buffalo hunts
05-08-2008 | 03:42 PM
#4
Fork Horn
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 341
Likes: 0
From: Oklahoma
RE: buffalo hunts
Give me a call, we sell them. 140,000 acres free range hunts in S.D. most bison hunts are in small areas and the bulls are tame. This ranch has over 5000 head of free roaming bison on it. 918-299-3580, ask for Greg
05-09-2008 | 09:30 AM
#5
Dominant Buck
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 26,274
Likes: 0
From: land of the Lilliputians, In the state of insanity
RE: buffalo hunts
I had a chance to shoot some off of a guys land. We couldnt find them, so I never got the chance. This man bought a 6000+ acher ranch that had a few buffalo on it. He wanted them off and asked a few of the cowboys around here if they wanted them, and said they could either shoot them or try to transport them. They went out and realilzed they were too big to try to move, so they called me andsome friendsto see ifwe wanted to come out with them and hunt/shot one. I was all pumped. By the time I got out there, they had lost them, and we could not find them. They were pretty much free range and wild, so they were not easy to find. Later that month, they had shot one each and called in some other friends of ours, who got the others. I was out of town and didnt get a chance. I did get some steaks and burger,and man they were good.
05-16-2008 | 10:42 AM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,525
Likes: 0
From: Texas
RE: buffalo hunts
My father in law and I hunted Buffalo approximately 2 years ago. $500 for a meat hunt, $750 for a young bull and you get to keep the horns, hide, and meat, and 2500 for a 15 year old bull (damn huge). The hunt was at Buffalo Mountain Ranch in Texas about 30 min south of Abilene. You can only use bow, black powder, or 45-70. If handicapped, the use of a crossbow is permitted if i remember correctly. Anyways, the meat is GREAT!!!. we had over 50 lbs of filet mignon once both of our buffalo's were down, and i cant even begin to guestimate on how much hamburger adn sausage we had. My Buffalo was 1100 lbs (Young Bull) and my FIL's was approx 2200 LBS. The rug i have is beautiful and the European Mount skull is nice as well. I will post pictures of my skull and my FIL's shoulder mount as soon as I can.
The Story:
Cam, my father in law, is a huge cowboy era buff. He loves everything about the mystical "cowboy era" and has wanted to do a genuine buffalo hunt for a long time. An opportunity to go on a buffalo hunt presented itself while we were in Abilene, Texas but we didnt have any of our hunting equipment with us and so we unfortunately had to decline the offer. This was not a problem though, knowing his desire to take part ina hunt of this typeonly ensured thatthe seed was planted and it would eventually be watered. A yearpassed by in the slow way it does when you are looking forward to a future hunt,but at last we both managed to free our schedules to dothe hunt and quickly made arrangementsand to do so. We contacted Buffalo Mountain Ranch and enlisted the help of Rick, who was a very pleasant fellow to deal with. He answered all questions and concerns that we shared with regards to the hunt and gave us very up front and honest answers.Our worries were put to rest and we were ready to hunt. My father in law chose to hunt with a compound bow that he was fairlyproficient with and I chose the historical 45-70 to conduct my business affairs with.
Once our gear was packed and we were prepped, we hit the road travelling from Houston to Abilene. I'm uncertain how many buffalo hunting stories I read along the way, but im sure I wore the office printer out when printing all the stories before we departed on ouradventure. Thedrive wasn't the easiest in the world, but time flies when your expecting grand things and so the drivedidn't seemto be too abhorantly long.At last, we arrived and to say we were stoked upon arrival would be an understatement like no other. Spoor was everywhere and wildlife was abundant in all directions. Camp was on a high ridge that looked down on a lare valley. By looking with binoculars from our quarters, white tail, pig, and elk could all be seen if your patience could hold out long enough. We started a camp fire, watched various animals roam about until nightfall, and then encompassed ourselves within the landscape, environment, and atmosphere that surrounded us. Ifourhunt could beaspleasant and enjoyableas our first evening on the ranch, then this was going to be a good trip.
The next morning started bright and early with the arrival of Rick at our camp. After chattingthrough breakfast about the upcoming hunt, he requested that we demonstrate ourabilities with our preferredchoice of weapon so that he would know how close he would need to approach the bison in order to ensure that each of us made sporting shots on the game. Luckily it rained during the night and so tracking thebisonwouldnt be too difficult if wecould stumbleacross some tracks early on.
