260 Yards, 1:48 Twist .50 Cal Renegade, Lyman Plains

[muzzleloader48]

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Over the years Stan I have shot a dozen bulls and one cow buffalo (she was the hardest to keep down). The ranch owner gave me a deal on her to remove a "trouble maker" - the cow not me. She had tore up more equipment than one would believe, sides out of stock trailers to fenders on tractors and a number of pasture gates.

Have shot that many more (dozen) for guys that couldn't keep their animal on the ground (poor shot placements). You can talk until your blue in the face about how to get close (safely) and where to put that shot. Then when it's time to go after their animal on the 23 sections of ground (no fences on property other than a few for different pastures) they seem to go "blank" on what we had just gone over. Had an old friend make a good shot and nothing happened, told him to reload then noticed he was using a small measurer for his powder. "How much powder are you using Darrell", "my target load" - .65 grain of 2FF. !@#$%^ He's shooting a .54 cal. T/C - crap that's bouncing off the thick hair of the animal. "Double charge your rifle", he didn't and same results, his wife sets up and tells me to kill the bull which was done within a minute.

Lot's of old war stories when still hunting in Wallace KS with the property owner on different hunts over the years.

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Ask Jonathan about 2 friends he took hunting in NM to help them with deer. Same thing....saw deer and they froze...they had that deer in the headlights look on their face...he was pissed....forgot everything he just told them

 

[bobbythehunter]

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Over the years Stan I have shot a dozen bulls and one cow buffalo (she was the hardest to keep down). The ranch owner gave me a deal on her to remove a "trouble maker" - the cow not me. She had tore up more equipment than one would believe, sides out of stock trailers to fenders on tractors and a number of pasture gates.

Have shot that many more (dozen) for guys that couldn't keep their animal on the ground (poor shot placements). You can talk until your blue in the face about how to get close (safely) and where to put that shot. Then when it's time to go after their animal on the 23 sections of ground (no fences on property other than a few for different pastures) they seem to go "blank" on what we had just gone over. Had an old friend make a good shot and nothing happened, told him to reload then noticed he was using a small measurer for his powder. "How much powder are you using Darrell", he replies "my target load" - 65 grains of 2FF. !@#$%^ He's shooting a .54 cal. T/C - crap that's bouncing off the thick hair of the animal. "Double charge your rifle", he didn't and same results, his wife sets up and tells me to kill the bull which was done within a minute.

Lot's of old war stories when still hunting in Wallace KS with the property owner on different hunts over the years.

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Sounds like you could hook muzzleloader48 up on a hunt!

 

[Hanshi]

Those photos, WOW! Bison are magnificent and potentially very dangerous creatures.

 

[muzzlestuffer]

View attachment 2034..... Here are a few pictures of hunting buffalo with flintlock rifles (rifled and smoothbores)...

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Typical hunting camp when living in a primitive life style and the reason we are here - BUFFALO
Wilbur's herds were free roaming on 23 sections of ground, you had your pick of the 75-100 animals available.

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ONE BUFFALO
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This was a1600 lb. bull buffalo I shot at different distances. Firts shot was with a .58 cal. GRRW Leman Trade Rifle at 135 yards. He decided he would repay the favor as he started to charge at 60 yards, still using reloaded .58. At 35 yards I hit him through the lungs with a GRRW NW Tradegun .60 cal. (smoothbore), now stopped he just stood there. Reloaded the Tradegun and moved closer, then hit him behind the ear, end of hunt.

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TWO DIFFERENT BUFFALOS​

First Picture: first bull went down shot by a friend, second bull was getting ready (we think to charge). I was using my (.60 cal tradegun) sat down and hit him through the lungs.
Second Picture: was a mistake on my part (frozen ground I fell on my butt, smooth sole mocs aren't the best foorwear in Jan.) I stayed still and shot this animal.
Third Picture: watching the bull die (hardest part of any hunt).

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Meat and salted hides, this only shows three animals of six taken that day.

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Here's a 1,400 ib. bull taken with a 1874 Shiloh Sharps in 40/70 2-1/10 cartridge, 400 grain bullet with duplex load.

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Buck how much was it to kill a buffalo back then ?

 

[Buck Conner1]

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The animal was sold by the live weight, you loose approximately 50% to head, hide and internal parts (guts, blood). A 1,200 lb animal would give you 600 lbs. of meat. When still hunting at this ranch Wilbur would work with us on cost, if buffalo meat was selling in the local stores for $6.25 per lb. we were paying $6.00 a pound live weight. Then you would sell the head, hide, bones and anything else useable to firms like"Prairie Edge" who would use everything for their crafts seen in places like airports and novelty shops. That equaled the store's selling price when it came to the bottom line for cost, this held true until Safeway got into the buffalo ranching, then costs went up on their products.

