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Old January 16, 2014, 11:22 AM   #1
Mayor Al
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Off to Missouri to Hunt some BISON

We've hunted Hogs and Boar at the High Adventure Ranch in Missouri a couple of times in the past... but this time it is Mid-Winter and we are after a Bison.
I am using my Ruger Model 77 Mark II in .338 Win Mag caliber, 250 gr SP Remington ammo, and a Ruger 44 mag SBH revolver for a back-up.

I am too old and lame to do a "Dances with Wolves" chase scene to get my critter, but we will bring home over 600 lbs of Bison Meat for the freezer (and for us)!!

The place has over 5 sq miles of woods and hills, so, while it is not the South Dakota Prairie, It also is not shooting in a barnyard. We enjoy our stay at the Ranch. Accomodations and the food are great, and the staff provides outstanding service especially for those of us who don't get around as quickly as most folks.

Looking forward to the hunt.
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Old January 16, 2014, 07:29 PM   #2
Kreyzhorse
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Hunting bison is a dream of mine and I'd love to see some pictures from your hunt when you return. Good luck and good hunting.
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Old January 16, 2014, 07:35 PM   #3
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Questions

I have property in Missouri and want to go hunt bison at high adventure. Their website video makes it look like you are shooting at a zoo. How much tracking or hunting did you do? Maybe bison are alone but the elk kill you could see other animals congregating. I would like to try it out as I will be there this summer.
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Old January 16, 2014, 08:53 PM   #4
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Al, I look forward to hearing more about your trip. I live w/i 100 miles of there and have been considering a hunt with them.

You must be going for one of their trophy bulls if you will wind up with 600 lbs. of meat. Good luck and good hunting!
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Old January 17, 2014, 10:05 AM   #5
Mayor Al
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more

I am in my 70's and use a cane , so chasing them thru the woods is out of my performance zone !! The place is big enough to give you the feel of woods and meadows. We have done two summer hog hunts, and my wife took a white-tail doe as a bonus critter two years ago and we did not get the 'shooting in a Barnyard feeling that could be at some places.
.
The accomdations are nice (comfortable and clean) The food is outstanding, and the staff really trys to assist any way they can. The meat amount can vary based on age, sex, and overall size of the critter.

All I know is that Bison runs $10-$15 /lb in the specialty stores in this area, and roughly the same at on-line meat sellers. If we can bring home 500 lbs for an investment of under $4000 plus have a great weekend and keep the hide and head...Thats a pretty good deal for me. I probably won't get to do it twice, but at least I can mark off another item on my "Bucket List"...at no real cost for us (considering the retail cost of the meat).

Taken Last Summer while on a hog hunt at the Ranch..



My grandson with his hog from that trip



Some of the Bison



Bison Tenderloin Steaks before and ready to eat...





Excited about going...HellYes !!!
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Old January 17, 2014, 10:31 AM   #6
ChasingWhitetail91
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Sounds like the hunt of a lifetime. I'd love some pictures of the animal you get as well as the landscape if you get the chance. We have a bison farm up here and they would make my stand up in the hay wagon, probably because you could feel the buffalo coming before you seen them.
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Old January 17, 2014, 10:55 AM   #7
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Good luck and have fun. Lookin' forward to the pics.
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Old January 17, 2014, 10:57 AM   #8
Rifleman1776
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There is a big bison ranch on hwy. 160 south-east of Springfield, MO. It looks like shooting them would be like shooting a cow in a pasture. However, you still get the meat (great eating) and the hide, etc. If I can scrape together the funds, I might do it with my .54 caliber flintlock Jaeger. That would be fun. A 400 pound feral hog was recently killed about 50 miles nw of Springfield. Good luck and enjoy.
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Old January 17, 2014, 04:04 PM   #9
longranger
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Wyoming does a public drawing for bison around Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. I drew a tag a few years ago and an amazing, beautiful,lung busting,back breaking and some of the finest meat on the planet. I had pictures (digital) and lost them all. Now I use both film and digital.I used one my Shiloh Sharps in 45-90, shot a 3 y.o. cow @ 125 yds. one shot stumble, looked at me fell over dead after her heart was blown out. You can't use any vehicles to retrieve your animal for $200.00 a few locals with a teams of horses will get your animal out. I would have done it my self as the weather was cold,skinning and quartering out a 700 lb animal in the Tetons with wolves around was not a plan,it was $200.00 well spent.It would be plan today as there wolf tags for the counties around both parks.The hides are gorgeous the meat delicious, you go ahead and have yourself one helluva time with those kids and grandkids,you are blessed man to do so.
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Old January 17, 2014, 04:19 PM   #10
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Damn those steaks look good. Bison is excellent, never had fresh tenderloin though.
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Old January 17, 2014, 05:04 PM   #11
Mayor Al
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AZ-
I bought a Bison Sampler packages.. a bunch of various steaks, 2 roasts and one 4 lb tenderloin from "Buffalo-Gal, an on-line vender in Minnesota. We had eaten burgers before but not the bigger cuts. The package cost a bit over $100 shipped, but that tenderlin made 8 steaks and a tail piece that was great too. The other steaks- t-bone and ribeye and strip were as good or better than beef of the same name. The roasts are very lean, so plan to add some bacon to cooking any in a 'roasting pan' We wanted to taste it before we spent a lot of bucks for the hunt.