We loaded into Ricks ranch truck and began to roam the ranch in search of the buffalo. The terrain isnt openplainslike you wouldtypically see in westerns like Dances With Wolves (I know, how typical of me right?), but was much more brushy than I expected which made finding the bison VERYdifficult, and darn near impossible if going on foot. After driving for a while we found a single set of LARGE fresh tracks that were made in the roadway earlier that morning, thank goodness for the rain. This would appear to be exactly what cam was wanting,aloner male with many years under his hide.Verifying that assumption would come next.
We hopped out and started thestalk with Rick leading the way and Cam right behind him ready to release his stick shooter. After a short stalkacross the terrain, we could hear the loner bull snort, not 25 yards away. Now, this is where Rickenlightened us on thetactics of the buffalo. Apparently, the old boys dont really care who you are, what you are, or where you are, and they dont generally run from you. More likely than not, they are going tocharge you and run you down, and the snort is their one warning, and its rarely given twice. At this point Rick began to backtrack a little and informed us to look for a tree that could support us and to do it quickly. Fortunately, the bull never charged us but my lesson was learned. We couldnt see him, thewind was blowing directly towards him,and we were busted. Game over for us, we would have to back-track and come around him from the back side if we wanted any chance of even seeing him.
We walked back to the truck, cautiously, and conversed with Rick on the various possibilities. Rick thought the old boy might be heading towards a watering hole not far away and thought that we might could get around him and ambush him on the way to his mid-morning drink. The plan made sense to us and so we quickly made way to the watering hole and set up about 30 yards from a well beaten path. We were waiting for approximately 45 minutes when the sound of breaking limps and the clump-clum-clump of hooves were heard in the distance. You wouldnt think a single animal could make so much noise on a casual walk, but dang, I cant begin to imagine what a thousand running all-out across the land would sound like, or even feel like. As we listen, we realize he is heading right for the water hole and Rick assumed correctly that he would be going for a drink. What Cam and I didnt realize however, was how HUGE this beast was. This animal was MASSIVE, I had no ideathat bisongot this large. I dont remember the bison in Yellowstone being this large, it was incredible. The bison walked through a small clearning and then came to a stop behind some bushes that were approxiamtely 30 yards away. Rick informed Cam to get ready and let the arrow fly as soon as the buffalo came out from around the other side of the bush. Cam got ready, drew back, and held himself at attention until the bison stepped out. Slowly, the bison began to move forward and just managed to stick his head out from behind the bush when he realized something wasn't quite right with his situation. He stuck his nose out slightly, sniffed the air for a few seconds and waited. You could see the confusion in the bison, he knew something was amiss but he couldnt sort it out. I started looking for a tree and realized that we were alsobehind a bush aswith no trees behind us or to our sides. We were screwed if he decided to charge and it was our own fault for not being prepared if it came to that. Luckily, the bison got tired of the situation and started to quickly walk out from behind the bush. At this time, Cam let the arrow fly, and straight and true it did. The arrow landed right behind the shoulder and stock in good. The bison bolted, instantly snapping off about 8 inches arrow that didnt insert.
The shot was good, we had it on video, and so we decided to let the bison expire on his own without the help of additional arrows. After 30 minutes wedecided to track down the bison. Well,it didnt take long to track him down. However, the bison wasnt deadbut was infactwas very much alive and didnt care for us being anywhere near him.Cam quickly stuck him with another arrow and the bison tore off through the brush. This time, we werent taking chances and needed to finish the job. Luckily, an angry bison leaves a clear path through anything thats easy to follow. Just look for the broken trees, trampled bushes, and all around tore up landscape. It has now been an hour since the first arrow pierced the bison's hide and he is still going strong despite another arrow being lodged directly behind the first. When we caught up to him for the third shot, he was leaning against a tree and wasn't looking too good. Cam released arrow number three and it hit home like the two before it. The bison tore through the brush again and then we heard the sound. That sound every hunter is eager to hear, the sound of a hunt coming to completion, the sound of an animal falling in its tracks, and giving his last breath back to God.
