Don't know much about it yet, but just asking for some information. My brother called me the other day and said that he has a chance (me too) to hunt buffalo for $600 cow or $800 bull and you shoot it your self in Iowa. I guess it's over the 4th of July weekend. I'm not planning on a wild, fair chase hunt, but if there is alot of land and the animals are wild, it could be challanging and exciting especialy with a bow. Sounds like we'd get to keep all the entire animal as well. Any thoughts on this type of hunt? I certainly have to learn more about it before we go any further. Some of the deails I already know may be wrong.

[ 06-23-2003, 19:43: Message edited by: Shane in WI ]

If that is the total cost, $600 for a cow and $800 for a bull, that would be a fairly decent price just for the meat. Depending on the carcass weight of the critter, but it'd probably cost you $250-$300 to get it professionally cut and wrapped. You do the math, but not too bad of a price for a freezer full of buffler meat.

From the condition of the hair on my bulls(angus) , I wouldn't count on the hides being in very good shape. You are talking about the 4th of July. We've had lots of rain, it's been plenty warm and muggy, and there's been a good crop of flies and skeeters and such, all this makes for lots of rubbin'.

I wouldn't count them beasts being too wild either.

Price isn't bad, but the heat is. Unless the buf can be got off the ground immediately, the meat will sour on you. You will have to get the hide jerked off, the guts out, and all into a cooler in maybe a half hour. Quartering the carcass will help cool it. the hide will only be good for rawhide or leather, definitely not robe material. Better to wait until December, all around.

If this is in central Iowa, this guy comes to all of our local gunshows. It's not really a hunt as much as a shoot, but doing it with a bow might make things interesting. This guy comes to the Cedar Rapids shows and sells meat and hides, he seems like a real nice guy. I can't for the life of me think of the name of the town he is near but it's up by Fort Dodge some where. The December idea would be a good one, the hide would be prime by then, of course it would probably be more expensive by then. The other thing would be that there is also good pheasant hunting at that time, pretty much everywhere in Iowa.

[ 06-24-2003, 16:45: Message edited by: 375hnh ]

Thanks for the responses. My brother found out that the "hunt" is on an 80 acre farm and with the weather and my workload this time of year, we decided to pass this time. Would of been a good opertunity I would think.
I'm alittle disappointed that I won't be able to finally see for my self exactly why: "You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd" (Roger Miller)
I would imagine it has to do with the manure in the wheels of your skates.