Looking for answers to your buffalo questions?
Q. How large is your buffalo ranch?
A. One is 5,000 acres, the other is 80,000 acres
Q. How old are the Buffalo you shoot?
A. We have shot buffalo up to 16 years old on the ranches, but most of our hunters will shoot a buffalo 4 to 5 years old so that they have a great trophy for the wall, but can still eat the meat.
Q. How old does a Buffalo have to get to be a trophy?
A. A 4 or 5 year old bull has a well developed body and head with nice sharp horns and usually a great mane. It makes a great wall mount and the meat is still very good. If you are into score, the older buffalo (8-12 years) will have heavier bases to their horns, and will score higher. The drawback to this is that the manes are usually not as good in those past prime animals, the meat will probably have to be processed into ground products such as hamburger, jerky, sausages, etc. and many times the hunt is not as exciting since those old bulls get pretty laid back in their later years. Unless you are a buffalo guru, most folks will not know the difference between a 5 and 10 year old bull on the wall.
Q. How much do your bulls weigh?
A. Live weight is 1600 lbs on the low end to 2200 lbs on the high end.
Q. How much cut and wrapped meat will it yield?
A. 25 to 30% of the live weight
Q. Is the meat any good?
A. It is excellent as long as you don't shoot too old of a bull. If you shoot a bull 6 years or older, I recommend grinding it. I personally put one in my freezer every year for the family instead of beef. We love it.
Q. What kind of weapon can I use?
A. Any weapon. Bow, blackpowder, modern rifle, sharps rifle.
Q. What caliber of modern rifle do you recommend?
A. .300 cal or better with heavy bullets.
Q. Is this a dangerous hunt?
A. Yes, a buffalo is a dangerous game animal. Bulls can be very onry and unpredictable. Especially after the shot. Therefore we take precautions on our buffalo hunts to insure your personal safety by keeping a vehicle close by and your guide will also carry a gun.
