Tatonka's First buffalo-The great Buffalo hunt of 2007

[Kenny Wasserburger]

Back last fall at Raton,

We were talking a buffalo hunt, Michael Jackson wanted to shoot a nice trophy bull. Jimbo and I knew this rancher just north of my folks place was having hunts, several of Jimbo's friends had hunted there.

So the hunt was set up and a date picked.

I offered the use of my Business rifle in 45-110. Tatonka! Mike really like the feel and the way the gun held and shot and recoil was not too bad for him sitting off X sticks.

Friday 1-19 Jimbo and Mike showed up at the ranch we sighted the rifle in shot well for us with testing at 100-150 and 200 yards. We also tested Jimbo's scoped Creedmoor rifle in-case we had to make a shot over 200 yards. After Testing and sighting in we adjourned to Lusk for supper and a bit of merriment. Bryan and Vern came with the trailer to hual the hide and Buffalo to be processed.

Sat morning 1-20-07

Headed up to Stan Swanson's Ranch with Jimbo and Michael, and Bryan and Vern in tow.

Stan took Mike with him in the ranch truck, Jimbo and Bryan and Vern and myself followed along behind in our trucks.

First set up on a small herd, Mike and Stan got within 180 yards or so then the herd spooked, the old Lead cow winded them, and off they went. WE worked around to where they came out on a flat bit of ground, and Mike and Stan set up for another shot. The Herd milled about for what seemed like forever. The big herd bull finally got clear of the bunch and started toward Mike and Stan, Stan warned Mike to be ready as we did not know if the bull was going to charge or was just wondering who they were.

At 65 yards Stan started to wave and holler at the bull, he turned away and Stan yelled at Michael to hit him. Mike promptly did just that.

A single shot, we were watching back from a good distance and saw the bull lifted up and turned over feet in the air and hit the ground saw the smoke while the bull was in mid-air and then heard the report as he hit the ground. AWESOME!!!!!

The big guy never even kicked, his feet twitched some but that was it.

Autopsy showed that the bullet entered about 2 feet back of the shoulder hit a rib, the bull was moving when Mike shot so it was a bit far back then where he had aimed.

But lucky for us it hit a rib, making it angle up, plowed though his left lung making it a mess then angled on up to ram into his spine which was about 15 inches below his hump where upon it broke his spine and traveled about 15 or so inches down the spinal column. This is why he dropped like he did.

The bull weighs aprox 2000 lbs. Head is huge and the robe has no rub marks or scars, its very prime and will make a great robe.

Load used was 104 grs FG Express Goex 01-75 lot its a touch hot at 1400 plus Fps with a 520 gr 475125 Lyman Gov bullet cast 20-1.




Mike and Jimbo and me with his bull


Close up of Mike-Bryan and Vern



Michael and Stan waiting to get a shot at the herd bull just moments before he started towards them.



Michael explaining the shot, moments after the buffalo went down.




I gather from what Michael said he was ordering a Business Rifle today just like mine for his own hunting rifle. In 45-110 of course!

Kenny Wasserburger

[bryany]

I swear that the above story is true to the best of my memory.

I had a damn fine time and felt privilaged to be part of the event. It was a very well run operation and the Swanson's made all of us feel welcome. Stan admited that the bull went down with more authority than he was used to. The lung shot would have got the job done but the deflection into the spine is what anchored him. In all of the hunts I have been on, I can't recall seeing a big critter go down so hard from a single shot. The closest I can think of is when I hit three antelope with my F250 last winter. I was over trucked so meat damage was the end result. The 45-110 hardly ruined any meat the way it looked after the bull was skinned.


Bryan

[rdnck]

Kenny--Congratulations to you, Michael, Bryan, and Jimbo. That is a lot of candy for a dime. A bull buffalo with a 45-110 Shiloh Sharps is as good as it gets.

That soft roundnosed Govt. bullet out of a 45-110 loaded with a good charge of Goex 1F puts animals on the ground better than anything I have ever seen. Michael's bull with Tatonka reaffirms what I have been hearing from other hunters this year, as well as what I have experienced myself. All I can add is that you boys had too much fun! Shoot straight, rdnck.

[bryany]

Dan, the slug is still lodged in the spine somewhere. The butcher will find and return it when he gets to work on it. There was very little bloodshot meat around the entry hole. The bullet went through a rib and then kept on plowing.

Bryan

[Brent]

Dan,
Beware of judging bullet expansion with small sample sizes. Somewhere around here I have a picture of two bullets shot with the same load in my Sharps .45-100. One did not expand whatsoever on it's 60 yd trip through the heart of an eland. The other expanded to 3 times it's original diameter on it's 215 yd trip through a springbok. Both were 40:1 with a .0.22" meplate on a 535 gr 1.5e LSWC FN.

In my book, soft is better, but hard might get it done.

Brent

PS. Shot a small whitetail last Friday with the same bullet, same gun, same load. At 100 yds, it passed through but entrance and exit holes were nearly identical. My conclusion, little expansion.

[Long Knife]

Kenny,

Could you please ask Mr. Jackson where or whom made his great looking buffalo coat.

Thanks

Long Knife

[Kenny Wasserburger]

A friend of Jimbo's Tom,

Made the coat and its his, Jimbo brought it along to add to the photo's looks great!

Tom will be the one who will mount the head for Michael and getting the robe tanned also.

Kenny Wasserburger

[Kelley O. Roos]

question Kenny, actually two,

Not to take to much away from this topic, were was this hunt by the way? And two, ever heard of the Frontier Reserve Ranch?

Kelley O.

[Kenny Wasserburger]

Kelley,

Hunt was about 8 miles north of My folks place on the Swanson Ranch. As for the outfit you have mentioned nope have not heard of it where are they located?

Kenny

[Kelley O. Roos]

Supposed to be 25 miles North of Lusk and slightly South of Redbird.

I saw land for sale on E-Bay and happened to see this 36 acres and so noted location. I think if you haven't heard of the place it is a made up name for sales. The place looks to be on the same highway that heads to Gillette.

I also happened to notice on E-Bay that down in Sweatwater County by Wumsutter, were that 40 acres I own is, there was prime land for sale for $8,000.00. If only the gas company would drill a gas well on my land, hummmm, rental money would be nice

Kelley O.

[Kenny Wasserburger]

Oh Kelley,

Yeah that's the old Clark ranch I had heard they were parcels for sale there, I had heard they are very pricey!

Kenny

[Jeff F]

Kelley, been spending a lot of time in Wamsutter and there are oil rigs sprouting up everywhere down there. They are drilling enough holes in the ground down there to let the air out of the whole state. You need to find someone down there that might be interested in drilling on your property before the boom comes to an end.

[Brent]

What does a lease go for down there? We have a lease on the family homestead in NE South Dakota (Hardin County), and I can't say I'm gonna be able to retire on it.

Brent

[Kelley O. Roos]

Kenny,

36 acres for $39,000.00

Jeff F.,

I did find that 4 acres, about 10 miles South-West of Wumsutter. At that time there were gas wells a few miles South of my place. The gas companys pay something like $3,000.00 a month, I believe. That whole area was owned by the railroads at one time. Maybe I should go look at that piece of land again and see whats up.

Kelley O.

[archdlx]

anybody want to sponsor a canuck oilfield operator? lots of experience!
PLEASE!!!

LeRoy