I usually had better than have the packaged frozen meat sold along with the misc. items that Prairie Edge wanted before the hunt. We always figured if you could match pound for pound we were good, plus you had the excitement and thrill of the hunt.

Where else would you get these type of pictures, when your talking about the thrill of the hunt and pictures to show it really happened.

Thanks for asking Lou.

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[muzzleloader48]

Sounds like you could hook muzzleloader48 up on a hunt!

There is a buffalo ranch West of me about 60 miles, but I never did inquire about a hunt. I've seen some other hunts that you have to have some big bucks. I went to the store to buy a larger freezer to replace my old, old smaller freezer, but the Panic stricken bought them all!! Home Depot, Lowes, local Sears store all sold out. Hopefully can order online. Anyway, there is another Buffalo ranch outside of Hartsel, CO....need to do some contacting.

 

[muzzleloader48]

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The animal was sold by the live weight, you loose approximately 50% to head, hide and internal parts (guts, blood). A 1,200 lb animal would give you 600 lbs. of meat. When still hunting at this ranch Wilbur would work with us on cost, if buffalo meat was selling in the local stores for $6.25 per lb. we were paying $6.00 a pound live weight. Then you would sell the head, hide, bones and anything else useable to firms like"Prairie Edge" who would use everything for their crafts seen in places like airports and novelty shops. That equaled the store's selling price when it came to the bottom line for cost, this held true until Safeway got into the buffalo ranching, then costs went up on their products.

I usually had better than have the packaged frozen meat sold along with the misc. items that Prairie Edge wanted before the hunt. We always figured if you could match pound for pound we were good, plus you had the excitement and thrill of the hunt.

Where else would you get these type of pictures, when your talking about the thrill of the hunt and pictures to show it really happened.

Thanks for asking Lou.

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At the local butcher in Kremling, CO. buffalo rib eyes a couple years ago were 19.95/lb.

 

[muzzlestuffer]

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The animal was sold by the live weight, you loose approximately 50% to head, hide and internal parts (guts, blood). A 1,200 lb animal would give you 600 lbs. of meat. When still hunting at this ranch Wilbur would work with us on cost, if buffalo meat was selling in the local stores for $6.25 per lb. we were paying $6.00 a pound live weight. Then you would sell the head, hide, bones and anything else useable to firms like"Prairie Edge" who would use everything for their crafts seen in places like airports and novelty shops. That equaled the store's selling price when it came to the bottom line for cost, this held true until Safeway got into the buffalo ranching, then costs went up on their products.

I usually had better than have the packaged frozen meat sold along with the misc. items that Prairie Edge wanted before the hunt. We always figured if you could match pound for pound we were good, plus you had the excitement and thrill of the hunt.

Where else would you get these type of pictures, when your talking about the thrill of the hunt and pictures to show it really happened.

Thanks for asking Lou.

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I'm going to plan a buffalo hunt possibly this year depending on vacancy with the pandemic or wait till next year of course I'm going to use my .58 cal hawken !

 

[Buck Conner1]

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http://www.hartselspringsranch.com/Ranch/Buffalo.html

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[muzzleloader48]

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http://www.hartselspringsranch.com/Ranch/Buffalo.html

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Thanks Buck...went to the site immediately!

 

[RonRC]

There is a buffalo ranch West of me about 60 miles, but I never did inquire about a hunt. I've seen some other hunts that you have to have some big bucks. I went to the store to buy a larger freezer to replace my old, old smaller freezer, but the Panic stricken bought them all!! Home Depot, Lowes, local Sears store all sold out. Hopefully can order online. Anyway, there is another Buffalo ranch outside of Hartsel, CO....need to do some contacting.

It was a few years ago that I would take a motorcycle ride on Rt 285 Southwest out toward Fairplay, CO. I would turn off onto Tarryall Rd., Rt 77, toward Hartsel, CO. Along the way, I would see buffalo and beefalo herds. I don't know if they permit hunting for buffalo in those herds or if the buffalo are just for the commercial meat market.
Ron

 

[exMember]

Yep Ron, there is/used to be a huge buffalo ranch out there. Bull hunts i believe were around $6,000

 

[RonRC]

Only $6000 for a bull? Let's do 3 bulls!

 

[Hanshi]

Africa is cheaper and Alaska, too.

 

[muzzleloader48]

It was a few years ago that I would take a motorcycle ride on Rt 285 Southwest out toward Fairplay, CO. I would turn off onto Tarryall Rd., Rt 77, toward Hartsel, CO. Along the way, I would see buffalo and beefalo herds. I don't know if they permit hunting for buffalo in those herds or if the buffalo are just for the commercial meat market.
Ron

The buffalo you see at the crossroads of Hwy 9 & 24 just outside Hartsel is a working ranch with about 100+ buffalo. I went to their web site and saw nothing about a buffalo hunt being available.