Bison Hunting

[Joe Hysong]

I am getting ready for a Bufallo Hunt in Texas they say the bulls are 1200-1400 lbs.  My set up is a 60# Longbow I am shooting Traditional Only 400 Carbons with 125 grain Woodsman Elite Broadheads.  I am looking for any recomendations that you guys have. I won't take a shot outside of 25 yds.

[PowDuck]

recommendations? I recommend you bring me some meat.

have a great time. I'd love to do that hunt.

[wingnut]

Study the anatomy of the bison.  The kill zone is tighter then you would think with an animal of that size.  Do a search on Buffalo and you should get a bunch of info.

Mike

[Ragnarok Forge]

Get a lot more weight up front on that arrow.  A wounded bufalo is a dangerous animal and they are known for putting the hurt on people when provoked.  Crank your FOC up and shoot a heavy arrow at least 650 grains.  Buffalo ribs are tough and the animals can be hard to kill.

I would recommend at least 250 to 300 grains up front.  Get some brass or steel adapters or inserts that weight 100 or 125 grains.  Use a  razor sharp head thats weighs up around 150 to 200 grains and you should be able to get a complete pass thru on a good shot.

Make sure you guide is carrying a heavy rifle on the hunt.  Not tyring to spook you, but reality is that buffalo are not tame and have been known to kill people.  In Yellowstone they kill and wound more people than the bears and elk combined.

I am sure you guide is competent and knows how to hunt them safely. Just ask and verify that.  Also ask the hunting lodge what they thing you should use for arrow weight.

[fido dog]

Originally posted by Ragnarok Forge:
Make sure you guide is carrying a heavy rifle on the hunt.  Not tyring to spook you, but reality is that buffalo are not tame and have been known to kill people.  In Yellowstone they kill and wound more people than the bears and elk combined.

They are fast too. I came around a bend to find a small heard while hunting the other day. They were on the left and one darted across the road and took a flanking position. We were done here. LOL He got there fast and he was just at a fast lope.

I have a large picture of one I encountered if you would like to make a target. He's right here. PM me if you want the big size.

 

forgot to subscribe

[Longbow Jake]

I was just thinking and I would want to shoot a few rounds so I know he's got my or your back if somthing goes wrong not saying it will.Good luck hope you get one.

[Leland]

Take Wingnuts advise,as far as arrow weight goes,don't sacifice accuracy.From my own experience take a broadside shot,those ribs are thick & close when quartering away.Good luck & be safe.
Leland

[shakeyslim]

they are HUGE ! but not what you could say is a hard hunt / just find some walk up to about 10 yrds fire away !
 somehow they never learned that men are what eats them / BUT  they will be more than willing to stomp a mud hole so be carefull!
they taste just like chicken ! lol

[grizz]

Arrow weight,FOC,accuracy, all go together, I would not even attempt it again with less than 680 grains! Low and tight in behind the front leg, slightly quartered away,I centered a rib with my first shot (700gr ash) and bent the "grizzly" broadhead! Only penetrated to the one lung, that is NOT enough to kill a Bison. The follow up shot was what I described as ideal, it went through the heart, story over.

[fido dog]

Originally posted by shakeyslim:
they are HUGE ! but not what you could say is a hard hunt / just find some walk up to about 10 yrds fire away !
 somehow they never learned that men are what eats them / BUT  they will be more than willing to stomp a mud hole so be carefull!
they taste just like chicken ! lol

Seriously...you just said that?? When was the last time you killed one Shakey???

[Sixby]

I have a friend that killed one last year in Canada. Not a farm but a wild bison. He is a really great hunter and he said it was one of the toughest animals to get on that he has ever hunted. Tell you what though , the meat is fantastic.

[SteveB]

From Ron's site:

http://shrewbows.com/carbon_arrows.html

[Terry Green]

Here's some info you might can use.....


