Buffalo Hunt

Share your tales (tall or otherwise) of hunting adventures.

Moderators: Kirk, Lucinda

User avatar
holdinsteady
Posts: 112
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:24 pm
Location: Emmett, Idaho

Buffalo Hunt

Post by holdinsteady »

I am looking to book a trophy buff hunt for myself and two sons and came across the P Cross Bar Ranch in Gillette, Wyoming. Anybody have any experience with this place? I spoke with the owner on the phone and he sounds like a knowledgeable guy. Would appreciate any input.
Thanx, Jerry
#1 Shiloh 45/70
C Sharps Boss Grade II 45/70
C Sharps 1885 38/55
C Sharps 1874 44/90
Browning BPCR 40/65
Browning TH 45/70
Winchester TH 38/55
mannyspd1
Posts: 437
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2005 7:53 am

Re: Buffalo Hunt

Post by mannyspd1 »

Jerry,
I hunted there in 2007 with 2 friends. It's not like hunting completely wild buffalo, but it's not a pen shoot either. Expect to take a SCI sized bull. We stayed at the ranch next to Marion ' s house, but ate our meals in their home with them. Accommodations are....well....ok. Unless they fixed up the lodging for hunters, don't expect to much. It was warm and dry. The main house is very nice and modern, and contains many trophies from the owners hunts. I'll find my post on the hunt and put the link on this thread. Ask them about shooting prairie dogs or coyotes after you shoot your bull. Over it was a good experience.
Speak softly and carry a big stick...the exercise of intelligent forethought and of decisive action sufficiently far in advance of any likely crisis
TR
mannyspd1
Posts: 437
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2005 7:53 am

Re: Buffalo Hunt

Post by mannyspd1 »

Jerry,
Here are the links to my story I wrote about the hunt. I hope it helps. Regarding the accommodations at the house, my companions did not care for them, I thought it was ok as it allowed us to eat in their home, swaps stories, etc. For me, it was better than staying in a motel room. All in all they are very nice people and I would book with them again if I wanted to shoot another large bull. I have since shot a yearling bull at another location, for the meat only.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8365&p=73509#p73509

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8387&p=73738#p73738
Speak softly and carry a big stick...the exercise of intelligent forethought and of decisive action sufficiently far in advance of any likely crisis
TR
User avatar
holdinsteady
Posts: 112
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:24 pm
Location: Emmett, Idaho

Re: Buffalo Hunt

Post by holdinsteady »

Mannyspd1........
Thanx a bunch for your very informative post. My boys are thinking seriously about taking their bull with a bow........I will use my 45/90 Sharps. Those are great looking trophies you guys got. Did you have the meat and hides processed locally or did you transport....and if so, how did you transport? I'll be in search of a good flatpoint paperpatch bullet mould. Looks as though you guys had good hunting weather.....we are considering late nov/early dec to ensure prime hides. I spoke with Marion and it appears that the guest quarters have been upgraded since your hunt. Again, thanx for your input....I think I will firm up the dates with Marion largely due to your positive input.
Jerry
#1 Shiloh 45/70
C Sharps Boss Grade II 45/70
C Sharps 1885 38/55
C Sharps 1874 44/90
Browning BPCR 40/65
Browning TH 45/70
Winchester TH 38/55
mannyspd1
Posts: 437
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2005 7:53 am

Re: Buffalo Hunt

Post by mannyspd1 »

Jerry,
I'm sure you will have a good time. Marion had a local taxidermist that he recommended. I cant recall the name. I am somewhat leery of doing that, but you are taking a chance. Marion knows what quality work is and he will give you his honest opinion. My mount turned out very good. He also sent out my back hide which came out great. The meat was done by a butcher just over the Stateline in Montana. We basically traded out our meat for other bulls meat the butcher had already cut up from a week or so prior. See if that is available for you. A large bull is going to be pretty chewy, other than back straps loins etc. The hamburger is great. Because we were able to trade out the meat, we didn't have to wait several days and we're able to bring home frozen wrapped meat in ice chests in my truck. The downside is that you don't know how many shots it took to bring that animal down, if it was run before shot, etc. If possible, take the time to have Marion drive you around the home place, we saw some decent antelope and a few pretty nice mule deer. Tell Marion I said hi and have a great time. Let me know how it goes.
Speak softly and carry a big stick...the exercise of intelligent forethought and of decisive action sufficiently far in advance of any likely crisis
TR
Rufus Krile
Posts: 116
Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2014 12:45 pm
Location: South Texas

Re: Buffalo Hunt

Post by Rufus Krile »

Looking to the future... Just how many 120qt ice chests does it take to transport a middling' sized buff? (I realize that question is akin to "How long is a rope?" but any guidance would be appreciated.
mannyspd1
Posts: 437
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2005 7:53 am

Re: Buffalo Hunt

Post by mannyspd1 »

Rufus,
The 900 lb (live weight) yearling I shot last year fit in one 120 qt and a 48 qt. That meat was boned out, cut, wrapped, and frozen. My big bull fit in 4 + 120 qt coolers, again, boned out, cut wrapped and frozen. (+ or - depending on size, how much jerky you have made, etc)
If you're planning on quartering a large bull to travel with them, they won't fit in ice chests and the 4 quarters will fill a pickup bed over the rails. Manny
Speak softly and carry a big stick...the exercise of intelligent forethought and of decisive action sufficiently far in advance of any likely crisis
TR
77 sharps
Posts: 330
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 9:45 pm
Location: N. CA

