Buffalo hunt options (again)
General Topic
I am looking for a buffalo hunt out west for me and my daughter. If I shoot, I will use a bow, but she will use a rifle. I know all about the ranch hunts (Hawkeye, etc) and I'm certainly not knocking them, but we are looking for something a little more 'wild'. I would love to go to BC and hunt with MVP or Sikanni, but it's too far to drive and the logistics (and cost) of getting meat, cape, etc. back home is a little too much. I may put in for the Custer State Park hunts, but can't seem to find out any information on the actual odds of drawing. Already applied for Wyoming and Montana and Utah and Arizona without any luck.
What about Indian reservation options? I know the Utes have one, which is a little further than I want to drive to from Wisconsin, but it's an option. Anybody have any experience with them or know of any other Native American tribes with decent buffalo hunts?
http://www.zacgriffith.com/global-pursuit/
He's listing a few hunts in TX, check it out.
The odds for the CSP hunts can be found at my link.
P.S. This is not a hunt. You drive up to the herd, get out, and shoot one. Takes only a couple of hours. If you want a hunt look elsewhere.
I seem to remember something about a reservation hunt somewhere in OK
Brotsky, Thanks for the link. Odds aren't very good and I'm not really interested in driving all the way to SD to get out, shoot, turn around and drive home. Might as well go to a ranch closer to home.
Honestly Bowman... No matter how far your drive it's still not going to be much of a hunt unless you go to BC or Alberta.
PM me and we can talk Indian reservations possibilities. They aren't cheap anymore no matter where you go
Dean Hendrickson who goes by the handle full cry hounds on the bowsite used to have what looked like a great set up in Colorado
There are a lot of ranches in Nebraska Sandhills area that offer bison hunts. No knowledge/experience of any of the outfits.
May want to do some research in that area. Just a suggestion.
I do know from experience that if you are going for the meat, I would suggest a 900-1000# animal for best table fare, otherwise you may be eating a lot of tough, gritty meat.
You must have some pretty big freezers if you plan to shoot two buffalo in the same family!
The AZ, UT, and WY bison hunts are indeed a hunt. Reasonably high success rates, about 75-80% in general, but often requiring multiple days, trips, etc. Odds of drawing are long, however. If you don't want to wait the better part of a decade, the Indian reservations are your best bet. Bill
My best friend and I both drew Henry Mountain bison tags in UT as nonresidents this year. There will be a lot of bison meat headed east this fall.
The Henries is a hunt! Antelope Island in Ut is not a hunt for Buffalo. They stand all along the road and are used to people all day everyday.
My dream is to draw the UT Henrys for buffalo. Congrats, MQQSE. That should be a great hunt.
We do have some pretty big freezers, although right now they are full of deer, elk, and bear skins, and come November, a few hogs we are raising to butcher. So, we are in the process of cleaning it out to make room for tasty buffalo meat.
I 'hunted' AZ on Raymond Ranch almost 10 years ago when I shot my last buffalo. I'll spare the details, but I probably would have had more of a hunt on a high-fence ranch. I probably wouldn't do it again, but it was an experience, and the meat was great. The House Rock hunt is a completely different experience.
When I was in college, we helped herd and immunize the buffalo on Antelope Island. More like cattle than wild animals. Still pretty cool, though.
Our ranch is 30,000 acres deeded and 50,000 acres overall. Trophy bulls are available year round but younger animals for meat are sold out two years in advance. There are approximately 800-1000 animals on the ranch at any given time. We shoot about 200 animals each year. You won't drive up to these bulls, they've never been fed or handled their entire lives. They are as wild as any Bison anywhere. Skinning, field dressing and loading in your truck also available. We do not provide food or lodging.
Several people have mentioned reservation hunts, but no specifics. Does anyone know of any reservations that offer buffalo hunts?
Dean--Do you have a link to the website? I tried bowhuntingoutfitters.com and it said that bison hunts were no longer offered. Thanks.
Turner's Armendaris Ranch here in NM has bison hunts.
Anyone looking for a deal for Bison are probably going to have sticker shock. 8 years ago, we were charging $650 for a two year old 'meat' animal. This past year, those same animals sold for $1850. We charge exactly what the market price is for all of our animals based on the price in Sept each year. And we are sold out (250 animals) for the next two years for our young animals. As you can see, prices continue to rise each year due to the increased popularity of Bison meat.
Wow !!!! That's all I can say.
Many people underestimate how difficult it can be to stalk wild bison.....
