Wyoming bull bison success
Elk
I am on my way home from Jackson WY. I drew a unit 2 bull bison tag this year, one of 18 nonresident tags. I'm glad to be able to say that I put the once in a lifetime tag to good use.
I decided due to the significants of this tag and the fact that there would never be another one for me, that I would go guided. I booked with Ralph Greene, Double Diamond, Tag and Drag outfitters.
My dad joined me on the trip to help with driving and to be there for the experience.
The timing of my hunt turned out to be perfect, the abnormally large amount of snow brought the bison onto the National Elk Refuge, on the second day of my hunt.
The first day we saw 100's of bison , including a group of 4 bulls that were literally feet from the line, but still in the park. Just as it got dark the first day, a herd of at least 100 bison moved into the NER.
At daylight on day 2 we unloaded the horses on the south end of the NER and almost immediately spotted a large herd of bison that had been spooked by a truck driving the retrieval road. We covered the full length of the NER on horseback as fast as the horses could go in the deep snow, hoping to get in front of the herd, it didn't happen. It is amazing how fast such large animals could cover the nearly 6 miles.
After round one we headed back south to look for a part of the herd that had separated from the main herd. We found them and I stalked in from above, to find that it was cows and small bulls. Rifle hunters had shot the lead cow and one other, the herd was confused what to do and stood surrounding the 2 that had been shot.
My guide Cody and my dad came and picked me up with the horses. We spotted a group of 6 bison that turned out to be all bulls about a mile and half away. We covered the distance on the horses, getting closer and closer. The bulls either weren't sure what we were on horse back or completely didn't care. I dismounted my horse and had a brief conversation with Cody to make sure which one was the biggest. I was able to get to 45 yards as the biggest one turned and gave me a hard quartering away shot. I picked the spot and sent the arrow on its way. The arrow hit the spot and completely disappeared. Immediately the group took of on a run, the bull I had shot, lagging to the back. After about 150 yards they stopped, my bull laid down and the rest of them surrounded him. We headed down to them , after a few minutes my bull stood and was opened up and I was able to put another arrow in him, at a harder quarter away angle, that arrow completely disappeared too. He turned around and was broadside, I put one more arrow tight behind the shoulder. My bull went back down and the other bulls except for one left. As the one stood over mine, a rifle hunter made his way to us and was able to kill the other bull.
It was an amazing feeling to know I had just taken a free range bull bison with my bow, plus having my dad there made it that much better.
I have a lot of pics to add, but for some reason I can't with my android. I'm hoping to be able pics and more details over the next few days after I get home.
need photos. most people really have no idea what one of those thing looks like on the ground when you walk up to it.
Holy smokes, that is cool! pics please. Congrats.
What a tag and sounds like a fun hunt! Congrats! Please post some pics when you get home.
Please post pictures. Congrats!
If somebody wants to pm me an email, I could send a couple pics, if you would post them for me.
Congrats.
I am having trouble posting photos on Bowsite via my Android as well.....
Wow, that's really something. Grats to you, that's a hell of an animal. Grats on that tag and hunt.
Could you give us the specs on your equipment please?
Excellent....Way to go......Beautiful animal.
I have 17 points in Utah for a free range but being a non-resident I can only hope!
My set up is the same I always use. 72 pound Carbon Element, Gold Tip, Big Game 100, Exodus 100 grain with extra 25 grains on the insert, 4 fletch Blazers, 462 grain total arrow weight, 270 fps.
Awesome...I shot one this year in AZ. Prepare to eat the best meat you've ever had! That meat is better than elk. Congrats!!
Huntinelk,
Congrats on the bull! I will be PM'ing you soon, as I have a cow tag there and am also booked with Ralph the first week of January.
Gene, Congrats on another great adventure hunt...this time with your Dad...epic pic!!!
The NER...so were you just north of Jackson? How much of the meat were you able to bring home?
Mark
Mark,
Yes , just north of Jackson.
I had the meat deboned, the butcher charged me for 810 pounds of bone out hanging meat.
