The American west brings to mind many varied images. Cowboys Indians tall grass prairie, varied adventure and misadventure and yes the mighty plains Bison. Living in the heart of the old west in Dodge City Kansas ive had the opportunity to experience much of the history and color of the old west. Many of the activities associated with the western past are still a way of life in this part of the west. Hunting and use of firearms are not necessarily considered evil or strange.

Over the course of my adult life I have been able to enjoy the hunting and shooting traditions, which were taught to me by gentleman, who have in some cases continue to enjoy the same. Many great friendships have developed because of this past time and I am sure many more will be made in the future. One such friend Mike Bartlett owns a large herd of American Buffalo. Early summer of 2003 Mike stopped by my shop for a friendly chat and the reminiscing of a mutual friend who had past away in the early spring. Of Course the conversation came around to Mikes spectacular herd of buffalo. It seemed that Mikes herd bull was becoming a major problem and was going to be replaced with several younger less aggressive bulls and by the way would I be interested in hunting said aggressive bull. Well that decision took about one second to make. Sign me up.

  This bull buffalo was 71/2 years old and free to roam on about 15000 acres of prairie ranch land. A prehunt scouting trip in September let me get a feel for the lay of the land and the herd. Being a free-range herd finding them took some time and effort. Once located with the aid of the Toyota pickup and binnocs a 300-yard sneak was in order. The closer I got to the herd numbering approx 75 cows 50 1 to 2 year olds and the BULL the more restless they became. At 75 yards the cows and young ones all started to pay attention to the guy with the camera. Twenty-five yards later all of buffs except the Bull headed for the hills. The Bull paid extreme indifference to me.  He was a true monarch of plains. Many close up photos were taken of the herd. At twenty-five yards I felt relatively insignificant to such a mighty beast. After a few portrait photos of the BULL I began to wonders if it was truly prudent to remain in such close proximity to an animal with a history of disdain towards all things human or domestic. The hunt was only possible because the BULL completely refused to cooperate with the rancher’s plans to take him to market. Wrecked people, vehicles, sorting pens, corral, and gates start to get expensive.

  After the mid September pre hunt scouting trip and photo session many plans had to be made. Just what exactly does one do with a 2000 plus pound buffalo? As any one who has ever had dealings with such an animal can tell you the buffalo KNOWS he can do anything he wants. Being an avid hunter and target shooter the selection of weapons was paramount. Living in Dodge City Ks and my number one recreational interest being the shooting of black powder cartridge rifles competitively I knew that a buffalo rifle of yesteryear was in order. While I own many single shot rifles the decision was made early on to shoot a sharps. A reproduction 74 straight grip, double set trigger, heavy barrel rifle was to be the weapon of choice. Cartridges loaded with the traditional 70-grain charge and a large lead projectile were proposed. The Classic Bullets 475 gr Flat Point was chosen and load development began. Several trips to the range confirmed that the Classic Bullet Flat Point lubed with Lee Shavers B P Moly lube, with a 70-grain charge of 3ff Swiss compressed .200 with a John Walters .60 vegetable fiber produced a respectable three-inch group at 200 yards. Load development and practice on a full size buffalo silhouette was done at a private range (known locally as the Big Woody Rifle Range) owned by my friend and shooting partner Kenneth Miller. The full size buffalo silhouette allowed a more realistic practice session. 

  The first week in October a package arrived from Steve Brooks containing samples of his new line of hollow point bullets. New possibilities were now available for consideration. A phone call to Steve and yet another mold was on its way to Classic Bullets. Well built high quality molds are a Steve Brooks trademark and this new mold was no exception. Bullets were immediately cast weighing in at 465 grains with a massive hollow point extending to nearly the first driving band. Several trips to the range showed this new bullet to be as accurate as the 475-grain flat point. A further plus was discovering both bullets have nearly the same point of impact to 200 yards with the 70-grain 3ff swiss charge. After discussion with my friend James Linthicum who is a sculptor with a great eye for spatial relationships a plan was formulated as to the preferred target zone on the BULL. Practice went well with various types of shots and presentations.

Any buffalo in the 2000 pound range is going to present many challenges to the hunter.  With the average beef steer weighing 800 to 1000 pounds most of the packing plants in the local area were simply not up to the task of processing an animal with a live weight exceeding 2000 pounds.  Arrangements were finally made with a local processor at a cost of  .30 per pound based on the carcass hanging weight. Butchering and packaging of such an animal are well beyond the capability of the hunter who typically harvests few small game animals and the odd deer.

  As this would probably be my only opportunity to harvest a true trophy quality American Bison, preservation of the head and hide was of great concern. Art Albro with Mid Kansas Tanning was selected to preserve and tan the robe. A bison shoulder mount will require a substantial amount of wall space and unobstructed viewing area. Having lived in my current home for many years my possessions and belonging have expanded to fill nearly all of the existing space. What a dilemma. Fortunately several years ago a friend introduced me to European style skull mounts. I have had two deer mounted in this fashion and was very pleased with the results. Getting two trophies a spectacular buffalo robe and a skull with horns mounted to a walnut shield certainly appealed to me. So another portion of the planning was finished.

