This thread is started as an off topic disscussion on another thread. Can we hear it from those who really know. How hard is it to kill American Bison? Some videos I've seen shows them being hit by big bores and their legs just give out from under them.
As a young man, many moons passed, and old timer had a mounted bison bull head he had killed with one shot from a .257 Roberts. He really is the only person I ever met that killed one. Figured some of you had a Handle on this.
It also is known that Bison and Elk will mill around while the herd is being killed. Witnessed this on elk. Suposedly they didn't know which why to run because they didn't
know where the shots were coming from. OK you bison experts.

The old MT bull I shot took 1 shot from a Sharps rifle in 45-70 with a blackpowder load with 500gr hand cast lead bullets.
1st shot was good, but didn't phase him too much. He humped up a bit, but didn't seem too bothered by it.
2nd shot was right beside the 1st.. After this shot, he did a couple of small wabbley-legged circles and piled up 10 seconds after taking the 2nd round.

I shot my first one with my Shiloh 45-70. Right on the front crease about 1/3rd of the way up. ABout 140 yards. He dropped, got up, staggered about thirty feet to a mudhole and laid down. About ten seconds later be bawled once and was dead.
Two years later I shot a big one with my '86 50-110. Right between the eyes at about 50 yards. He sat down on his haunches like a big dog, and just looked at me; licking the blood running out of his nostrils. I shot him again and about four or five minutes later he fell over dead.

IMHO, they are slow like moose. It takes the message that they are dead awhile to percolate from the wound to the brain.

The old buffalo hunters used to make a stand by shooting the lead cow on the crease. As other buff would walk over and sniff the blood, they shot them one at a time.
Rich
DRSS

Four of them were jogging broadside and I took the last in the run. Three hits, 250gr .338 Partition at a MV of 2500 and a range of 75 yards. He staggered on the third hit, hopped, bounced and fell. My understanding is they are like moose and not particularly dramatic in death like a whitetail is.

I saw a bow hunting video that my hunting buddy was in when he took an old bull with his bow. He was using a 65# bow shooting instinctive and hit the bull behind the shoulder at around 35 yards.

The arrow disappeared into the chest and the bull started lumbering over the snow coverage field. You could see the steam and blood being pumped out of the hole. The bull went about 50 yards, stopped, seemed dizzy and fell over dead.

They don't like to go down immediately on the first shot. On my only bison, my shot was a bit low and missed the vitals. It ran about 2 miles before it bedded dowm. They are tough animals.

I shot a decent size cow a few years ago. A 400 grain Speer out of a Ruger No. 1 45-70 at 85 yards She flipped over backwards, kicked a few times, and that was it. The rest of the herd kept grazing. Other than the flipping, it was not very interesting. Probably would not do it again.

Great informative replies so far. Thanks. roger

I shot two a few years ago out in South Dakota. Pretty cold, temps ran more than 30 degrees below zero that day. Using a Winchester 1886 45/70 and 420 gr North Star cast bullets. These were a little soft, expand a lot. The first bison was running from my right to left on the first round, I was a tad too far back and caught him in the mid-section! Yep, guts! He slowed down, stopped running and turned his back to me at about 25 yds. I angled around and went to work with 3 more hits in the chest cavity. Reloaded, and hit him again and he goes down. Now this is 4 rounds in the lungs and chest cavity, and of course the gut shot, total 5. Too cold to mess around too much, so we rolled him up for photos and began a quick photo session. Rifle is in front, me behind the animal, when all the sudden he begins to breath again, starts blinking his eyes, and trying to move his head! So I jump up, grab the 1886 and jack a round in quickly and shoot him again in the neck at point blank. What a hoot. The photo session had to have been at least 5 minutes or so from the time we rolled him up until he started breathing again. This one did not want to give up so easy.

Loaded up again, and hit the second bull in the chest, he starts running, hit him again. Now I am running to try and cut him off and get a third shot in. I remember my gut shot, get the front sight out in front of him a bit and turn a third round loose and he goes down head first and rolls completely over end to end. All three of these hits were excellent and he did not come back to life again. I would say bison can be about as tough as it gets, and all buffalo, bison, bovine can absorb a lot of lead sometimes and keep on going.

My god man, best burgers you could ever eat. I simply must get back there and get a couple more of these.

Michael

I have shot three bison under legitimate wild conditions (no fences, B&C eligible). The first took a 400 grain slug in the vitals and stood there motionless for a second. A second quick round into the CNS ended it. At the first shot, the four bulls mine was with immediately thundered down the mountain and out of sight. The second bull I took with a .338 win and at the first shot he and his companions took off at a full gallop. Two more shots at the departing animal served as effective insurance and the bull was down within 50 meters. The third bull I shot was with a .416 Rem and the first shot broke both of his front legs/shoulders but was probably under the vitals. He just laid down unable to walk and took what was probably another 6-7 rounds into the vitals over 10 minutes (50-60 yard range so they were not misses) before finally rolling over. We were by that point standing in the open and he was with 5-6 other bulls who just stood there watching everything happen. Those last shots were probably not necessary but neither I nor my guide could believe that animal was still upright and breathing. Hope this helps.

They're limited entry in B.C. and have a minimum power level for hunting. Roughly a 7 mag with heavy bullets.

