A few years ago, My friend Dr. Juan Pozzi, invited me to a Whitetail & B. Bear hunt on Pensylvania woods, we were invited by his old friend Steeve Willow from USA, and the hunting would have place at free public lands, nothing was 100% secure, So I decided, if Im going to spend u$900 in fly tickets, to book another trip, so in the worst case, I would bring more than one experience from my firstime in USA .
When I started to look the prices, the chances became few, (I really like the Moose but very away for my $$$ posibilities) so I had to decide to choose something according to my bills.
During the research, a friend of mine Ph Willy Foerster, suggested me. Why dont you try an American Buffalo ? A Bisont I say? ; yes , I can contact you with a guy in Minnesota that is BowHunter s Guide, and maybe he can fix a trip for you.
From that moment I forgot the whitetails and started to make the connection with my first USA guide.
Im really fanatic of huge animals like the Asian water buffalo, Plenty of them in the Argentinian north, and the idea of shooting that manificent animal, to know a new country, and take an American classic from the old western, really entusiasted me. (Maybe Charles Bronson inspired me in the film White Buffalo ! ! ! when I was child)
Ok, No more talk. The place was a Ranch a few miles from Aberdeen South-Dakota.
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The guide was Gordon Swenson from North Country Outfitters a fine guy from F. Fall, Minnesota.
Gordie and his bull.
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Because was very recent the 9/11 attack I decided to not travel with guns and borrow one (that was my only mistake ) later I will explain you. After a lot of flights from, Cordoba Argentina to Santiago de Chile, then to Cleveland ( I passed a few days with a friend in Akron City) later via Minneapolis, I arrived (with a crazy flat wheel landing ) to Aberdeen City.
We slept in a nice and clean Hunters Motel over the route (The Numer Eight Motels) plenty of Hunters, because that area is full of wild pheasent, and Hunters from USA and over the world came every year to take those nice birds.
The property belongs to a WWII veteran Willard Sumption ( 93 ? ) , a very nice gentleman that fought in the Pacific war (Philipines) against the japanese.
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He knew Buenos Aires (He passed a few days in the Argentinian Chief Town; Capital Federal, during his travel to the pacific war ! ! ! ) so we talked a lot about his experience in Argentina, The first day we took a look, there are a about 600 Bisonts population in that huge property so we made a scouting to find a good Bull.
During the evening we took the rifle and made some shots to check it (Ruger Model 77, Cal 7 mm Rem Magnum, Nosler Factory ammo 170 JSP) later we tried local homemade moonshine (shinemoon ?) . eat whitetail meat sticks, smoked elk etc... and visited another property. Early in the morning, we left the truck behind a hill and started to walk to make the aproximation, the major invonvenient (None) to shot this huge animal is to evaluate the trophy and avoid to wound other animals (the males are all the time together).
After 20 minutes, we saw a huge male with nice horns, we aproached slowly until Gordie gave me the ok to shot.
Like a Oldtime Bowhuter, He asked me to shoot on the chest cavity, near the elbow (In the heart), I was at 80 yards, close to that huge animal,so I suggested a headshot, but he asked me to dont shot to the head, ok, I shot the first on the chest cavity, maybe a little high (My fault) the animal didint move, after the thunder, he looked us ???,'' without waiting, I shoot again !!!, but this time in the head, the bullet hit on the left horn botton radius, the animal dropped for a seconds, stood up, and started to run, so I shoot again!!! but this time in the neck, behind me Gordie was shouting, Dont Shoot, Dont Shoot any more !!!, after a little run behind the bull, a last shot (from the waist- line, without aiming the rifle), hit in the Bisont back.
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Years later I took kwnolegment about the Bison hunter s classic shoot in the spine.
The animal tried to hide behind other Bulls, but all the Males started to fight with him to take off from the herd (The others bisonts smelt the blood and started to reject him, a natural reaction to avoid predator attraction) It weighted 2100 pounds, The first bullet passed trought the chest cavity but didint touch the heart, the skull shot didint passed the parietal bone (just broken it and passed under the skin and over the skull to the oppositte side of the head, the shot in the back only destroyed leg meat, but the shot in the neck was the lethal one, destroyed both yugular arteries and part of the throat.
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The lesson: Never be undergunned and if you are going to use a medium rifle, use the right bullet for that job !!!. I really missed my 416 rigby and Barnes triple X.
I almost forget, Mr Sumption and his son Larry, let me take a wild pheasent in his property with his old 20 gauge Ithaca single barrel shotgun, magnificent bird that I finally gave to Gordie to eat during the thanksgiving holyday.
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Finally My bull at home
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My friend Juan Pozzi took 2 female Whitetails, but I was not lucky with the w. deers....., I hope the next time I have my chances.
Was a nice experience for me, My first time outside my country alone, (very useful for my last african trip) I met another country and took more experience for the day that I will be in front of My Cape Buffalo, that I wait to be soon ! ! !, I hope you like my modest report and enjoy it. If somebody wants to take one american classic and full-up of meat your freezer, you can contact to ; Gordie Sweanson at ; northstar@prtel.com or Phone 218-739-2856 North Country Outfitters.

Great story and photos! Thanks for sharing!

Si, tambien! Nice job, Guillermo. La carne es muy bueno, no?

KG

P.S. Shinemoon? You did try it, apparently!

Kamo Gari; A litle tought, but unique, yessss SHINEMOON !!! Thanks friends, very kind words!!!