This past Saturday finally completed one of my "bucket list" items and took a nice bull bison with my .405 Winchester take down with receiver sights. After about 3 hours of hunting, the bull I was after finally managed to separate from the herd and presented a shot. He was about 85 yards away and broadside. Was shooting off hand and hit him solidly in the lungs and you could clearly hear the wack of the bullet and he just stood there. He knew he was hit but didn't move. Hit him three more times in the lungs and then he finally moved about 100 yards and went to the bottom of a small ravine and laid down. The guide and I walked up to him and he told me to hit him again so two more rounds made it to the boiler room. The fight was soon over after that. The guide warned me before hand they were super tough critters and he was right. First time in my life I ever hit any any animal that many times before it died. My respect level for this animal went up a huge amount. I killed my fair share of big bull moose when living in Alaska and never had to shoot one more than twice other than the bull shot with a revolver. And the moose we killed were much bigger than this bison.

The load was 52 grains of IMR 3031 and the bullet was the Barnes TSX .411 300 grain. We recovered two bullets just under the hide on the off side and they looked like an advertisement for Barnes with the classic four petal fold. Two exited the off side and the other two we did not find. Never did chrono the load and it showed low pressure signs and always thought I should increase the powder charge about 2 grains. But after having two pass through a bull bison what more do you need?

I'll post some photos of the bison and the bullets within a couple of days but for now its back to wrapping the meat.

It was about 5F when we began the hunt with winds blowing about 20 mph. In the back of my mind was thinking about the oil in the mechanism getting thick and slowing things down and was a little worried about the "rebounding hammer" issue with this rifle but so far it has never failed to fire. Rifle performed perfectly feeding and ejecting every round with precision.

Great job; yes, Bison are like zombies; they don't know when they are dead so they continue to walk until they bleed out. The 405 is plenty of gun for them; they seem immune to shock. I once gave one both barrels of a .450 Nitro right behind the shoulder and he just kept walking like nothing was wrong. I am sure the first bullet was all you needed but I always shoot until they fall down. And stop kicking. Pictures will be good. Where did you go for it?

The hunt was with Routier Outfitters out of South Dakota. They are in the northwest corner of the state. Found them through this forum and everything went as planned, no surprises. Heck, even bought the rifle from another forum member.
Organized the hunt with Randy Routier and his younger brother, Ryan, provided the accommodations and did the guiding.
I did have this hunt scheduled for Jan 2014 but asked them to delay it at the last minute due to neck surgery and they did with no penalty. They also allowed my wife to go on the hunt with me as well and she video taped it.
Thumbs up to the outfitter.

Cant wait to get the hide back from the taxidermist. It was so soft and thick I couldn't believe it.

Congratulations!!

I shot one several years ago with my Shiloh 45-70. 500grGC bullet at 1570, close to 100yds. You'd have thought I shot him with a paintball bun. A good double lung shot, but he just wandered off to the nearest mudhole and laid down about ten minutes later.

They are incredibly tough animals. It's really good news that they do not have the disposition of a Cape Buffalo; or there'd be no people living west of the Mississippi.

And the downside to that is?

+1 for Routier Outfitting Ryan is a great guy and a pleasure to hunt with

Congratulations! Did you take home a bunch of meat?
I have taken a cape buff and water buff with my 1895 .405, and saw a friend take a big bull bison with his .405, but I took my bison with my .45-90.
It was running left to right and when the 450 grain Kodiak took it in the shoulder, it went down like a sack of potatoes. As you stated, the "thwack" of the bullet striking meat was very audible. It had deceased by the time I reached it. All great eating too.

One of the main reasons we went was for the meat. Hard to estimate exactly what we ended up with but I am guessing approximately 500-525 pounds.
Its good stuff

Great job! I will love to see the photos. Sounds like great eating too!

Bison are good to have in the freezer. My family has shot 6 or 7 of them over the years. I found a 450 Marlin to be pretty good medicine for them. We have yet to have to shoot one more than once.

http://i26.photobucket.com/alb...841555&1425397843035

http://i26.photobucket.com/alb...zs.jpg?1425397843036

http://i26.photobucket.com/alb...jy.jpg?1425397843036

I weighed both of the bullets and they still weigh 300 grains. Took some measurements of the petals and on average they expanded to .740.

