personally after viewing several pictures of how the barnes solid copper bullets expand I think I would use a nosler partition gold before them.

Guys.

We are considering a trip this year that may well offer the chance for a free ranging Bison - this in addition to Moose, Whitetail, Wolf and Coyote.

I am quite content with the idea of using a 30'06 with heavy, tough bullets for the Moose and all else.

A question for those who have taken them, from your experience, would you be happy to use this calibre on North American Bison?

I am aware of the location of the vitals within a Bison and do not shoot any beast in the ass!

rgds Ian

Heck yes. Of course, bigger is always better if you can place the shot.

The premium bullet thing is a must. I shot mine with Hawk bullets out of a 9x57R moving at the glacial speed of about 2100 fps, most likely slower than a 358 Winchester. Since I had two quick shots (double rifle) I sent one behind the shoulder into the heart/lung area and the next one into the shoulder to slow him down. He didn't go far but he stayed on his feet for a looooong time. Very tough creatures, but not too tough for a well placed heavy '06 round.

A 100 grain broadhead works good too.



What is the largest caliber rifle you own?

Ann

A 50 cal Barrett but also got a .375hh. Yes, I know that both of those will do the job - but that aint the question!!

Rgds Ian

The free ranging bison are a very tough cookie.The littlest gun I would use is 338 win mag with 250 gr bullet.If I ever get drawn I will use my 416 rem mag.The hunters in Alaska learn quickly how tough they really are.Any thing that can scap foot wide trees running is tough.There is a board of buffalo kills that shot how many shots it takes.The guys using 375 and 458 have taken up to 3 or 4 shots.Yes 30-06 mighT kill one but you might loose one too.They can run for miles wounded.The big bulls look like tanks as the plow through the woods.You want to drop them at the shot and not have to go across the river to find him.Buffalo is a big cleaning job so is moose .If they run to hell and back it makes meat tough too.

DGR416 - thanks for the feedback - Ian

btt

I killed Two farmed Bison (Half as tough as wild) at the end of January With a .470 Nitro express. Both were shot low through the shoulder at about 60 meters, and to my utter amazement, both kept their feet under them for several minutes before expiring. I am sure that you can kill them with any well placed bullet; these boys are very tough and you should consider using the largest rifle you have access to.

Having hunted truly wild wood bison in The Yukon, I think the 30-06 with heavy (200+ grn) bullets can work if one insists on using one gun for the entire trip (not a bad idea if it is the gun you shoot well). I don't know that the calibre is ideal for just bison however. My Yukon bull took two shots from the .416 Rem into the boilerroom from a range of about 30-40 feet (the stalk was obviously a good one) with NO reaction at all and amazingly neither bullet exited. This is, however, common in bison and a 30 cal bullet can do the job when push comes to shove. It took a third shot from the .416 into the spine to anchor my animal before he got to thick cover that would have made recovery difficult. This is where the larger bullets shine in my opinion. Heavy, sturdily contructed bullets really pay for themselves when you need to break through big bones or penetrate large muscular areas. If it were me, I would probably not use the 30-06 on a wild (read pricey and elusive) bull or, if you must, really try to make a seriously conscious effort to get a quartering away shot and slip a bullet (or two for good measure) under the animal's front "arm pit" and into his heart . . . then go for the atlas joint at the base of the skull as a quick back-up to anchor him. Just a thought . . . why not use the opportunity to invest in a new .375 or .416 ? Just make sure you practice with it before heading out.

Out of curiosity, where are you planning to hunt and with whom? I know of only a few areas in which the outright purchase of a tag (without drawing) is possible. If I can help at all, please let me know.

Best,

JohnTheGreek

IanF: If you want to kill your Buffalo dead in its tracks then I would suggest you use the following described aiming point. You aim your present Big Game Rifle and loading 3 inches below the ear and 3 inches toward the rear of the animal. Lots of Buffalo Hunts going on here in Montana and I have seen them killed instantly (one shot) in their tracks using this aim point, with the following calibers: 348 Winchester, 338 Win. Mag., 30/06, 308 Winchester, 35 Whelen and 45 Long Colt! Yes one shot from a Ruger Revolver in 45 Long Colt 3 inches below the ear and 3 inches to the rear at 45 yards and that 3 1/2 year old Buffalo fell so hard and so instantly it actually appeared to bounce up a couple inches! I have 35mm pictures of this phenomenon!

