about this but these types of hunts and the respective ranches seem to change from year to year. Going forward for 2017+, what is the best buffalo hunt you would recommend, if you have any current information?

By "Buffalo" do you mean North American Bison and not Cape Buffalo or Water Buffalo? Are you wanting free range or is fenced ok?

I am interested as well. Seems free range is hard to draw a tag for. Lots of fenced ranches, so very large in the Dakotas.

Twin Pines Ranch near Douglas Wy. My family has done 3 or 4 bison there for meat and they know what they are doing. Lady named Peggy Gerk runs the outfit. I don't have the info handy but you can do a google search for them.

http://twinpineranch.homestead.com/index.html

While the prices at that Twin Pines ranch seem good (sold out for 2017 already so that in itself speaks pretty highly) I don't like their firearms restrictions at all! No BP front stuffers? They keep saying on their site "Bison are tough to kill". I've taken quite a few over the years and that hasn't been my experience whatsoever. I mean yeah you want something that can penetrate a lot of hair, hide, meat, and bone but it doesn't require a solid like they ask you to use. Millions upon millions were killed with lead bullets, cup and core, even roundball took hundreds of thousands of them. $1600 for a meat animal is actually a very good price but those restrictions just set my teeth on fire. Like Chet, I'd wouldn't mind taking one of my smokepoles loaded up with a 460gr No Excuses and educate them on just how easily and efficiently a smokepole can dispatch a Bison.

I suspect those rules are geared towards law preventing suits if a client gets stomped or gored by a wounded or ornery Bison.

OT, it isn't the shot ones you have to worry about. When one goes down, the herd tends to encircle and protect it. Sometimes you will get an aggressive "2nd" bull if you took out the lead that will want to establish dominance immediately. But usually it's the cows that you better keep eyes on. Running them off a downed animal can be difficult sometimes.

I actually looked at the site since I love bison meat and could actually envision a meat hunt just to fill the freezer. I was surprised at the low meat net from a 1 1/2 year old cow or bull. I thought even the young and tender ones were bigger.

Super hunt, I am, well aware of that fact. When I shot my bull I had to chase the cows away three times until the outfitter showed up to load my bull. You feel kinda small when chasing 8 or 9 bison away from your kill.

That's a good sounding hunt. I hope the price stays like that for a few more years. Thanks for sharing

The largest Cow I've taken was right at 1200 on the hoof. Lotta gut weight and those hides are by far NOT light either. Then you have a pretty hefty bone structure. I ended up with a little over 360 pounds of some great meat.

Largest Bull was around 1000 pounds more give or take 50 (broke the scales right at the end of the lift) and got right around 600 from it. Meat was really good but the meat from the Cow was MUCH better. As it is with pretty much all meat animals.

Never shot a little 1.5 year old so I can't speak to the average weight of them but they are visibly smaller by a long shot than a mature Bull or Cow.

Still though, at $1600 for around 200 pounds of meat that is 100 times better for you than cattle, is a pretty dang good deal. Didn't see the prices for their processors but figure a couple hundred probably and you are still coming out around $8.00 a pound.

Bison meat cow
Elk meat cow
Blue Nilgai

All with a modern inline muzzleloader. Im strictly a meat hunter and these are some of the best eating with lots of meat too. My aunt's husband in Texas sent me some nilgai meat once. I think it was from King Ranch. Darn fine eating.

I would love to put one of these in the freezer. About $2350 for 1 bull and 1 cow or $1950 just for a bull.

That looks like a great price GM. What ranch has that price?

Flags, thanks for the reference as I value your opinion. Jeepkid, I'm looking at the link now.

And Rob, I should have been more descriptive but yes, I was referring to North American Bison. No offense to the guys who hunt cape buffalo but a Bison just kind of pulls at me. Must be an American thing. :D

Oops meant for that to be in the bucket list thread. I just copied it over there.

Pricing is from King Ranch in Texas. I would just as soon take a bison cow though if offered at a similar price.

https://kingranchhunting.com/types-and-rates/