Congrats on a great hunt & a great animal!! Even more special that you got to share it with your Dad!
More kudos for doing it with your bow!
Great job and congrats on a great trophy!
How cool is that ! Congratulations ...will make for a great thanksgiving!
Beautiful animal to boot!
Great job! What a tremendous animal. Can't imagine what 810 pounds of boned out meat looks like! Best Dave
What was your set-up, poundage, arrows, broadheads, and bow? Congrats!
810 pounds of de boned meat! Man, those Subarus can really haul the mail! Ha!
You have it shipped home?
Mark
Wow. Thats a big animal. Congrats. HUNT
Congratulations on an awesome trophy! Thanks for sharing.
Great report Gene, congrats on the dandy bull.
Congrats on a great hunt!
Wow great job. Congrats on a great hunt and bull.
Cool (no pun intended) hunt and a super trophy. Contrats
Congrats ! First you beat the odds on the draw, then make it happen on a great animal it doesn't get any better.
Mark,
Here is how you move a bison from WY to PA with a Lezubaru...
Bowboy,
My equipment list is in a post above.
Thanks for all the compliments. Not only this species, but this exact animal has been high on my list for a long time.
That does NOT look like ANY fun at all!
Enjoy the years of meals, and years of great memories with your dad.
Great stuff.
Lot of bull in this thread. Congrats!!
Congrats! That's a dream hunt for a lot of guys! Mike
Gene nice going!!! lucky you got to the bison before the boom sticks sounded off !!
One of the more underrated species to hunt in North America in my opinion.....lots of meat, sour disposition, warier than they are given credit for....I have seen bison higher on a mountain than sheep!!
Excellent pics. What what little I know of that hunt, killing one with a bow is a hell of an accomplishment!
Congratulations!!! AWESOME!
These are the 4 bulls from day one. They are within 30 yards of the boundary in this picture, they stayed there for hours.
Where do you park your mule deer??
Bison in the park, no hunting for bison here
"Trigger" ready for action
Keep the photos coming, please. I'm not bored, yet, and probably never would be.
Man, I'd so have loved to have made that drive just to watch and experience!
That Lezbaru is a trusted mountain steed! Great pics Gene...keep them coming!
Mark
Here is how we looked cruising across the country on one of the busiest travel days of the year...
Great Thread! Good shooting. Thanks for sharing & Congratulations:-)
Congrats Gene! Well done.
Congratulations on capitalizing on a very rare opportunity.
Great thread! My buddy in Sheridan has that tag and is hunting with the same outfit. He was there for a few days earlier this month and those bulls in the picture you put up would not come onto the legal hunting area. He's going back from 12/16-12/19 to get one now that the weather is pushing them onto the legal hunting areas.
Congratulations! That sure is a great experience this time of year.
Thanks for coming back with more pics!
Still trying to wrap my head around how big that thing is on the ground. Sheesh.
Congrats and hanks for sharing. May I ask how long it took to draw that tag?
Right on... congratulations. Ed F
Congrats. Great your dad could be with you too.
I don't think my wife would let me do that to her subaru. What kind of mileage did you get pulling the trailer?
The buffalo is undoubtedly the most underrated game animal in North America. I was lucky enough to draw a tag for a wild buffalo this fall too. My dad helped me on my hunt too. With a once in a lifetime tag you'd better hire a good guide. Besides, you'll appreciate the help when handling that much meat.
My guide made a great suggestion: get the skull made into a Euro mount and then the cape turned into a shoulder mount. Any good taxidermist can make replica horns for the shoulder mount and then you'll have two mounts from one animal.
Congratulations on a true trophy! Great pictures too!
Congrats! A free range bison tag/hunt! Great pics, thx for sharing.
Gene have u tried the bison yet ? ,Mine from BC was nasty .
Jake how was your Bison from BC ?
Lou,
I haven't had a chance to try it yet....I sure hope its good, I have a lot of it.
I had applied 7 years to draw the bison tag. This year was about 2.6% chance of drawing.
The suby got 19 - 22 mpg pulling the trailer. It is an H6.