Photo report will be posted ASAP when we return

On another issue- You can get a dvd of the hunting environment at the High Adventure Ranch by asking for it (free) on their website. Tell'em Mayor Al sent you!

http://www.highadventureranch.com/10_reasons.html
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Old January 19, 2014, 08:19 AM   #12
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Have fun, but don't expect 600# of packaged meat from the kill. Very likely 300# will be closer to the mark.
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Old January 19, 2014, 12:15 PM   #13
Cowboy_mo
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Expected amt of meat ...

I had the same ? as Mobuck about live weight/wrapped meat expectations for a bison. A little research produced this site.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...59568121,d.cWc

According to these experts (and it tracks closely to what I know about cattle) a 1000-1100 live weight animal should produce close to 600 lbs trimmed, cut, wrapped meat.

I am going to contact the High Adventure folks and may be scheduling a hunt there myself. Mayor Al, maybe we'll run into each othere.
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Old January 19, 2014, 06:35 PM   #14
Rifleman1776
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For beef cattle a 50% cutability is very high. It is usually much lower. That chart says 56% from a bison. Very good. Makes me want to do the hunt even more.
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Old January 20, 2014, 12:17 PM   #15
Cowboy_mo
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I talked to the folks at High Adventure to clarify their approx weights for the different classes of animals. They list Yearling 350-450 lbs, 2-3 yr. old bull at 750-900 lbs, etc. They stated this was 'live weight' and they estimate boneless meat produced at 30% of live weight.

I'm still thinking but maybe getting close to pulling the trigger on one of their hunts.
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Old January 21, 2014, 09:51 AM   #16
Rifleman1776
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Quote:
they estimate boneless meat produced at 30% of live weight.
That strikes me as being more realistic. Good to check in advance rather than think you were cheated after the fact.
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Old January 21, 2014, 04:45 PM   #17
fdf
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I read a post on another site about hunting bison.

Response was rent a UPS truck on Friday, practice your stalking and dry firing practice on Saturday and Sunday and return the truck on Monday morning.

Kind of did not seem like fun anymore, never been and do not have any more wall space any way, enjoy your meat.
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Old January 22, 2014, 08:01 PM   #18
Mayor Al
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Here is a report I posted on another forum...BTW we did bring home close to 310 lbs of boneless meat, plus the leg bones, hide and head (for a blanket and European skull mount.

TRIP REPORT ON THE BISON HUNT AND RESULTS !!!

Well It was a successful hunt and a great, relaxing weekend for us. I got my Bison and Charlie, my neighbor and friend, took a large hog, both now safely in our respective freezers.

We drove over to South-Central Missouri last Friday night, arriving in time for Breakfast Saturday morning. A group of hunters were finishing up their stay, packing up their meat and gear and clearing out during the morning, while we unloaded our gear and moved into the lodge. We had the main lodge ( Sleeps 10-12) to ourselves during our stay. There were two other pairs of hunters, one a guy and his girl friend after hogs, and older gentleman and his son taking a Elk and a Red Stag Hind (Doe) and a couple of hogs. After the departing bunch left we got together with Jason, our Guide, to fill in the license forms and discuss the details of what we wanted and how we wanted our 'take' processed.

After a great lunch of Pulled Pork and Buffalo Chili (yeah it was cold there too!) we went out to scout for the Bison. Using the game roads (like firebreak roads out West) around the ridgelines for an hour or so, we finally spotted a small herd in a meadow near the woods that we were in. We had decided to use the Ruger GSR in .308, as I am very comfortable shooting it and had more confidence in my capability with it than with the .338 win mag. We got within about 125 yards (by the rangefinder) and leaned on a tree til the Bison we had selected moved clear of the others for a shot that would not cause damage to another animal. That took a few minutes. Using the 180 gr SP Core-loc Remington ammo, one shot and the Bison dropped like a stone (in Place). The herd started milling around it, nudging it and checking it out. The guide ran to his truck and headed down the hill to clear the onlookers away before they damaged the hide on the downed animal. While that was going on, the 'victim' tried to get up a couple of times, but couldn't, and then he died, all within a minute or two of the initial hit.

