Bison

[canadianbear]

I've shot 3 of them for farmers , all animals were shot at between 75 and a 100 yards. Used a 6.5 Swede first two dropped and did not move, third one dropped on the first shot and started to get up 2nd shot ended everything before it could get up. Used Partisian 139 grain spitzer point. These were ful grown animals in top condition. Steaks were great.

 

[brybenn]

Here ya go

Thank you. Pretty much were idve guessed. Altho it seems far back.
I take it from this thread not to many hunters try to break the big shoulders and spine. Some day I hope to raise my double on one

 

[BigUglyMan]

I shot my bison this fall (got to figure out how to upload a video) with my 9.3x62 at 37 yards. I was using 286gr Norma bullets (thanks again Ted) and they run about 2350 at the muzzle. My first shot was a tight quartering on shot into the chest cavity. On taking the first shot he reared up and came down with his right leg stiff (classic shot through the brachial plexus). He ran across the trail where I hit him through the shoulder with another shot which stopped him. I then hit him behind the shoulder which knocked him down. That said he did still require a shot in the back of the head to finish things in the fastest manner possible. My second shot broke the shoulder (a helluva bone) and soem ribs before going through the left side lung. The third shot was behind the shoulder. None of them got the heart though I think that the first shot hit the aorta judging by the blood in the chest cavity.

Granted the bullet is a cup and core style and perhaps a premium bullet liek a Partition would have penetrated better (I tried the 286gr TSX when I bought the rifle but couldn't get enough speed out of it 2000fps max), but there's a lot of meat to be driven through to get to the vitals when dealing with a Wood Bison. Sometime you'll need to hit them more than once to keep them from running off into some deep nasty crap that you'll have to drag them out of. They're a big enough job lyign on the side of a trail, you don't want them to disappear into a willow slough or some narrow dry creek bed.

Barring improper bullet constriction, there is not good reason that you shouldn't be able to kill a bison by hitting it in the heart and head with a 30-06. Mind you, there's a lot of "head" that isn't "brain". Maybe your co-worker didn't shoot him particularly well.

 

[1899]

Interesting:

 

[brybenn]

Very truely are a stupid looking animal. Do they taste the same as the farm raised buff meat you can buy in the states? How much wieght as an average in meat is obtained on one of these critters?

 

[Dogleg]

I haven't shot any bison, but have supervised the demise of a fair amount of buffalo. Bovines take their time going down, and if it stays in a shootable position you can put a lot of holes in one while it's makeing up its mind which direction to fall.

 

[BigUglyMan]

Very truely are a stupid looking animal. Do they taste the same as the farm raised buff meat you can buy in the states? How much wieght as an average in meat is obtained on one of these critters?

2 deep freezes full.

 

[martinbns]

Here ya go

That's similar to alot of African Animals, Gemsbok, eland, etc the spine is in the middle. I shot everything there much lower that I do here.

There is a lot of meat at the front end of one of those things and if the angle is off a bit from where you think it is they would eat lead.

The big coat makes placement a bit harder I suspect, never having shot a bison.

 

[Finger Toes]

Here ya go

The superimposed skeleton looks a bit off for some reason. The skull doesn't line up well.

 

[martinbns]

I shot my bison this fall (got to figure out how to upload a video) with my 9.3x62 at 37 yards. I was using 286gr Norma bullets (thanks again Ted) and they run about 2350 at the muzzle. My first shot was a tight quartering on shot into the chest cavity. On taking the first shot he reared up and came down with his right leg stiff (classic shot through the brachial plexus). He ran across the trail where I hit him through the shoulder with another shot which stopped him. I then hit him behind the shoulder which knocked him down. That said he did still require a shot in the back of the head to finish things in the fastest manner possible. My second shot broke the shoulder (a helluva bone) and soem ribs before going through the left side lung. The third shot was behind the shoulder. None of them got the heart though I think that the first shot hit the aorta judging by the blood in the chest cavity.

Granted the bullet is a cup and core style and perhaps a premium bullet liek a Partition would have penetrated better (I tried the 286gr TSX when I bought the rifle but couldn't get enough speed out of it 2000fps max), but there's a lot of meat to be driven through to get to the vitals when dealing with a Wood Bison. Sometime you'll need to hit them more than once to keep them from running off into some deep nasty crap that you'll have to drag them out of. They're a big enough job lyign on the side of a trail, you don't want them to disappear into a willow slough or some narrow dry creek bed.