This shot does not ruin any meat! This shot is I believe the most lethal and least damaging to the worthy parts of the Buffalo! This shot does not touch the skull. This shot does not put multiple holes in the pelt! I.E.: A friend of mine here in SW Montana had to reload the magazine of his 30/06 bolt Rifle and fire some more shots into the heart lung area of the Buffalo he took this past fall! He never did tell how many shots he took to bring this creature to bag! His wife relayed to me that he had to reload his Rifle after emptying it into the big Buff and fire some more!

This shot must be taken while the creature is broadside!

Good luck on your Hunt!

Hold into the wind

VarmintGuy

I have to respectfully disagree with you Varmintguy on the virtues of the atlas joint shot as the first target to consider on this animal. For someone who has never shot a bison, the margin of error, when considering we are talking about a free roaming bull and what might be longer ranges, is just too great. I would rather be sure the bison is going to die with a hole or two in his heart/lungs before trying anything too fancy. That said, I think the atlas joint is a great target for a second or third shot to prevent a bull from getting into an area of nasty terrain and thus making recovery difficult (or impossible).

JMHO,

JohnTheGreek

i dropped my farm bison with a shot to the shoulder. a 140xlc in the shoulder nocked it down then i followed it up with a quick shot in the lungs and then one in the neck. the range was 80 yrds.

my dads took 3 140gr X-bullets from his 270wby through the lungs and made it about 200 yrds and just stood there. i told him 2 back ans 2 down from the ear. his first shot hit in the neck a little low and mine missed. then i hit her right in the ear hole and it dropped on the spot. all but one shot exited. the barnes is 136grs and it lost part of two peadls. there is still the one in the head of the one but i didnt dig for it.

if i was going on a free range hunt i would take something over 338 or a 338 mag as a bottom line.

Thanks Guys - as always - great to hear opposing points of view on this topic. Mkes you wonder how a 45/70 ever worked!


Rgds Ian

I've never shot a bison, but if I did, I'd pack something that shot a super premium bullet meant for penetration! Barnes X's would be my pick, and in a heavy-for-caliber weight. 175 gr. 7mm, 200 gr. 30 cal, 220 gr. 8mm, 250 gr. 338, 250 gr. 35 cal, 300 gr. 375, and 400 gr. 416 My choice would be a 338 Win Mag, 375 H&H, or 416 rem mag, probably one of the latter

Ian,

That is because the bison shot with the Sharps and Springfield rifles were killed to starve off Native Americans. Therefore, no one was too worried about mortally wounded animals taking minutes, hours, or even days to die, and travelling miles in the meantime!

I have shot many bison over the years. I have seen:

1.) 300 Win mags fail miserably on head shots (bullet failures) they did manage to give a bison a bloody nose though.

2.) 12 slugs leaves lumps on the bison's head, again head shot.

3.) Hard cast 45-70s drop in were they stood, again head shot. The bison which was abused with the 12 gauge above, and one of the 300 Win mags.

4.) a 45-70 shot to the chest which clotted up and the animal was tracked and killed later with a 30-06 and 220 gr round nose.

5.) A 416 Rigby empty a magazine plus two and still it took the bull a couple minutes to die (it was a rather melodramatic display since the first round fired was fatal).

6.) 500 AHR (Jeffery Improved) which to date has killed 7 bison, 6 were one shot kills. All 7 dropped at the shot, one got back up, but did not go anywhere the second shot ended the contest immediately.

Bison are tough, and should be hunted with the most powerful rifle you can proficiently shoot. This is the respectful thing to do.

Scott

Hobie,

Not at all, I took a 1200 + pound bison bull in Feb of 2003 with my bow, ranch hunt in the Ohio hill country. Lotta meat there! Broadheads make a significant hole in most critters.

Scott.

My thanks for your opinions, based on your experience.

rgds Ian

Ian,

You are most welcome.

Brent,
Lets not drag this thread down into a political discussion. The US did not fire bomb Japanese cities during WWII either. A little tic for tac.

Scott

Varmitguy is right on with shot placement. If you hit them in the neck or even the trachea (2-3" behind the ear, 2-3" low), they'll drop like a ton a bricks. If you try for the good ol' shoulder shot it may take a lot of lead, if they even give you the opportunity to shoot again. I've seen bison soak up several shoulder shots, the bad thing is many times they leave no blood due to all that hair acting like a sponge.
I shot mine with a .300 Weatherby at about 150 yards...make sure you have solid bullets like a Corebond or Barnes X. Make sure you go the range and practice too.

MG