Nice. Having dad along surely made it a special hunt.
I liked the sheep in the road picture where they are reflected off of your truck's hood. Almost like a painting.
My best, Paul
have a lot im sure any idea how old yr bull was and score this is can be a hard critter to field judge !
Great pics!
Not that it matters, but being that these bison are considered "free ranging", are they eligible for consideration for P&Y?
The one thing I learned from cooking the Buffalo I shot (Same way as you it took 2 quartering away and 1 Broadside). Grill almost all your meat. I used cottonwood and it added so much more flavor than using charcoal or propane. Congrats!
Not that it matters, but being that these bison are considered "free ranging", are they eligible for consideration for P&Y?
Yes, they certainly do qualify for P&Y!
WY Game and Fish collected teeth for aging. They are supposed to send me a report. When I receive it , I will pull this thread up and post the age. Between Ralph, a G&F officer and the butcher, I have guesses from 6 - 10 years old.
I used a cloth tape measure and came up with 108", I will post the official P&Y after the 60 day drying period.
Gene I myself have tried to draw the tag I was 77 once :< But I have heard during this time of year it can be a race to the Bison with the gun guys . Did u encounter much hunter pressure ?
I didn't have any issues with other hunters. Having horses was a huge asset, especially with the deep snow. Other than the hunter that shot the bull that stayed with mine, the other hunters that were there were cow hunters.
I had #31, a couple years ago, under the old draw system.
cityhunter, I shot my Bison (an old Bull) in BC a week or 2 before you and I though my meat was excellent. We hung ours a few days and had them butchered there before we drove home with them.
I am headed to BC next sepetmeber for bison and moose.. I think i am gonna go with a setup very similar to yours.. Looking to shoot a arrow around 460 grains with a solid broadhead..
Very Cool! I love reading about bison hunts. This is one of those critters that's on my hit list for sure, just need to draw a tag. I really appreciate you sharing your hunt and pics with us. Great bull! Congratulations on your buffalo!
Way to nail a big (huge) dog! Good to know they didn't spook with horses. So your 800 lbs of meat took 4 large coolers? Hope you got it vacuum packed, because you're gonna be noshing for a long time. If you decide to go euro mount, the hair-on hide makes an awesome couch cover.
Cityhunter (Lou),
I agree with Rock.....but I didn't get to bring back as much as I would have liked. The bison that I did have was fine....but I always age the meat (when cool enough to do so...and that is not a problem in BC in the Fall...LOL). I use a Deni (Jaccard) to tenderize the meat. I am also a huge fan of marinades. (Some people recently suggested baking soda as a tenderizer.....cube the meat, put it in a zip lock bag with baking soda for 30 minutes....NO LONGER - or the meat will turn mushy).
Jake
Looks like an amazing hunt that 98% of us will never get a chance at. Thanks for taking us along!
On old animals if you focus steaks on the choicest of cuts (back straps, tloin) and then make roasts, stew and burger on the rest you will be happy. Obviously sausage and jerky are also good things.
Trying to force a fringe cut to be tender steak on an old animal (no matter how long you hang) will just be an exercise in futility.
Another thing for future bison hunters to keep in mind.....they have a HUGE head....especially Wood Bison. As a result, in the winter, they move their head from side to side the "plow" away snow, so they get closer to grasses to feed upon. This makes their neck muscles extremely large and well developed. Don't over look the meat that you can get from their necks...but understand that the neck meat will need some "work" to really optimize it as tablefare.
Forgot about the jerky option - let's see, take about 200 lbs of tough cuts and turn it into 20 lbs of awesome jerky.
That is a cool hunt!! Congrats.
I had 4, 150 quart coolers loaded with the meat. I had one with the cape in it.
i would even like a cow tag would be a awesome hunt DIY
Very cool story. Congratulations on a once in a lifetime trophy!
Congratulations,on a great hunt
Dang nice bull and story Gene.
Ya done good for sure man.
