Bison Hunting

[sdh]

I am planning a trip to Montana in October to visit my brother, and wanted to do a little bison and antelope hunting while I was there. Has anyone done any bison hunting out west?

 

[achilles]

Haven't actually hunted Bison but spent the summer in Montana this last year and talked with a number of people about it. Basically there is a Bison farm...the one I was told about was outside Missoula...and you go, pay your money, and walk out into the field and shoot your Bison. They clean it and package it for you. There isn't really any "hunting" involved...kind of like walking out and plugging a cow.

 

[DMBFan]

Haven't actually hunted Bison but spent the summer in Montana this last year and talked with a number of people about it. Basically there is a Bison farm...the one I was told about was outside Missoula...and you go, pay your money, and walk out into the field and shoot your Bison. They clean it and package it for you. There isn't really any "hunting" involved...kind of like walking out and plugging a cow.

Bison hunting sounds fun... What you just described sounds like a waste of money.

 

[indiucky]

Haven't actually hunted Bison but spent the summer in Montana this last year and talked with a number of people about it. Basically there is a Bison farm...the one I was told about was outside Missoula...and you go, pay your money, and walk out into the field and shoot your Bison. They clean it and package it for you. There isn't really any "hunting" involved...kind of like walking out and plugging a cow.

To be honest though...I have read numerous first person accounts/diaries of the 1870's west and Buffalo Hunting was always kind of like that...The Professional Hunters even had guys skin them for them...Duke Alexis (of Russia)became bored with it while on his hunt with Buffalo Bill Cody so they did a hunt where they "ran" the buffalo and shot them from horseback.(Now that would be exciting. Hell the horse could kill you at those breakneck speeds!!!) All of the cool Frederic Remington prints notwithstanding Buffalo Hunting has always been sort of a "walk out there and shoot them" kind of game...Even the early American Indians would stampede them off of cliffs like lemmings...Buffalo have always been more "harvested" than "Hunted".

IMHO ofcourse lest my comments be construed as "testy."

 

[bdybdall]

To be honest though...I have read numerous first person accounts/diaries of the 1870's west and Buffalo Hunting was always kind of like that...The Professional Hunters even had guys skin them for them...Duke Alexis (of Russia)became bored with it while on his hunt with Buffalo Bill Cody so they did a hunt where they "ran" the buffalo and shot them from horseback.(Now that would be exciting. Hell the horse could kill you at those breakneck speeds!!!) All of the cool Frederic Remington prints notwithstanding Buffalo Hunting has always been sort of a "walk out there and shoot them" kind of game...Even the early American Indians would stampede them off of cliffs like lemmings...Buffalo have always been more "harvested" than "Hunted".

IMHO ofcourse lest my comments be construed as "testy."

I read an account of Custer "running" buffalo from atop his wife's favorite horse. Apparently, he shot the horse in the head. Must've taken some big ones to go back and explain to his wife.

 

[DMBFan]

I read an account of Custer "running" buffalo from atop his wife's favorite horse. Apparently, he shot the horse in the head. Must've taken some big ones to go back and explain to his wife.

That is an awesome story!!!

 

[Crappiepro]

I think I would rather put a spot and stalk on an elk before I would go buffalo hunting. The idea of a fenced in animal waiting to be shot doesn't sound like a very sporting hunt. To each his own I guess, I'd think the thrill of hunting a free ranging animal would mean more to me when all said and done because of fact I stalked and out witted the animal. Just my opinion.......

 

[Mgderf]

I was eying the ones in the Columbian Park Zoo in Lafayette, but they took them out before I could figure out how to get a good shot, get it quartered out and packed off without getting caught.

Someone must have tipped them off.

 

[Dave Doehrman]

Up by LaGrange or Wolcotteville there's Cook's Bison Ranch where you can shoot a buffalo if you have that desire.

Guided hunts for whitetail deer, wild turkey, buffalo, bison in Northern Indiana

I go by there every week on my way up to Young;s Longshot Range. They jst stand there along side the fence. Maybe they pay someone to poke the buffalo in the rear and get them somewhat active.....

 

[Vlad the Impaler]

In my former residnce in Utah, bison hunting was a once-in-a-lifetime tag. The lottery was stacked and obviously few got it. While I appreciate a good piece of bison meat, I didn't even consider it as the logistics would be daunting or the expense of guides would be prohibitive for me. As mentioned above, it doesn't take too much stealth to get in working range of a bison, so the thrill of the hunt for me would be pride in overcoming the burden of dressing and transporting such a large animal.
I have a friend at work that has a bison raising and butchering neighbor, so now and again I get mine grocery style.....boring but effective and the price is right.