Re: Buffalo Hunt

Post by 77 sharps »

Buy a couple of sheets of plywood and some 2" building foam and build yourself an ice chest. This would be cheaper than buying ice chests. My 15 cu.-ft. freezer held a young bull(635 lb. hanging weight). The ice box was 4x4x2 ft. and would have held two young bulls cut, wrapped, and frozen. Two blocks of dry ice was over kill for the all day trip from northern Oregon to Northern California.
Rufus Krile
Posts: 116
Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2014 12:45 pm
Location: South Texas

Re: Buffalo Hunt

Post by Rufus Krile »

I think the line was... "We're gonna need a bigger boat."
Michael Johnson

Re: Buffalo Hunt

Post by Michael Johnson »

Coolers or styrofoam is a great idea if you are doing this before mid-November. I have done this twice before to eastern Wyoming from western Washington state. We hunted in late November - early December and were able to have the quarters from two animals in a pickup (3/4 ton) with a bedrail cover concealing the load. The hides are better late in the year. It stayed plenty cold (20s-30s). Skulls and hides were left at a taxidermist. We found it cheaper to let our local meat cutter cut and wrap it. Besides, I kind of like it hung for 10 days before cutting.- Mike
User avatar
holdinsteady
Posts: 112
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:24 pm
Location: Emmett, Idaho

Re: Buffalo Hunt

Post by holdinsteady »

MJ..................same scenario for us going to Wy and hauling meat back to Idaho. How long was it between quartering the animal and getting it back home to hang? Any problems with it freezing before you could get it home?
#1 Shiloh 45/70
C Sharps Boss Grade II 45/70
C Sharps 1885 38/55
C Sharps 1874 44/90
Browning BPCR 40/65
Browning TH 45/70
Winchester TH 38/55
Michael Johnson

Re: Buffalo Hunt

Post by Michael Johnson »

It was quartered the day we shot. Picked it up at 0800 the next morning. I loaded the quarters in the pickup being careful not to load stuff immediately over the exhaust route (heat). Not sure that it was much of an issue. I have a Tuxedo bed cover that rolls flush with the bedrails. We dropped of skulls and hides at Stan Taylor's Taxidermy in Glenrock, Wyoming. We had two dry cows, my buddy Erich had a mature bull with a young cow - similar setup. Meat stayed good and cold, firm and hard but not frozen. I drove straight to Missoula and spent a night then drove to western WA. It worked well twice with the same plan. If you go before mid-November you risk a freak warm spell and then have to worry about coolers and dry ice.

I do have a 420 quart cooler that can be used for Sept-Nov Elk and deer hunts. If you plan on moving an Elk, Moose, or Bison with such a set-up then you have do be prepared to bone it out to make it fit. Boning an animal is not as big a deal as you might think. I have done it on Caribou and Elk. There are good videos on how to do it on the net. In an article in the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation quarterly, Ted Kerasote writes a nice article on how to do it with an Elk. You can google the article. We did four Caribou that way in Alaska to fly out the meat in Supercubs. I will never haul out whole quarters via back-pack again!

Anyways, hauling whole quarters in a pickup is not a big deal as long as the weather is cold. With a bed cover of some sort, nobody will have a clue what is in there. Your local meat cutter can hang it for 7-10 days and then cut it how you want it. I have a local guy that does my deer and elk and who knows how particular I am with how the meat is handled (i.e.: I don't want some other SOB's meat)

Happy New Year! - Mike Johnson

ps: we used BPCR's 45-70's, 45-90, and 50-90 all with flat nose 40-1 or pure lead loads around 1250-1300 fps. All of these are good killers, mostly one shot, rarely two.
Michael Johnson

Re: Buffalo Hunt

Post by Michael Johnson »

Holdinsteady, I just checked your locale in Idaho. If the roads are bad, you can come back thru southern WY, Ogden, then on up to Boise - easy interstate drive. If the roads are good, come back thru Jackson pass. PM me if you have any other questions. Regards, Mike
mannyspd1
Posts: 437
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2005 7:53 am

Re: Buffalo Hunt

Post by mannyspd1 »

Holdinsteady,
If I read your post correctly, you say your boys want to use a bow on their bulls, and you are going to use your Sharps. That's 3 big bulls. Is that correct? Michael gives a lot of good information on how to get meat back home. 3 large bulls in the back of your pickup truck is going to be quite a load, quartered or not. Mine was just over 900 of pounds of meat....x 3...is about 2700 lbs?!! Plus 3 passengers, guns and gear? Make sure you check the payload capability on your truck!
Manny
Speak softly and carry a big stick...the exercise of intelligent forethought and of decisive action sufficiently far in advance of any likely crisis
TR
Michael Johnson

Re: Buffalo Hunt

Post by Michael Johnson »

I agree, a mature bull and a cow are about max for a 3/4 ton pickup if they are quartered. You could haul more if towing an adequate trailer. Any way you figure, it's a hell of a lot of meat! A dry cow is good for meat. Young bull even better for tenderness! My friend's bull was pretty good, but it hung for 10 days at 34 degrees. I like the idea of my own beef riding home with me, I know how it was taken and cared for. It makes a huge difference and is why I hunt. Check out Stan Taylor in Glenrock for taxidermy - one of the best in the business. He did my friend's bull shoulder mount. It is very imposing! - Mike
Post Reply