 

   


That Buffalo was taken with a
70# Morrison Cougar Hybrid Longbow,
an Original Wensel Woodsman broadhead
riding on an Arrow Dynamics Trad Heavy
weighting a total of 630 grains in the
beautiful state of Montana.

Est. weight on the hoof - 2000 pounds.

Buffy yielded 695#s of meat and a beautiful Mount.

   

 

Best of luck to ya....and yes, the meat is the best you can get!!!, and ya gets lots of it!

[fido dog]

Terry, beautiful animal. Just curious on the cost of the mount (ballpark)??

[amar911]

Joe,

If you look at what people who have taken animals that size use in their arrows, you will see the total weight is much higher than what you plan to shoot, and the front end weight is generally much more. I agree with the minimum arrow weights others have already suggested, and I think you could go as high as 800 grains without it being too much for your 60 pound bow. The heavy arrows will shoot just fine out to your 25 yard maximum distance and will penetrate better. I would personally suggest a really good two blade single bevel broadhead like the Abowyer Brown Bear, the Grizzly El Grande, or the best of them all -- the Ashby broadhead from Alaska Bowhunting Supply. The Ashby's are very expensive as you might expect when you see their incredible quality, but half a dozen will last you many years if you don't lose them and will be one of the cheapest aspects of your hunting if you amortize their cost over all the hunts where you use them. Like Terry, I like the AD Trad arrows and for the heaviest weight arrows prefer the Hammerhead shafts. They are nearly indestructible and are very forgiving of different point weights. You can add brass inserts along with heavy broadheads to really get the weight up there where you want it and the arrows will almost always fly great.

I love your buffalo Terry. That makes a great pedestal mount that looks like it is about the size of a VW.

Allan

[trad_bowhunter1965]

Terry that is and Awesome Buffalo,

[Danny Rowan]

I shot mine with a 64# Robertson Vision Falcon. Arrow was a lam birch with a 200 gr Ace Super express up front, arrow weighed over 800 gr. You need a heavy arrow. Shot was from 25 yards and I hit the elbow, went through that and centered the heart. Listen to the the advise above. And do not believe you can just walk up on them, even ranch raised they will not just stand there. Took me over two hours to get my 25 yard shot once we found the herd.

[SlowBowinMO]

Good thread guys, keep it coming.  Bison are definitely high on my "someday" list.

[wapiti792]

OK the next obvious question is where? I know Terry took a Montana bull. I have major interest in this thread as I am planning my hunt schedule for next year...so any favorite places or outfitters?

[Walt Francis]

I harvested my bison on the same ranch as Terry, the arrow I used is a 625 grain lodge pole pine shaft, footed with purpleheart, and tipped with a 190 grain grizzly; total weight of the arrow was 625 grains.  I used a 58# selfbow and got plenty of penetration (18 inches through a rib to the off shoulder) at fifteen yards and put the bison was down in 15-20 seconds.  These are big animals, they hold a lot of blood, so it take them a little longer to bleed out then your typical whitetail.  My shot was slightly quartering down wind and the arrow was tailing about three or four inches on impact, which probably hindered the penetration some.  I shot mine in December when it was around 15 degrees with sixty mile an hour winds (gusts above eighty mph) but don't remember seeing enough ice on the sides of the bison to effect penetration.  My hunting buddy, Lenny Brown, used a Wensel with the factory tip on a bison with excellent results (centered the heart).  His setup was a Robertson longbow which pulls about 53-55#'s at his draw length and a cedar arrow weighing around 525 grains.

I will go against the conventional advice of the others; it appears to me that your setup has plenty of energy to do the job, if you put the arrows where it needs to go.  Re-read the last part of again "if you put the arrows where it needs to go", that is the most important part of killing any animal.  You do that and all the arguments about bow and arrow weight are moot.  Just make a good shot!  My only recommendation to your setup would be to use a two blade broadhead if you are worried about penetration.        

Here is a picture of me with the bison, estimated weight of 1100-1200 pounds.