The entire hunt, from first shot, to the last breathe, was a little over an hour and a half. Its astonishing that the bison could handle that much injury for that much time, but what was more amazing is that the first arrow, the one thatbroke in half, was lodged in his heart. The broadhead punctured the lower part of his heart on the very first "hit" and the bison still lived for an hour and a half. These animals are truley amazing.
I know i mentioned that we both got a bison, but i dont have time to finish the story of my hunt right now. I'm at work and have spent too much time already writing this one out. Best ofluck to you if you are going buffalo hunting. They are magnificent creatures and are beautiful animals. Ill try to post a picture of the shoulder mount done on this bison with a European mount of my bison.
The Story:
Cam, my father in law, is a huge cowboy era buff. He loves everything about the mystical "cowboy era" and has wanted to do a genuine buffalo hunt for a long time. An opportunity to go on a buffalo hunt presented itself while we were in Abilene, Texas but we didnt have any of our hunting equipment with us and so we unfortunately had to decline the offer. This was not a problem though, knowing his desire to take part ina hunt of this typeonly ensured thatthe seed was planted and it would eventually be watered. A yearpassed by in the slow way it does when you are looking forward to a future hunt,but at last we both managed to free our schedules to dothe hunt and quickly made arrangementsand to do so. We contacted Buffalo Mountain Ranch and enlisted the help of Rick, who was a very pleasant fellow to deal with. He answered all questions and concerns that we shared with regards to the hunt and gave us very up front and honest answers.Our worries were put to rest and we were ready to hunt. My father in law chose to hunt with a compound bow that he was fairlyproficient with and I chose the historical 45-70 to conduct my business affairs with.
Once our gear was packed and we were prepped, we hit the road travelling from Houston to Abilene. I'm uncertain how many buffalo hunting stories I read along the way, but im sure I wore the office printer out when printing all the stories before we departed on ouradventure. Thedrive wasn't the easiest in the world, but time flies when your expecting grand things and so the drivedidn't seemto be too abhorantly long.At last, we arrived and to say we were stoked upon arrival would be an understatement like no other. Spoor was everywhere and wildlife was abundant in all directions. Camp was on a high ridge that looked down on a lare valley. By looking with binoculars from our quarters, white tail, pig, and elk could all be seen if your patience could hold out long enough. We started a camp fire, watched various animals roam about until nightfall, and then encompassed ourselves within the landscape, environment, and atmosphere that surrounded us. Ifourhunt could beaspleasant and enjoyableas our first evening on the ranch, then this was going to be a good trip.
The next morning started bright and early with the arrival of Rick at our camp. After chattingthrough breakfast about the upcoming hunt, he requested that we demonstrate ourabilities with our preferredchoice of weapon so that he would know how close he would need to approach the bison in order to ensure that each of us made sporting shots on the game. Luckily it rained during the night and so tracking thebisonwouldnt be too difficult if wecould stumbleacross some tracks early on.
We loaded into Ricks ranch truck and began to roam the ranch in search of the buffalo. The terrain isnt openplainslike you wouldtypically see in westerns like Dances With Wolves (I know, how typical of me right?), but was much more brushy than I expected which made finding the bison VERYdifficult, and darn near impossible if going on foot. After driving for a while we found a single set of LARGE fresh tracks that were made in the roadway earlier that morning, thank goodness for the rain. This would appear to be exactly what cam was wanting,aloner male with many years under his hide.Verifying that assumption would come next.
We hopped out and started thestalk with Rick leading the way and Cam right behind him ready to release his stick shooter. After a short stalkacross the terrain, we could hear the loner bull snort, not 25 yards away. Now, this is where Rickenlightened us on thetactics of the buffalo. Apparently, the old boys dont really care who you are, what you are, or where you are, and they dont generally run from you. More likely than not, they are going tocharge you and run you down, and the snort is their one warning, and its rarely given twice. At this point Rick began to backtrack a little and informed us to look for a tree that could support us and to do it quickly. Fortunately, the bull never charged us but my lesson was learned. We couldnt see him, thewind was blowing directly towards him,and we were busted. Game over for us, we would have to back-track and come around him from the back side if we wanted any chance of even seeing him.
