04 May 2011, 22:21
George DinaBison hunt free range
Can anyone recommend me an outfitter or a guide for a bison free range hunt?
Do you have something like this in US?
Thanks!
04 May 2011, 22:54
Longwalkerthis is the only outfitter that I know of who offers hunts, there may be others to consider, but it's a start
www.yukonsheep.com/bison.htmThe Crow Tribe in South Dakota offers them on their reservation. And the State of South Dakota offers hunts at Custer State Park. Both hunts are considered free range and the animals are eligible for entrance in the Boone and Crockett Record Book.
Don't have a clue as to the price or who to contact though. You would have to do the research yourself.
05 May 2011, 01:11
Brian ClarkAre you looking for buffalo or wood bison?
quote:
Originally posted by George Dina:
Can anyone recommend me an outfitter or a guide for a bison free range hunt?
Do you have something like this in US?
Thanks!
If you are after a truly free range hunt in a truly wild environment, you best bet is in Canada and not the USA.
This outfitter in Northern Alberta has a good reputation.
http://www.andrewlakelodge.com/wildbuf.htmI used to live in that area. This is near Wood Buffalo National Park: 45,000 square km (17,000 square miles) and thousands of truly wild buffalo. A couple of hundred buff on private land in the prairies is nice, but is not really comparable.
John
They also have free range bison in Arizona, Utah and Wyoming. But, the odds on pulling the tag are long. However, you can't get the tag if you don't apply.
05 May 2011, 04:52
edholumThe Custer State park hunt in South Dakota is a pretty good one. It is getting more expensive and harder to draw but the quality of the hunt is outstanding.
My hunt report, it includes all the contact info:
CSP Bison Hunt06 May 2011, 00:31
tendrams+1 on
www.yukonsheep.comTim Mervyn's area is stellar and he is as honest as the day is long. This is a truly great hunt for pure Wood Bison and is the only spot a non-resident can hunt this species to my knowledge. It costs a pretty penny, but the quality is definitely there to justify it in my opinion.
With the other hunts for bison in general, there always seems to be a trade-off. Sometimes lower cost, but then you have sketchy logistics with some of the Indian Reservation hunts (particularly the Crow), LOOONG draw odds for the lower 48 and Alaska public herds, and a lack of "wildness" in the Custer State Park hunt (Yes, I have happily shot bison there too so I am not being an elitist). No offense to the poster above, but Custer just ain't the 10,000 square mile Yukon area that Tim has. That said, Custer is just a bit more than half the price of a Yukon hunt so it is not to be ignored as a good option and is definitely preferable to the Res hunts in my opinion. Chad Kremer (the Custer herd manager) is a good guy from what I recall.
Another option is Eric Grinnell and a few other outfitters in Alberta for Plains Bison/Wood Bison hybrids. These hunts are about the same price as Custer (maybe $1000-$2000 more depending on the outfitter) but it's a whole lot more wild hunting there on the outskirts of Wood Buffalo National Park. That said, the animals are not B&C eligible for the odd reason that technically you don't need a license to hunt them. I don't know why B&C has this policy but for many it might not matter. As these animals in Alberta are Wood/Plains hybrids, they are importable to the US.
Used to be you could also hunt pure Wood Bison in the Mackenzie Bison refuge of the Northwest Territories. Last I heard, the outfitter had lost the concession to the local tribe which was now running it. No clue what the current status is but I would probably anticipate high costs and dubious logistics.
The Pink Mountain herd in BC is also hunted by a few outfitters and these are pure Plains Bison. For the US hunter, this matters obviously as they are importable and it is probably a great hunt as I have heard good things about it. For a European however (and for what is about the same money), I would hunt with Tim at
www.yukonsheep.com , take a pure Wood Bison (a more interesting species IMO), and see more remote interesting country.
JMHO