  Arrangements were made with the owner of the BULL for the use of a front-end loader, large trailer and truck to transport the BULL to the processor on the day of the hunt. Nobody has enough friends to load a dead 2000-pound animal on a trailer. Due to the size of the BULL and the proximity of the processor the decision was made to skin and dress the BULL at the facility. A vet would need to be present to record and attest to the BULLS health and demise. Since the bull was not to be killed at the processor the meat can only be processed as not being for sale.

  With the pre hunt planning nearly finished a date when all the participants would be available was set. The big hunt was on for December 29 2003. Several months of planning and I was finally ready.

  Hunt day arrived and I was ready. A beautiful western Kansas winter morning clear skies, bright sun and a moderate 40f temp made for excellent hunting conditions. I arrived at the ranch gate at 8.00am very excited and ready for the hunt. The pre hunt plan was to locate the herd and hopefully be in position for the kill by 11.00. This would allow time for transport to the processing facility, which had requested an arrival of no later than 1.00pm. Well so much for plans. The entire herd was within 1000 yards of the gate and well aware of our arrival. A herd of buffalo doing what buffalo do is a sight that is as inspiring today as it was over a hundred years ago. 

Not having to locate the herd put the hunt considerably ahead of schedule.  Almost immediately several of the older cows showed signs of interest. The Bull was content to lie at the edge of the herd and displayed absolutely no interest in the proceedings.  While a fair hunt was of utmost importance a protracted chase was not. While the entire herd grazed alert but peacefully on small hill approximately 800 yards I made finale plans. 

My 74 Pedersoli Sharps was uncased. Sights and mechanisms were checked.  Pre hunt scouting trips had determined that I should be able get close enough to the herd for a 150 to 200 yard shot. With this in mind I set my Lee Shaver Super Grade Soule Tang sight for 150 yards. Practice sessions had shown me that I could expect approximately eight inches of drop from 150 to 200 so a longer shot would require me to hold off accordingly. My hunting partners for the day armed themselves appropriately with a 450 Jeffries, Ruger vaquero in 45 long colt, Sony digital camera, and a Sony camcorder. A laser range finder, a loaded sharps with the hammer at half cock, with an additional six cartridges in my coat pocket and I was ready to go.

At two hundred yards several of the cows began milling with a wary eye towards the on coming hunters. Forty more yards and it was apparent that the herd was preparing for flight.  An older cow was heading with a great deal of purpose in the most obvious direction of flight. Many of the younger animals were beginning to follow and the Bull was rising to his feet. This was the moment I had planned for.

  A check with the laser range finder verified that the Bull was 165 yards away, standing broadside to me observing the lead cow slightly downhill from his vantage point. Feeling this would be my best shot I quickly sat on the ground and prepared. Pulling the hammer to full cock I took a deep breath centered my sights at the top of bottom third of the Bulls body directly behind the front leg and pulled the trigger.

The explosive boom and sulfurous white cloud of smoke from my black powder 45-70 load brought an immediate reaction from the herd. As I refocused after the recoil the older lead cow was at a run leading the herd away. The Bull was still standing. After an initial few seconds of stiff movements he began walking up hill.  Having heard the impact of my shot I was certain he was hit. But where? More importantly was it a killing shot? As the bull ascended the hill blood began pouring in large quantities from his side. With no evidence of blood from the mouth or nose indicating a lung shot I was positive The Bull was mortally heart shot.

My immediate concern was to put the Bull down as quickly as possible. His direction of travel would put him over a cliff edge and despite his wound was traveling with a great deal of purpose. As he paused and looked back I shot for a second time.  This seemed to renew the Bulls resolve to leave. After nearly 100 yards uphill the majestic beast fell to his knees, truly a magnificent struggle both sad and exhilarating.

As I approached the downed Bull I felt rather insignificant next to such an impressive animal. A few photos were taken and it was time to load. It was an hour-long project loading the bull on the trailer and traveling to the processor. At the processor skinning dressing and hanging of the carcass were accomplished in short order. Prior to any work at the processor the bull was weighed. Pre hunt estimate of 2000 pounds was within 20 pounds. Hanging on the rail the carcass weighed in at 1150 pounds. The meat was cut and wrapped resulting in 400 pounds of burger and 300 pounds of roasts and steaks. Bones were cut into manageable pieces and donated to a local zoo with a lion. At the end of the day all that remained was to deliver the hide and head to the tanner and taxidermist.

At the tanners the nearly 200 pound wet hide was spread out and salted to dry.  When I receive the tanned robe in September the tanner has advised me that it will weigh nearly 70 pounds and measure 10 foot by 12 foot.  The bulls’ skull was taken to local taxidermist who specializes in European skull mounts. I received the skull in March and mounted it on a slab of American black walnut. Both of these magnificent trophies will provide memories of a tremendous hunt for years to come.

The great American west is still vast and open. Many opportunities still exist to experience the western heritage. My American bison hunt has given me a great appreciation and some small understanding of a time and place  long past .

Article written by: Mon Yee