We walked back to the truck, cautiously, and conversed with Rick on the various possibilities. Rick thought the old boy might be heading towards a watering hole not far away and thought that we might could get around him and ambush him on the way to his mid-morning drink. The plan made sense to us and so we quickly made way to the watering hole and set up about 30 yards from a well beaten path. We were waiting for approximately 45 minutes when the sound of breaking limps and the clump-clum-clump of hooves were heard in the distance. You wouldnt think a single animal could make so much noise on a casual walk, but dang, I cant begin to imagine what a thousand running all-out across the land would sound like, or even feel like. As we listen, we realize he is heading right for the water hole and Rick assumed correctly that he would be going for a drink. What Cam and I didnt realize however, was how HUGE this beast was. This animal was MASSIVE, I had no ideathat bisongot this large. I dont remember the bison in Yellowstone being this large, it was incredible. The bison walked through a small clearning and then came to a stop behind some bushes that were approxiamtely 30 yards away. Rick informed Cam to get ready and let the arrow fly as soon as the buffalo came out from around the other side of the bush. Cam got ready, drew back, and held himself at attention until the bison stepped out. Slowly, the bison began to move forward and just managed to stick his head out from behind the bush when he realized something wasn't quite right with his situation. He stuck his nose out slightly, sniffed the air for a few seconds and waited. You could see the confusion in the bison, he knew something was amiss but he couldnt sort it out. I started looking for a tree and realized that we were alsobehind a bush aswith no trees behind us or to our sides. We were screwed if he decided to charge and it was our own fault for not being prepared if it came to that. Luckily, the bison got tired of the situation and started to quickly walk out from behind the bush. At this time, Cam let the arrow fly, and straight and true it did. The arrow landed right behind the shoulder and stock in good. The bison bolted, instantly snapping off about 8 inches arrow that didnt insert.
The shot was good, we had it on video, and so we decided to let the bison expire on his own without the help of additional arrows. After 30 minutes wedecided to track down the bison. Well,it didnt take long to track him down. However, the bison wasnt deadbut was infactwas very much alive and didnt care for us being anywhere near him.Cam quickly stuck him with another arrow and the bison tore off through the brush. This time, we werent taking chances and needed to finish the job. Luckily, an angry bison leaves a clear path through anything thats easy to follow. Just look for the broken trees, trampled bushes, and all around tore up landscape. It has now been an hour since the first arrow pierced the bison's hide and he is still going strong despite another arrow being lodged directly behind the first. When we caught up to him for the third shot, he was leaning against a tree and wasn't looking too good. Cam released arrow number three and it hit home like the two before it. The bison tore through the brush again and then we heard the sound. That sound every hunter is eager to hear, the sound of a hunt coming to completion, the sound of an animal falling in its tracks, and giving his last breath back to God.
The entire hunt, from first shot, to the last breathe, was a little over an hour and a half. Its astonishing that the bison could handle that much injury for that much time, but what was more amazing is that the first arrow, the one thatbroke in half, was lodged in his heart. The broadhead punctured the lower part of his heart on the very first "hit" and the bison still lived for an hour and a half. These animals are truley amazing.
I know i mentioned that we both got a bison, but i dont have time to finish the story of my hunt right now. I'm at work and have spent too much time already writing this one out. Best ofluck to you if you are going buffalo hunting. They are magnificent creatures and are beautiful animals. Ill try to post a picture of the shoulder mount done on this bison with a European mount of my bison.
05-16-2008 | 01:16 PM
#9
Typical Buck
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 606
Likes: 0
From: Texas
RE: buffalo hunts
ORIGINAL: Gangly
picture of Cam's shoulder mount:
picture of my european mount:
picture of Cam's shoulder mount:
picture of my european mount:
05-16-2008 | 01:29 PM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,525
Likes: 0
From: Texas
RE: buffalo hunts
http://www.buffalomountainhunts.com/buffalo/is the website
Rick Worley handled everything for us and is a genuinely nice guy who will work hard to get you what you need.
325-691-5120
325-668-4892
I think his email is [email protected]but check the website to make sure. Tell him Aaron Zeamer says thanx.
Rick Worley handled everything for us and is a genuinely nice guy who will work hard to get you what you need.
325-691-5120
325-668-4892
I think his email is [email protected]but check the website to make sure. Tell him Aaron Zeamer says thanx.
