.50-70 on Buffalo
Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 9:01 pm
Took the family down to Pierre again this year for another buffalo hunt.
This year I took my single trigger #3 sporter in 50 1 3/4", 475 gr ppb, 40-1, 70 gr. Swiss 1.5.
Had the boys load up three shells for me, like last year, and marked those shells with a red sharpie marker.
They did all the loading except cast the bullet.
The weather was pretty nice except the day we went out to the ranch, visibility was only around 100 yards due to heavy fog.
Spent most of the morning driving around trying to figure out where they were. Last year you could see the small herds from miles away.
As we sat on top of a butte one of my boys thought he saw buffalo on top of another butte about two miles away. It turned out to be a
herd of mustangs, but as we were looking at the horses we suddenly heard a rumbling sound below us. Turned out there was a small herd
right below us that spooked when we started talking about the horses. We picked up their tracks and followed for about a half a mile and
were able to see a dark mass of animals about 150 yards away through the fog. It was to foggy to pick out an individual animal so we just
started slowly getting closer ten yards at a time. A few times they started to get edgy so we just sat down and waited. After about 30 minutes
of this we were within about 100 yards and able to see the animals clearly. I looked at a really big bull and then found the littlest and then picked
out one that was between those two in size.
Last year I went for a heart shot, this year I went for a regular double lung. When I touched her off the bulls tail went straight out and his head
went down and he just stood there. I knew I got him good so I just reloaded and waited for him to fall. Well I waited and waited and the bull just
stood there rocking back and forth for a couple of minutes, so I shot him again. That shot made him jump and he and the rest of the buffalo took
off running but he was only able to run about 30 yards and he fell down and got the heck trampled out of himself by some of the bulls behind him.
The guide then walked back to get the pickup and the boys and I walked up to the bull. When we were about ten yards away the bull lifted his head
up, looked at us, then seemed to try to get up. As soon as he turned his head back to straight I picked out his ear and aimed slightly behind it and below the horn
and brained him good.
All in all it seemed like the lung shots killed him plenty but I think it took awhile for his brain to get the message. I think his running did more
to hasten his demise than anything, as it got him breathing harder than he was just standing there. Both bullets exited and left inch to inch and a half or so exit holes.
One of the shots, probably the second, shattered the lower third of the humerus bone on the off side and the ball still exited. When I was cleaning up the carcass I
found some sheared pieces of lead along the sharp edges of the broken bone.
Here is some pics.
We found this bullet as we were skinning the head out. It exited just left of dead center of the X you'd make if you were shooting straight on.
It was barely through the skin and caught in the hair. It is about .900" at its widest point. Only a penny left over this time.
Just picked up the meat today, ended up with a little over 300 pounds. The way me and my kids eat meat I don't think it will last till the fall.
Thanks
Gannon
This year I took my single trigger #3 sporter in 50 1 3/4", 475 gr ppb, 40-1, 70 gr. Swiss 1.5.
Had the boys load up three shells for me, like last year, and marked those shells with a red sharpie marker.
They did all the loading except cast the bullet.
The weather was pretty nice except the day we went out to the ranch, visibility was only around 100 yards due to heavy fog.
Spent most of the morning driving around trying to figure out where they were. Last year you could see the small herds from miles away.
As we sat on top of a butte one of my boys thought he saw buffalo on top of another butte about two miles away. It turned out to be a
herd of mustangs, but as we were looking at the horses we suddenly heard a rumbling sound below us. Turned out there was a small herd
right below us that spooked when we started talking about the horses. We picked up their tracks and followed for about a half a mile and
were able to see a dark mass of animals about 150 yards away through the fog. It was to foggy to pick out an individual animal so we just
started slowly getting closer ten yards at a time. A few times they started to get edgy so we just sat down and waited. After about 30 minutes
of this we were within about 100 yards and able to see the animals clearly. I looked at a really big bull and then found the littlest and then picked
out one that was between those two in size.
Last year I went for a heart shot, this year I went for a regular double lung. When I touched her off the bulls tail went straight out and his head
went down and he just stood there. I knew I got him good so I just reloaded and waited for him to fall. Well I waited and waited and the bull just
stood there rocking back and forth for a couple of minutes, so I shot him again. That shot made him jump and he and the rest of the buffalo took
off running but he was only able to run about 30 yards and he fell down and got the heck trampled out of himself by some of the bulls behind him.
The guide then walked back to get the pickup and the boys and I walked up to the bull. When we were about ten yards away the bull lifted his head
up, looked at us, then seemed to try to get up. As soon as he turned his head back to straight I picked out his ear and aimed slightly behind it and below the horn
and brained him good.
All in all it seemed like the lung shots killed him plenty but I think it took awhile for his brain to get the message. I think his running did more
to hasten his demise than anything, as it got him breathing harder than he was just standing there. Both bullets exited and left inch to inch and a half or so exit holes.
One of the shots, probably the second, shattered the lower third of the humerus bone on the off side and the ball still exited. When I was cleaning up the carcass I
found some sheared pieces of lead along the sharp edges of the broken bone.
Here is some pics.
We found this bullet as we were skinning the head out. It exited just left of dead center of the X you'd make if you were shooting straight on.
It was barely through the skin and caught in the hair. It is about .900" at its widest point. Only a penny left over this time.
Just picked up the meat today, ended up with a little over 300 pounds. The way me and my kids eat meat I don't think it will last till the fall.
Thanks
Gannon