The 243 Winchester vs Buffalo

hoytcanon said:
Publication of stupidity incites more stupidity... This phenomenon is increasing rapidly in this technologically connected world... To all of our detriment.
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The general public sees this and thinks that these are "Hunters" when in reality most hunters view these guys as total MORONS. These vids are going to be the end of our sport.
 
g-manz35 said:
The general public sees this and thinks that these are "Hunters" when in reality most hunters view these guys as total MORONS. These vids are going to be the end of our sport.
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Let me add that still photo's and stupid stories of such should be classified moronic as well. I don't call this hunting, only killing, and it gives the hunting world a bad name.
 
Boomer said:
And that was one of them puny little plains buffalo at that, never mind one of the monsters that roam Northern BC and the Yukon! We saw one along the Alaska Highway a few years back that dwarfed the African buff that adorns the wall in our living room. A .243 for bison? Apparently common sense isn't as common as we'd like to think.
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Indeed, a proper Wood Bison bull is about twice the size of what most people visualize them to be. Which is quite the opposite in my experience for most game, usually you go in expecting it to be bigger and experience a bit of a let down seeing them at your feet. I've spent a few years around Wood Bison now, my first encounter with them was on the way to Yellowknife, and I didn't see them for a few years after that except sporadically and at a distance and went to Africa. Took a heavy Cape Buffalo, and then returned to living and and working in Bison territory and even having seen them previously, was taken aback when I encountered a Wood Bison bull up close post-Africa. He was so much bigger and heavier than the Cape Buffalo I'd hunted it had me stopping and gawking like a tourist.

Now I've become very familiar with them again, and see them more days of the month than not given my job. They still look big every time I see them and frankly, .30-06 is doing them a disservice, they're an honest .375 class creature even if harvested successfully with lighter equipment. When things don't go perfectly they can show how unbelievably tough they are. I've hunted them in Alberta and quite frankly it seems like they make up their mind on the spot whether to give up, or be tough, and if they decide to be tough few things can take more of a beating on this planet, and none in North America. If one is setting out on a purpose built Bison hunt, such as for the control herd, pack a .338 Mag if you want to avoid equipment with less overall use in North America like a .375 or .458. At the bare minimum a .300 Win Mag and 200gr+.
 
A local buffalo rancher brought a bull to a butcher years ago and the guy shot it in the forehead with his 30-30 like he would for a regular beef animal. Four shots in the forehead from point blank range pissed the buffalo off enough that he tore the gate off the back of the truck and got out. The fifth shot killed him. Scary stuff, not sure why someone would want to try with a .243.
Kristian
 
turbo_bird said:
A local buffalo rancher brought a bull to a butcher years ago and the guy shot it in the forehead with his 30-30 like he would for a regular beef animal. Four shots in the forehead from point blank range pissed the buffalo off enough that he tore the gate off the back of the truck and got out. The fifth shot killed him. Scary stuff, not sure why someone would want to try with a .243...
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Because some people are moron's and just have to prove that it "can" be done, even though it clearly should "not" be done....
 
Older bulls have about 2" of leather on their forehead that make head shots unreliable. We shoot younger animals point blank with 30-30 but older bulls get 7mm remington. This is not hunting, just butchering animals on the farm. A few haven't went down with the 30-30 right away. I would prefer a 45-70 for shots this close. We keep the skulls so don't like to damage them too much.
 
"...marginal for deer..." That's nonsense.
"...ultra thick hide..." Used to make war shields by Plains Natives for a reason.
 
g-manz35 said:
The general public sees this and thinks that these are "Hunters" when in reality most hunters view these guys as total MORONS. These vids are going to be the end of our sport.
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:agree: I take a camera along when hunting, but use it for scenic shots or pics of poachers only.
Those boobs must be related to this guy.
watermark.php
f:P:f:P:f:P:
 
SuperCub said:
those tards
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+1
Thousands of elephant have been killed effectively on culls with FAL/R1's and 147gr military ball ammo - not considered an elephant gun. Don Heath killed a young elephant bull with side brain shot from his S&W .41Mag revolver. Not ideal but he could do it.

Lots of options are possible, less are prudent.
 
Ardent said:
Indeed, a proper Wood Bison bull is about twice the size of what most people visualize them to be. Which is quite the opposite in my experience for most game, usually you go in expecting it to be bigger and experience a bit of a let down seeing them at your feet. I've spent a few years around Wood Bison now, my first encounter with them was on the way to Yellowknife, and I didn't see them for a few years after that except sporadically and at a distance and went to Africa. Took a heavy Cape Buffalo, and then returned to living and and working in Bison territory and even having seen them previously, was taken aback when I encountered a Wood Bison bull up close post-Africa. He was so much bigger and heavier than the Cape Buffalo I'd hunted it had me stopping and gawking like a tourist.

Now I've become very familiar with them again, and see them more days of the month than not given my job. They still look big every time I see them and frankly, .30-06 is doing them a disservice, they're an honest .375 class creature even if harvested successfully with lighter equipment. When things don't go perfectly they can show how unbelievably tough they are. I've hunted them in Alberta and quite frankly it seems like they make up their mind on the spot whether to give up, or be tough, and if they decide to be tough few things can take more of a beating on this planet, and none in North America. If one is setting out on a purpose built Bison hunt, such as for the control herd, pack a .338 Mag if you want to avoid equipment with less overall use in North America like a .375 or .458. At the bare minimum a .300 Win Mag and 200gr+.
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Ardent,

I must say that within your last posts im more more on your side .... even if the 30-06 with 180 grains is legal in Yukon I would not suggest the 300 win mag even with a good 200 grains bullet. the mini will be a .35 calibers like 350 rem mag, 35 whelen or .338 but my preference will be a good 9.3x62 .... but that s just me ...
 
I'll defend the 30-06 and 200 premiums as a minimum for Bison. For the same reason Phil Shoemaker does on coastal Grizz. It will go out the other side at reasonable buff hunting range and it'll kill em very dead.
That said, when I roll out the door to chase an old shaggy I'm taking one of the .338+ cals outta the safe.
 
bearkilr said:
Kinda like most bowhunting? :D
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Anyone making that kind of comment, is either stirring the pot (probably from the tone) or clearly has zero knowledge of the physics at work in the lethality of archery equipment on game... I'm on my phone and short on time, but post if you are interested and I'll give you a crash course later...
 
As much as I love my .243 if I got a chance to hunt Bison I would most certainly buy a .338 for that job and even then I would probably want to be up in a tree stand...way up, lol.

Mind you having helped butcher cattle has taught me that critters that big are well outside my range of solo butchering skills.
I'd want to be hunting with some skilled folks for that.
 
I agree that bigger is basically better for Bison, but darn if I don't know people who have killed them without issue using 30-06, or even handloaded .308 win.

Headshots are not a good idea, due to how protected their brains are; a shot that is a wound to the head may very well have been a clean kill if delivered to the boiler.

.243 for Bison is just silliness of course.
 
hoytcanon said:
Anyone making that kind of comment, is either stirring the pot (probably from the tone) or clearly has zero knowledge of the physics at work in the lethality of archery equipment on game... I'm on my phone and short on time, but post if you are interested and I'll give you a crash course later...
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No need for a crash course Hoyt, I have a bow myself and have been around my fair share of bowhunters. There is some game out there that shouldn't be hunted via archery, bison for one (dozens of Indians on horses nothwithstanding). I'm also quite familiar with the lethality of arrows and in quite a few instances, the lack thereof.
 
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