Twice as Nice

[Jape]

2020 was rough on the tag front. I think I went 0/21. Combined with the craziness of 2020 and it just wasn’t an excellent year. So, rather than sulking I lived vicariously through others helping on their hunts, after all hunting is hunting regardless if you are the tag holder.

No hunt was more memorable or anticipated more than my dad’s bison hunt. I drew the same tag two years ago and that background gave us lots of confidence. The plan was to hit it hard early in the season to avoid the pressure of waiting until they moved to the refuge. Well, you know the saying, the best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men..... Despite not finding them early, and frankly not having the time to look early, we did see some beautiful sites.

 

[NEWHunter]

Waiting . . . impatiently

 

[Jape]

For any who have been on this hunt, the boundary issues and regs, some of which are insanely archaic, can make a man or woman go crazy. In fact, it can lead to poor judgment calls that seem to occur each year. For example, we heard of a hunter who had a type four tag who grew frustrated and shot a younger bull trying to convince himself it was a cow. As frustrating as it can be, the best prescription for that frustration is patience. So, we waited and waited and waited. We spent a good amount of time in the national forest but just couldn’t find one that a crossed.



January arrived with baited breath in a strangely analogous way to that of our country. They still hadn’t moved from the antelope flats but we knew they could travel to the refuge in one day. On January 14, exactly two years to the day I shot mine, a herd of 50 were staging on the gros ventre river.

 

[Jape]

I left my home immediately and met my dad where we watched them for the rest of the day, along with half the state of Wyoming it seemed Once or twice a bull would walk to the south side of the river and technically would have been legal to shoot, but we knew if we did that they would all run north and it would ruin the chances of all the other hunters there, especially those who held cow tags. We felt confident they would cross in the night.

January 15 arrived early with the anticipation of having waited months for this opportunity. We drove to the gros ventre river only to find tracks headed towards the refuge; they had crossed.

We hurried back south to get onto the refuge by first light. We arrived just after to find the parking lot full and the sound of gunfire. Moments later we saw the herd running back north to the river and safety. It was a defeating moment and it all happened so fast. One of the aspects of this hunt that I now hate.

As if the hunting gods were smiling down on us, we saw two bulls peel of the group and head southwest. I’ve never been so happy to have access to horses in my life. We jumped on and headed at an angle to have a good shot opportunity. With them so spooked we knew the shot would be further than ideal, but you have to take every opportunity you get on this hunt.

We finally got within 400 and instead of running they were walking with occasional stops. We ranged, calculated, and my dad put his first shot in the bull’s front shoulder. I’m always amazed how strong bison are. It took three more bullets until he was down for good. Relief was the overwhelming emotion of the day.



It was a special day and twice as nice to share that experience with my father almost two years to the day. We now have prime protein for the next year or so, and memories to last a lifetime.



Nice big ticker for heart tacos!

 

[.270Rem]

Trophy of a lifetime and you got to experience that hunt twice. Congrats to your Father and you have a lot of cutting and wrapping ahead.

 

[NEWHunter]

Thanks for sharing. Congrats. What are the plans for the head/hide?

 

[Jape]

Thanks for sharing. Congrats. What are the plans for the head/hide?

Shoulder mount, European mount with cast horns, and some type of throw/rug with the back half. I know some people leave the tail on for that but I don’t think he will.

 

[Irrelevant]

Sweet, are those elk in the background of the first pic of you and your father?

 

[MTLabrador]

Awesome!

 

[Jape]

Sweet, are those elk in the background of the first pic of you and your father?

Yes, there are several thousand of them on the refuge right now and it actually made getting in close proximity to the Buffalo much more difficult. We tried to get closer to them and a herd of elk would spook and make the Buffalo run. We also had to wait for a herd to pass the Buffalo before we could make an ethical shot.

 

[Elkhunter24]

congrats!

 

[fallfreak]

Congrats on a great hunt! Those are some big animals and wonderful table fare.

 

[MarvB]

Great pics and congrats again!

 

[bowhuntmontana]

Glad it came together for you and your father. That is a different kind of hunt. Great pics too.

 

[geetar]

I would love to do the hunt just for the scenery. Those mountains in the background are beautiful.

 

[FAIR CHASE]

Epic!

 

[BlakeA]

Congrats!

 

[ZMT588]

Congrats! Awesome Bison!

 

[bmt99]

Yes, there are several thousand of them on the refuge right now and it actually made getting in close proximity to the Buffalo much more difficult. We tried to get closer to them and a herd of elk would spook and make the Buffalo run. We also had to wait for a herd to pass the Buffalo before we could make an ethical shot.

Congrats. Good write up.

I am amazed what people see in photos. I would have never seen those elk in the background.

 

[Deleted member 18333]

Great bull. Of the folks that I know who have had that tag I would say that its 50/50 on those that loved the hunt vs hated the hunt. Seems like the hate percentage is slowly creeping up though. Glad you and your dad where able to have what looks like an enjoyable hunt. Congrats to you and your dad.