New Mexico Buffalo Hunt

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Jim Swanson

New Mexico Buffalo Hunt

Post by Jim Swanson »

On October 28th I received a call from Mike Root, outfitter and long time friend. Mike had just returned from a bear hunt in the Gila National Forest and called to let me know he had cut the trail of a large bull buffalo a couple days prior. He asked if I was interested in the possibility of taking a bull with a Sharps or Winchester; black powder of course.
Adjacent to, and sharing a common boundary with the Gila is a privately owned buffalo ranch. On occasion, a bull will decide to explore off of the ranch property, at which point it becomes a liability. Mike has a fee agreement with the ranch management that enables him to legally hunt them.
In regards to a “fair chase” type hunt, which the majority of us are interested in, I’d like to put this into perspective and provide a little insight into the vastness of the country. The Gila National Forest and Wilderness area is located in the southwest corner of New Mexico. It consists of approximately 3.3 million acres. The elevation in the high desert country starts at 4,500 feet and tops out at almost 11,000 feet. The Continental Divide meanders for about 170 miles through the Gila, to within 50 miles of the Mexico border. As a matter of fact, this is the country that was considered Geronimo’s stronghold.
I‘m not implying that once a bull is off the ranch he makes a beeline for Mexico. Like most game, once they locate a reliable source of water, food and cool shade they seem to be content to remain in the area. It’s simply a matter of locating the area.
I don’t consider myself a very “lucky” hunter. You know, like the guy who steps out of his RV on opening day and finds himself face to face with a record class bull elk. I tend to locate deer during elk season and elk during bear season. I shoot something and it rolls or runs into a canyon before it dies. You get the picture. This particular hunt however, was definitely an exception to the rule.
On November 1st my son and grandson (6 years old) threw our gear into the truck and headed south to the Gila. The plan was to hook up with Mike at an old mining ghost town where there was a water tank and a corral. About 5 miles from the rendezvous point we found his truck parked on the road. Mike was out on foot tracking the bull that had recently crossed the road and headed up a canyon. We waited by the truck and a short time later Mike appeared. The bull had moved down a canyon, up onto a ridge and down onto the flats.
I had my Shiloh 45-70, black powder loads (Goex 2F) and shooting sticks. My son carried his 86 Winchester in .450 Alaskan and my grandson carried his Stevens .22 Crack Shot breechloader to back up his dad.
To make a long story short, we located the bull. We moved to within what I estimated to be 100 yards. The distance was later verified with a laser rangefinder to be 109 yards. I shot sitting with the aid of the sticks. The bull was facing away, slightly angled to the left approximately 25 degrees. I aimed for the off (right) shoulder. The 500 grain cast bullet entered just behind the ribs on the left side and traversed through to the right shoulder, where the bullet stopped just under the skin. The bull turned and provided virtually the same shot, only this time he was facing slightly to the right. The bullets crossed paths in the chest cavity with the second bullet stopping against the spine. Both bullets were recovered.
That night we took the meat to a processor in town. It weighed in at approximately 800 lbs. Even after processing we’ll have enough meat to last the winter.
Last Saturday I stopped by my son’s house. My grandson, who we take on elk scouting trips, came over to me, hugged me and said, “We’re hunting buddies, aren’t we grandpa.”
In my estimation, there is no accomplishment or status a grandfather could possibly achieve that would equal the distinction of being considered a “huntin buddy” by a grandson.
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Trigger Dr
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Post by Trigger Dr »

To me, the words from the grandson were more of a reward than the Bullalo. great story
Trigger Dr
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Omaha Poke
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Post by Omaha Poke »

Jim, I hope to be able to live long enough to do the same thing with my new grandson who is just now 3 months old. Great story, and congratulations on a good hunt. Randy
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Post by nohorse »

Congrats on accomplishing a great hunt. Also the great write up you provided. And, heartfelt respects for your being able to share this adventure and the memories with both your son and grandson. That is the way to do it my friend.
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45 - 70 #1 Sporter, 30 inch heavy octagon with MVA mid range soule and MVA spirit level sights
45-70 Hartford Model, 30 inch heavy octagon with Axtell Hartford Transition and MVA combination sights [the hunter!!]
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