I shot and old bull last February in Nebraska with a .375 H&H. The first shot from 100 yds perfect placement quartering shot and the bison was calm I thought I had missed. He turned broadside and the second shot was also perfect and again no reaction. The group moved over the hill in a slow walk and we found the bull 40 yds from where I shot him. I now understand how the old hunters could work a stand and pile up 20 - 30 animals in one spot.

I have taken several all with big bore revovlers.

This was my biggest and he was done in with 1 shot from a 500 Linebaugh revolver shooting a 525 grain hard cast (WLFN) at 1100 FPS. The bullet clipped the heart and exited the animal. The Bull was down rather quickly

There I was, on a high wind-swept hill in South Dakota. I position myself 100 yards away from a small herd, with the guide at my side. As I set the rifle on the shooting sticks, my guide says to shoot it in the ear. ---Not the ear canal, but the ear lobe, but only when the neck is extended out to feed.

Apparently, the ear lobe covers the first vertebrate behind the head when the head is extended. One shot, dead buffalo, and no running off. I had my 9.3 x 62, but a 270 Win. is the minimum allowed by the state park.

quote:

a 270 Win. is the minimum allowed by the state park.

uh-oh....here we go again!

The only buffalo hunt I have been on resulted in 3 buffalo shot. 1. with a 35 Whelen 250 Grain Nosler Partition @2600fps, about 80 yds. At the shot, bang, fawap, zing, zipped across the prairie, after passing thru the buff, and flop. Down in seconds. 2nd, with a 300 Ultra Mag, 200 grain factory ammo, took two shots. 1st shot, he looked a little dazed, I was on the camera, at about 80 yds or so, guide says hit him again, bang, he went into dancing in circles for a moment or 2, kicked his legs, and that was it. The 3rd was with a 444 Marlin, and factory ammo, at about 111yds. He was down with one shot in about 50 yds, dead.

45-70's were tried in the hunt before, and were found to be less effective, than the 358 Winchester, which also did a fine job.

The 270 Winchester? Well you all know where I stand on that one, my favorite, but if you can't hit them in the eye or a proper spot on the neck, better leave it home.

Jerry

quote:

Originally posted by michael458:
Pretty cold, temps ran more than 30 degrees below zero that day.
Michael

Pretty cold? Holy crap Michael, that's not pretty cold

I have a couple neices who have shot quite a few free range ranch Buffalo over the last several years probably 3 or 4 a piece and they started when they were 13 and 14 years old. Weapon of choice: 25/06 with 120 grain factory cheap stuff.
The rancher really smiles when these girls show up, they are good shots and pick the base of the skull at the start of the neck for their shot. Shots have all been 175 yards and under and ALL one shot kills. The rancher loves to tell the stories of hunters just prior to the girls that show up with big bores and shoot the hell out of them. One hunter in particular was using a .416 and hit'em hard with the first couple then trailed him all over till the guy was out of bullets and went back for more total of 10 or 11 shots.
I'd say use what you can shoot to pin point accuracy and take the time to learn a Buff's anatomy well. Shoot the heart or break a neck, you'll have a pile of meat.
Good luck and good shooting.

I actualy used to work at a pay to hunt ranch here in Mo. I've seen a few dozen taken with everything from a .25-06 up to a guy with a .500 rem express ,double gun. The fastest kill I ever saw was from an older gent packing a .450-400 sharps. 1 shot at aprox. 71yds. right in the top of the shoulder.It went 2ft.in 2sec. striaght down, as I recall it didnt even kick.But this usualy happens when the spinal cord is severed in any animal.
Saw another get totaly smoked at 60yds with a .338 mag. Right in the sweet spot. That silly thing ran at least 100yds before dropping.
Most like stated previous will go a distance before the message"your dead"gets to their brain. All of the rest of the animals i've seen sure did ,except one.


"Back off man!!...I'm a scientist."

I shot an old bull on Ted Turner's Flying D Ranch in SW Montana with my .54 Cal Green River Hawken. A 40 yd shot with a 435 gr Maxi Hunter bullet just behind the shoulder and angling to the off shoulder dropped him in his tracks. He laid there a few seconds, got up and walked about 20 yds, then fell dead.

I have a friend that worked on two of Turner's Montana ranches with buffalo, and he made several one shot kills on buffalo with his .22-250.

I have another friend that guided buffalo hunts on the Flying D and he has many stories of buffalo kills. Like the guy that wanted to shoot one at 600 yds with his .50 BMG rifle, and hit it 3 or 4 times to a woman who dropped her buffalo with one 7 mm Rem mag bullet.

It's all about bullet placement.

<chuckle> I don't know about medium bores ... I have only shot one Bison, and I wanted to take a Cape Buffalo and a Bison the same year with the same rifle. The .416 Rigby with 350 gr Barnes Xs at 2700 fps was more than adequate.

.270 Win 150 gr NP - shot in the heart from about 125 yards -Bull started running and I was afraid he would make the thick brush so tried for and got the off shoulder-broke left side. That dropped him. Large lone bull that had been pushed out by younger bulls. Both shots were checked while dressing him and neither slug recovered. All that said when I was crawling up on him I was sure wishing I had my .338 WM.