buffalo tough

[cowboy]

Yep Justin - your not in Yellowstone oops, my bad. Wasn't thinking...

[Bishop]

that would have been awesome to see.
Bishop

[keekeerun]

very nice pictures they really tell a story.

[Slivershooter]

Awesome pictures!  I live twelve miles from the northern boarder of YNP and have done most of my hunting about five miles from the park line for the past eighteen years and have yet to see anything like that.
Danny, a 58# + selfbow with a 650 grain arrow works just fine on bison if the arrow is placed in the right spot.

I don't want to mislead anybody; this was a ranch harvested bison.  My friend and I split a bison every year and take turns shooting them, they end up costing about the same as good beef, are better for you, are different but comparable for taste, and you get really neat skulls and rugs. 

[huntertrapper]

nice bull.

[Sidewinder]

Walt. Thanks for the pics. Just as I envisioned it. That powder against the thick mass of the cape is fantastic. I know what you mean about the cost per pound being less than beef and its better for you. Thats a bonus. You are fortunate to be in the land that you are in. I 'll bet its captivating.   Danny

[cowboy]

That's nice Walt! That buffalo is hard to beat .

[hawkbow]

Walt, great buff! and with a stick to boot .. Did you use stone points or steel?. .. what kind if penetration did you get? lots of questions but I am a real fanatic about arrow weights and their relation to penetration on big boned thick hided game ...Mike A/ho

[Slivershooter]

Mike,
Here are the specifics:  Total weight of the arrow was 650 grains, it was tipped with a 190 grain Grizzly El Grande, and arrow penetration was 16 inches.  One factor that affected/diminished penetration was poor arrow flight, the nock end was tailing about four inches.  The shot on the bison was eighteen yards quartering about 20 degrees with a sixty mile an hour tail wind (yes 60 mph with gust to over 80 mph and 12 degrees without the wind chill), which caused the poor arrow flight.  The bow is 58# @ 29” semi-snakey Osage with big horn tip overlays; it’s not the fastest bow I have made but it isn’t a dog either.

[hawkbow]

 Thanks slivershooter, for the specs.. regarding your harvest of the great Tatanka.. glad to see a few of the majestic beasts still killed with ancient equipment..Mike A/ho

[Pat B]

Walt, With 60 to 80 mph winds blowing I'm surprised you didn't have more than 4" of wobble. Says a lot about you and your set up. The archer, the bow and the arrow have a lot to do with it but without proper placement all you have is a pissed off bull.  Nice shooting under extreme conditions!      Pat

[Wolf Watcher]

Walt great job.  Tough enough to kill a big bull like yours, but under those conditions you need to be commended!!  I live on a buffalo ranch south of the park.  There are about 2000 head on the ranch and most of them are presently in a pasture in front of our house.  I have seen the griz/buffalo pictures before and if you take a good look you can see that the buffalo chasing the griz is a COW!!  The real unusual thing about this whole sequence is that only one cow gave chase the whole time.  What usually happens is one cow gives chase and the rest take up the chase.  My wife and I have had them make a charge at us on our ATV two different times and its all you can do to out run them. They are especially mean around this time of year.  We have old bulls that live by themselves in the mountains with the wolves and grizzlies and we have yet to lose one to a bear or wolf pack!!  Wolf Watcher

[Sidewinder]

Yeah buffalo are tough. It took three shots in the neck with a 30/30 and she just walked around (albeit a lot slower) and then she gave me a quarteting away shot and I took her right behind the ear and she dropped like a rock. I am in absolute awe of these animals. Next year with the bow I am sure that an ambush is in order if I hope to take one iwth the bow. Here are a couple photos of some of the animals I saw including the one that we shall enjoy as our sustanance.

[huntertrapper]

so you didnt use a bow?

[Sidewinder]

No unfortunatley I did not have enough time to get my arrow setup and shot in before it was time. None the less it was an enriching experiene and I am planning as we speak to make sure that next year "God wililin" we will have the proper equiptment and experience with shooting it that it will be possible.   Danny