Once the guide cleared the area, he and Charlie headed out to find Charlie a hog of decent size, while I remained with my Bison, waiting for the shop crew to come out with a bucketloader to haul it back to the processing shed. I got some photos of that butchering process. Man those guys were quick. They had the critter (Hanging weight about 700 lbs, skinned and into major cuts in about an hour.

While they were working on my Bison, my neighbor came back in with his Hog and the guide started working on it as well as a second one for another hunter. The other hunter had bagged an Elk and the hog. He had thought he wanted to 'cape' the elk for a large trophy mount, but changed his mind to just taking the skullcap and antlers (5x5) and the meat. When he saw me checking my Buffalo Hide for damage, he asked me if I wanted his Elk hide. I thanked him very much and accepted it with thoughts of some nice soft leather goods in mind.

Then, while the crew finished up the processing, we headed down for dinner, enjoying some roast Bison and Red Stag with excellent side dishes that evening. It had been a long day, so I passed on the evening story swapping in the 'rec-room' and hit the sack. Sunday morning the place was really quiet. Only two others in the whole place with the meat-cutters working on our final cutting and wrapping, and those two hunters out getting their turn at chasing the game, It was time for us to kick back and read and relax while watching the animals wander the meadows around the lodge. The pond was iced over , so the fishing option was not too inviting at the time. Watched a little footbal, downed some great SPRECHERS Black Bavarian Ale and walked down to the dining hall for another fine hunters lunch. Afternoon was a pleasant repeat of the morning. We did take a ride around some of the ranch we did not see the first day.

Monday morning the crew loaded up our coolers and we checked out and headed for home. Except for the low temperatures, it was as pleasant as our Summer visits have been. My take in this event is 2 large coolers full of butchered and vaccum-sealed Bison meat, One cooler of Rbs and Leg-bones for soup and marrow, and one cooler with the two hides (Bison and Elk) PLUS the head in a trash-bag, now hanging in the barn waiting for me to do the skull-boil treatment for a European Mount trophy, The hides are ready to go to my local taxidermist here in Floyd County. All in All a good trip and we are pleased with the quality of the service at the "HIGH ADVENTURE RANCH", Plus the Bison we have sampled tastes Great !!

the Elk acted as picket guards for the herd of Bison on the hill


We waited till some individuals wandered off a bit



As soon as we shot our animal, the crew came out from camp and hauled it into the butchering shed



They also processed our hog ASAP and got the meat wrapped and into the freezer-


The 180 gr SP .308 round did it's job well passing thru the top of the Heart and lodging against the skin on the opposite side from entry.



We got two coolers of meat, one of bones and ribs, and one of hide and skull...plus my friend has one of Pork.

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Old January 22, 2014, 10:53 PM   #19
jmtbiggin
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Thought meat had to "hang" or "age" in the meat locker for few days prior to butchering? Looks tasty as hell.
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Old January 23, 2014, 09:13 AM   #20
Spats McGee
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That looks like it was a FANTASTIC hunt!
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Old January 23, 2014, 09:17 AM   #21
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One of these days when budget allows, I want to try Bison. I will try fo head west to thebprairies of Colorado or Wyoming or something on that order.
Well done Mayor Al, glad you enjoyed it. I wished I could talk you out of a few of those big fat ribeye steaks!!!!!
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Old January 23, 2014, 09:41 AM   #22
Rifleman1776
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Good story. Makes me want to go.
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Old January 23, 2014, 10:53 AM   #23
globemaster3
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Great report!

If you don't mind me asking, what was the hog situation down there? Were they paying excessively to shoot hogs or were they being targeted as pests?
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Old January 23, 2014, 12:18 PM   #24
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Sounds like you had a good trip, glad you enjoyed it.

The gentleman gave you a great gift when he gave you the elk hide.
Elk does make some of the softest leather.
I have a pair of custom made chaps made from elk, they are the softest and most comfortable chaps I've ever worn, tough too.

Best Regards
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Old January 24, 2014, 09:48 PM   #25
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Sounds like you had a great time. So glad you got to fulfill yet another item on that bucket list. Good for you.

Also, the meat looks fantastic...happy eating.
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