It was a pleasure having you out Randy and hope you had a good time.

Bison are incredibly tough..I have seen them shot with about every caliber including one that took 5 300 Wbys rounds and went several miles to die..

The last Bison I shot was with my Jefferys 450-400. Took a hit center lungs and ran 50 yards and stopped, stood there for some time and the other Bison were pushing him around trying to get him going and keep him on his feet..not unusual btw..He finally expired and the herd ran off and we kept our position until the returned in about 15 minutes and tried to get him up..they usually return twice then leave for good..Its a good idea to wait all this out before you approach one..

Not much since it shooting one two or three more times as they just stand there until they die, but may run of if shot again...strange animals...

The old hide hunters knew all this and would do a "stand". that is shoot one in the lungs and kill the rest of the herd with lung shots, as long as none of them ran off you could shoot the whole bunch, if one did run from a second hit, then the whole herd would stampede and leave the country..That was true back then and still is today..I'm told on a cull the practice of a stand is still used by growers.

I boned out all the quarters and rib cage except we did keep three packages of ribs for the smoker
Wrapped many packages of tenderloins, back straps, roasts, top round steaks, as well as big pieces of the shoulders for jerky and stew/chili meat. The rest went to the processor to made into various sausages and burger. Just the part we dropped off to the processor weighed 206 pounds. My best guess is we ended up with at least 475-500 pounds of boned out meat. Both the wife agree it tastes better than any moose we had.
Great hunt, enough quality meat to last us two years, and within a few months will have an awesome prime tanned hide. Glad we did it.

Tough critters? Absolutely. Know I could of just waited for him to die after the first two lung shots but my feelings are once hit they deserve a fast death so that is why I added 4 more to the boiler room. Ammo is cheap insurance to finish the job.

Bison are known to be phlegmatic and not to respond dramatically to minor annoyances such as being shot through the lungs or such.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/phlegmatic

However, even a bison or other such beast will succumb to a shot that breaks them down. Places such as the pelvis, shoulders, and backbone will destroy their ability to stand , walk or run. Such shots may damage some meat, but as Snowwolfe said, there is a lot of meat on a bison!

http://www.usatoday.com/story/...onal-park-/24354303/

Well the car survived less some $$$ for repair !

Corbon has a new load for the 45-70 .Good for lots of things. 350 gr , Swift A-frame at 1900 fps.

A big Canadian wild bull bison will render near 800 pounds of packaged meat and the last one I shot in the USa was a bit over 600 lbs. Not boned out but butchered like cattle.

I must be remarkably lucky. When I was stationed at Ft Sill in the 50's The Wichata Mountains Wildlife reserve had the largest herd of remaining Buffalo in the US or so they advertised. They would sell off a few when they reached their carrying number for the range. They would sell the meat to units at Ft Sill for picnic & such. My unit bought half of one with another unit and I was elected to shoot it. I used an M1 with military ammo and shot the one the Rangers selected at point blank range right between the eyes. As the saying goes he went down like poleaxed. The rangers butchered it and I took my half and went back to the unit. It really was good. I'm sure they picked the oldest one they could find. I tried to get a permit here for ten years and was never successful. We would go on shares to pay for the license and someone different was picked to hunt each year and he applied for the license. I was never drawn. Much the same with Elk but I actually put in everyyear for 15 years without being drawn before I gave up. Arizona is a bummer in that respect. You go to New Mexico and just pay the fee. Lots easier.

I keep hoping I will find some desperate seller at a gunshow with one of the TR takedowns in 405.

Rich

Don't laugh, it could happen...

It could...

Rich
It was nice to visit with you at SCI.

I hope you find a good Winchester 1895 Take Down in 405 WCF.
IT just might be, IMHO, THE BEST, Iron Sighted Lever Action Rifle on The Planet.
I love mine.

Tony,
Did you not take your rifle to Australia for a buff hunt? How did it perform? Dont recall seeing a report on the 405 in Australia.