Good luck, Robb
I am heading to Jackson the 26th and Gene had responded to a post I had on another forum. Looks like the bowsite folks have a lot of experience with bison. I am looking to get the hide tanned. Any recommendations? I called a few but got no return calls. There is one I found in Dubois near Jackson, but I have not spoken to them yet.
Hope to post my own story soon (although I have a cow tag).
Thanks for any info!
Awesome job! That's a dream hunt for sure. Keep bragging that Lezbaru up. It's one of my favorite vehicles I've owned. Bought it for my wife though just to clear things up.....
I just got back! Saw same sheep daily! Good times! Congrat's
They moved on early then any recent year and stayed. Almost left for my hunt but back in force.
Great job and great pics thanks.
I did want to add for anyone reading this in the future: this hunt is definitely doable with bow.
Bison are very tough - keep that in mind.
There have been 2 cows killed with bows in the last couple weeks. I believe they are the first 2 bow kill cows for this hunt. Congrats to those hunters. I believe they are both on bowsite some.
The P&Y score on my bull is 109 6/8" gross and 109" net
Great bull Gene, when I get some time I plan to post my story. I've got tons of pics to put up.
Congrats on a beast ! Good story and great pics too ! Thanks for sharing.
Very nice Gene.
Congrats
Good luck, Robb
Congrats! Thanks for sharing. Looks like a great hunt.
I was looking at applying for a cow tag. I would hire Tag N Drag for the haul out but felt DIY is doable possibly with archery equipment. What do you guys think?
Thank you for bringing this to the top JDM. Somehow, I completely missed this thread.
Congrats Huntinelk. Great hunt. Very cool that you could do it with your dad. Hope it's been tasting good.
JDM You fishing for info?
Absolutely! Whith a cow/calf tag on the way, I'll take whatever advise/intel I can get. Thanks to anyone who would like to PM me or post here.
http://forums.bowsite.com/tf/bgforums/thread-print.cfm?threadid=439662&forum=5
JDM,
See link for my cow hunt in January. PM me if you want more info.
JDM - Please make sure to post some pics and the story of the hunt when it happens. I'm jealous. Have a great hunt.
Thanks. I'll get with you for sure - and nice write-up.
The bison meat is excellent. We have been enjoying it.
I will be glad to share anything I know about this hunt if anybody that draws the tag is looking for info that I didn't cover here.
Gene
Anyone who drew a tag and is there in Mid Dec please touch base with me if you need help. I planned to be on the refuge helping a friend hunt bison but he did not draw. I will be there and more then happy to help you fill your bison tag.
Don
Very cool
man I miss living in the Hole
I applied but was not fortunate enough to draw. Will keep my eye out for future updates. Looks like a fun hunt.
Again to anyone who drew, I was hoping my friend would draw but did not. We both have cow elk tags and will be on the refuge mid Dec. I would much rather help someone tag a bison then hunt elk so I would be happy to help you out!
If the bison are there I will find them and help you pack it out to!
Shoot me an email if you are interested!
According to the report from WY G&F, the tooth aging shows my bull was only 4.5 years old. As I had posted above I had guesses from 6-10 years old.
He was a dandy that is for sure Gene.
How is the mount coming along?
Good luck, Robb
The mount is progressing, the cape should be back from tannery any time, the horns are prepped and ready. I am doing a pedestal mount, I have very little wall space left in my trophy room.
I'd like to see that pedestal when it's done. It sounds like it could be pretty cool.
Congrats... this is on my bucket list as well
Brought him home today. My room is getting crowded and a little cluttered, but he makes a nice addition.
NICE! Thanks for sharing.
Damn Nice Gene!!!
Congrats
Good luck, Robb
Congratulations and thanks for sharing!
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Congrats! I love that bow!
Good job on the kill, and the mount looks great, got to love that bison meat sure am missing it.
Awesome...Congrats again!
Very nice Gene. A bison has become my dream animal. Congrats!!
Ned.... I don't think that Bison frequent cornfields.
Tom I was thinking the same thing! But I've heard that Buffalos hang out around bars...
Very nice Gene! Congrats both!
Mark
those things are insanely massive
