Wife, Son Drew Buffalo

[Long Time Long Ranger]

My wife and son drew Buffalo tags for Wyoming this year. Odds are long and you just hope someone in the family draws a tag through the years. With the odds of this we should have bought lottery tickets that day. They issue 75-100 tags per year based on your rank number. First 75 names drawn are guaranteed tags. My wife was number 54 and my son 74. I was number 1875. Have some buddies with numbers in the 2000's and 3000's. The bad news is now I got to buy another freezer. Anybody for buffalo burger. WooHoo!

 

[venom600]

My wife and son drew Buffalo tags for Wyoming this year. Odds are long and you just hope someone in the family draws a tag through the years. With the odds of this we should have bought lottery tickets that day. They issue 75-100 tags per year based on your rank number. First 75 names drawn are guaranteed tags. My wife was number 54 and my son 74. I was number 1875. Have some buddies with numbers in the 2000's and 3000's. The bad news is now I got to buy another freezer. Anybody for buffalo berger. WooHoo!

Only *one* more freezer?

Holy cow (bison).....you're gonna have some meat on your hands man!

--Ben

 

[Camshaft]

Excellenete!

 

[cinch]

Congratulations! I drew #10 last year. After taking into consideration all the expense of the trip, I decided to let mine go. I would love to have the meat, but I don't have a burning desire to go shoot a WY bison. At least not for that much money. Good luck to you and your family. Cow or bull tags?

 

[davewilson]

LTLR, congrats on the tags, sounds like it'll be a great family adventure. how much meat could one expect if it was cut off the bone? a decent size animal.

is this one of those tags you were talking about having to see what you draw this year before you can decide where you'll be hunting?

 

[nfhjr62]

I'm in for TEN pounds of Buffalo berger

 

[Shooter264]

YOu will have a great time. I drew back in 2007 and had a blast. You will want to use the "You bag it, We drag it" guys for sure. For the money to have your bison loaded whole is worth every penny. One of the game wardens told me the key to having good bison meat was having the processor hang it until it is just starting to turn then cut it up. He was spot on as mine was super tender and some of the best meat I have ever eaten. I had about 3 grand in my hunt after paying hotel room, the boys to haul it out, processing, tanning the hide, and boiling the skull so it is not cheap, but there are not that many people that can say they shot a free ranging bison!! I shot mine with a 7mm and a 168 Berger from 373. It went right down but I had to wait about 45 minutes for all the other Bison to quit kicking it trying to get it up!! They are strange animals, but very tasty!! Good luck and enjoy

 

[Broz]

Congrats on the draw! or double draw.

So, now the big question. I know you probably have rifles in any and many viable calibers. So what rifles are on the " Top Ten" list.

460 Wby?

458 Lott?

375 H&H ?

Come on Don, we need all the details..

Jeff gun)----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[sp6x6]

I,ll bring the beer, you cook the burgers. Loan ya my thirty-thirty,

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

I agree a once in a lifetime Buffalo tag and the nostalgia that goes with hunting one requires serious thought on the rifle. My old lever action model 98 winchester 30-30 really wouldn't be a bad thought for me. But for my families protection I will insist they go bigger and longer range to pick one off way out there and not bother the herd.

My wife really likes her 338-378 wby and 338 Lapua for long range elk and right now those are her favorites. Her last two kills were 500-600 yard shots and were with these two, one shot and down. My son just loves his 257 wby. He just feels good with it and the confidence he has in it. He always shoots good with it but last year getting ready for antelope he shot a little over a 2" group at 650 yards. That group gave him tremendous long range confidence. Every animal he ever pointed it at went down first shot. He just set the personal record last year between him and my wife for the shortest kill shot ever between them when a nice buck antelope surprised us and walked out of a draw at 200 yards. We couldn't get further away so he now owns the shortest kill shot between them. That may sound strange but after having a 1000 yard range in the back yard for years they really don't like to shoot close. For all you guys that shoot long range all the time you understand but some may not. The antelope he shot before that one he put a bullet dead through the center of the heart at over 500 yards.

SinArms just rechambered a couple of my Tikka T-3 light 338 winchesters to the 338 Sin. That much power in a 6 1/4 pound rifle is amazing. He shot a light loaded 300 SMK out of it at 2730 fps already. To much recoil for a 6 pound rifle. I am loading some 225 grain CE bullets for it. BC seems to be a solid .64 or higher in the max bullet. Should get it around 3200 fps. Solid copper bullet should be good for a Buff. Both are waiting to see how well it shoots and are thinking this one since we have to walk quite a bit maybe through deep snow and it weighs under 7 1/2 pounds ready to hunt.

I have so many classic calibers I wouldn't mind shooting a buff with if it were me. I might go with the 378 wby or my old 375 wby which is essentially a 375 H&H AI. My 338 Gibbs would also make a good one along with a 358-300 RUM which I really like. My 358-300 RUM is one of the most accurate rifles I own and never gets any work because of no high BC bullets. But inside of 600 or so yards it is devastating.

Dave, these will probably be late Nov-Dec hunts so doesn't effect any of my other draws. Since Wyoming holds us at ransom until July before we know about antelope, deer and elk that is what really decides it. If I draw a premium elk tag I will be dedicated there in September and early November if I don't get him in Sept. I lost a great whitetail hunt in November because of my son's college schedule which comes first.

 

[iginwyo]

LTLR, I was lucky enough to draw in 09 harvested Jan 2nd of 10. It was the hardest hunt of my life. That was the year of no snow. I have some advice if you are interested, mainly things I would do different if I had another chance. If you need some help just let me know, blindfolded I could walk from spread creek to Jackson following the park boundry. I would love to go do it again.

 

[Broz]

LTLR, this really sounds like fun. I wish you all a great successful hunt.

Jeff

 

[Mr.Moa]

You might as well skip the new freezer and invest in a meat packing plant.lightbulb

 

[mike33]

Congrats on your draw. 3 years ago i took my employee to a high fence hunt for wild pigs, never believed in high fences but thought it would be fun and anice bonus for him. A buddy of mine who conned me in to this deal asked ma the night before if i was interested in splitting a buffalo with him. He said i could be the shooter and we would split the meat he wanted to donate it to some needed families. So next morning a i killed a buffalo with my 260 100 grain nosler bt, Bobby Hart was even there and filmed it. So you dont really need a big bore i took mine with varminet bullets 3 shots but your choice. It was one of the second most dombest things i spent money on. The berger was great but the steaks was so tough un eatable regardless how many different ways i tried marianted and grilling. The third dombest thing i spent money on was having the hide tanned. The taxi. folded it after done and i still cant get the crease out. I never seen an animal with such bone strucure as a buffalo, if you have a 4lb. roast 3lb. is bone. Good luck on your hunt and grind the whole thing in to berger.

mike