Barring improper bullet constriction, there is not good reason that you shouldn't be able to kill a bison by hitting it in the heart and head with a 30-06. Mind you, there's a lot of "head" that isn't "brain". Maybe your co-worker didn't shoot him particularly well.

Other that the general nastiness, why do you think people try and shoot bison with small guns when you had to shoot your "other" buffalo with minimum 375?

I kind of think they are bigger than a Cape Buffalo and I hear stories of anywhere from 3-10 shots and think 375 makes sense to me.

 

[Dogleg]

Other that the general nastiness, why do you think people try and shoot bison with small guns when you had to shoot your "other" buffalo with minimum 375?

I kind of think they are bigger than a Cape Buffalo and I hear stories of anywhere from 3-10 shots and think 375 makes sense to me.

When the meter is running, the witnesses are in place, the "if it bleeds you pay and your licence is filled" policy is understood and enforced, the desire to take on a dragon with a flyswatter is greatly reduced.

If every unsupervised hunter that wounded and lost an animal were to burn his tag and go home, we would need welding goggles to walk around in the bush.

 

[medvedqc]

here are some pics of skeleton i ve found.

http://canadianmuseumofnature.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/osteo_3666.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stricklands/3441016576/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35126113@N02/3857479114/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/2955168488_66c50c537b.jpg

http://indianastatemuseum.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/042910_ford_skeleton.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsbluff/3113015784/

http://lamar.colostate.edu/~lctodd/haybilab.jpg

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/webcasts/palo_duro/images/67_bison_skeleton.jpg

 

[HighTeckRedNeck]

Ok, this is a topic that I have to ton of personal experince with. I have personally shot over 50 of these guys on the farm and have had very mixed results.

We shot the first few in the head with a 30-06 centered a couple inches above the eyes. 75% of the time it took one shot. However we had a few that dropped shook it off and stood back up like nothing had happened. Granted there would be blood running out of the nose.

Now here is the real kicker, I can't ever recall killing one in 2 shots using this method. If the first one didn't work it took between 3-6 to finish them off. The problem is once you have hit them once they always face you. And once the adrenaline is pumping they will not die!

Yet I have shot one broadside with the 30-30 at 50 yards and smoked it (it got out and thats the rifle I had). Ripped the top off the heart off and he still stood there for 30 seconds before falling down. I debating a second shot, but he didn't move an I knew it was a good shot.

We ended up standing on the top rail of the corral and waiting for them to lower there head like they were going to charge and the poping them in the spine.

I've shot a few in the head with the 300 wsm since I got it but they have all been about 2 years old and still have soft skulls so it hasn't been a problem. Although I'm guessing the 300 wsm would have dont alot better job on the older hard skulled ones.

 

[martinbns]

I think anything that weighs 2000 lbs+ deserves the 375 or equivalent treatment. Cape Buffalo, Eland, Bison, same thing, great big animals need as big a whole in the lungs as possible.

The only one of the three I've ever shot was an Eland I didn't hit quite right and we never found it, $1600 dollar lesson.

 

[BigUglyMan]

Ok, this is a topic that I have to ton of personal experince with. I have personally shot over 50 of these guys on the farm and have had very mixed results.

Shooting animals in a pen in a farmyard is not hunting. Domesticated animals and wild animals, even of the same species, behave very differently.

Personally I would be embarassed to recount shooting animals in a corral and equating that to anything resembling experience. I'm actually embarassed for you.

I think anything that weighs 2000 lbs+ deserves the 375 or equivalent treatment. Cape Buffalo, Eland, Bison, same thing, great big animals need as big a whole in the lungs as possible.

The only one of the three I've ever shot was an Eland I didn't hit quite right and we never found it, $1600 dollar lesson.

That's a shot placement lesson, not a use enough gun lesson. I lost a baboon shot "not-quite-right" with a 375 Ruger. $50 lesson. But I do agree that big animals need bigger medicine, though I've heard lots of stories of both bison and eland being shot adn killed neatly with the 30-06 and 200 or 220 gr bullets. Cape Buffalo seem to be somewhat different, likely due to living in thick, ugly bush and contending with lions. And anatomically they are built differently in their bone structure necessetating heavier calibers and bullets.