Short notice Bison hunt

[FREAK]

So a friend of mine informed me he’s coming through Bozeman Friday and Sat. for a bison hunt. He drew the Gardiner tag here in Montana. He offered half the meat for a hand in the hunt. Word has it they’re in and out of the park but get pushed back in pretty quick once the Native Americans get word they’re out.

Anyways, we’re going to give it a try and I’m curious to hear any thoughts on field dressing equipment, processing strategies, etc., from those of you that have harvested one? Even stuff like what kind of fat did you add to the meat if any? What %. Is it worth keeping the hide and taking time to skin it out. I’m trying to prepare a bit and contribute to these threads for once in a non-sarcastic, smart ass way…

 

[warmer]

SNOWMOBILE

 

[375H&H]

Bull/cow? Knife, sharpener, saw, sled, rope, come along I consider mandatory after I did my bull.

If bull, cape for whatever mount you are doing and leave the rest. If cow, take as much of the hide as you can/want. Use saw to sever spine behind skull and windpipe (picture a 4” PVC pipe).

Leave fat on meat but 10-15% bacon or suet (whatever you like) will make the best burger you ever had. My bull was killed shortly after the rut so not much fat on him, the animals now may be different.

To process, do everything you can on one side then use come along and rope to roll. My bull was xxl so a cow should be a bit easier. Front quarters were 95lbs and hind quarters around 130lbs on mine.

Many right ways to butcher one, but that’s how I did mine. Some other guys on here probably do it better. Just start cutting and you will figure it out.

 

[ccc23454]

Me and @375H&H shared lots of conversations about this before his hunt and he covered most of it above. I will add some things i recommend you have: a tarp, a battery sawzall with long blades and several spare batts or a cleaned chainsaw with cooking oil for bar lube. Long knife 8-10"s. Good sharpner, couple cargo starps, meat hooks are real handy. The sled is super important if you cant get to it with snowmobile/vehicle. I reenforced mine by lacing the rope all the way around to spread out the load. @amo16. If i remember right on his bull their sled was chain wrapped to use with their horses. Breaking news: its a lot of weight. How to handle hide, i would strongly suggest you have a plan with your taxi before you hunt and know what you need to keep. Good luck and its f@#!ing crazy when you shot one so dont do it at sunset!

 

[Jape]

The good news is you shouldn’t have to worry about bears, but I would bring a shotgun in case some wolves come near. I found it helpful to gut first and get some air circulating in the cavity before quartering. Makes getting at the tenderloins easier and those are important. If you do that, make sure you protect the cape if planning a shoulder mount.

Good luck and share the success story when you return!

 

[FREAK]

Bull/cow? Knife, sharpener, saw, sled, rope, come along I consider mandatory after I did my bull.

If bull, cape for whatever mount you are doing and leave the rest. If cow, take as much of the hide as you can/want. Use saw to sever spine behind skull and windpipe (picture a 4” PVC pipe).

Leave fat on meat but 10-15% bacon or suet (whatever you like) will make the best burger you ever had. My bull was killed shortly after the rut so not much fat on him, the animals now may be different.

To process, do everything you can on one side then use come along and rope to roll. My bull was xxl so a cow should be a bit easier. Front quarters were 95lbs and hind quarters around 130lbs on mine.

Many right ways to butcher one, but that’s how I did mine. Some other guys on here probably do it better. Just start cutting and you will figure it out.

Great info! Thanks. I’m guessing he’ll shoot whatever comes out of the park. Very limited time so we’ll have to take what we can get. Thank you, I’ve had bison before and it’s some of the best meat so I’m going to take my time if he gets one and really pick it clean.

 

[FREAK]

The good news is you shouldn’t have to worry about bears, but I would bring a shotgun in case some wolves come near. I found it helpful to gut first and get some air circulating in the cavity before quartering. Makes getting at the tenderloins easier and those are important. If you do that, make sure you protect the cape if planning a shoulder mount.

Good luck and share the success story when you return!

I’ll bring something for the wolves and plan on gutting it. I’d imagine the tenderloins are quite large. I’ll reply back with how the hunt goes. I wish he had more time; it’s not every year they come out of the park like this.

 

[The Hedgehog]

A battery powered sawzall is a must. The more people the better. The closer to the truck the better.

 

[The Hedgehog]

They are seriously big.

Whoops

 

[375H&H]

Me and @375H&H shared lots of conversations about this before his hunt and he covered most of it above. I will add some things i recommend you have: a tarp, a battery sawzall with long blades and several spare batts or a cleaned chainsaw with cooking oil for bar lube. Long knife 8-10"s. Good sharpner, couple cargo starps, meat hooks are real handy. The sled is super important if you cant get to it with snowmobile/vehicle. I reenforced mine by lacing the rope all the way around to spread out the load. @amo16. If i remember right on his bull their sled was chain wrapped to use with their horses. Breaking news: its a lot of weight. How to handle hide, i would strongly suggest you have a plan with your taxi before you hunt and know what you need to keep. Good luck and its f@#!ing crazy when you shot one so dont do it at sunset!

Great info and no doubt you had yours cut up quicker than mine!!

Don’t be shy about sharing your pro tip: have the local game and fish officer get their hands bloody helping you butcher this massive animal.

 

[mtmiller]

Sled, long rope and sawzall.

 

[Red Fox]

helped out @Elkwhisper earlier this winter, sharp knifes, battery powered saw, and a lot of game bags. Snowmobiles don't hurt either along with a little luck.

 

[ChaosOneZero]

Best of luck, @FREAK. Looking forward to the post-hunt recap!

 

[FREAK]

Well things went better then planned for my buddy. We were planning to meet up tonight and hunt tomorrow together but when he rolled into Gardiner around 10 this AM the bison were just passing into the public. He ended up shooting one around 11am. It was a small bull, and the neighboring rancher let him and his dad drive their truck to about 50 yards from the bull. A few buddies and I made it down in time to lift a few quarters in the truck and have a couple beers. Glad he made the trip and was able to have some success.

 

[ccc23454]

if there has ever been a hunt to get lucky on its a bison hunt! Congrats to your buddy

 

[WNC2500]

Well things went better then planned for my buddy. We were planning to meet up tonight and hunt tomorrow together but when he rolled into Gardiner around 10 this AM the bison were just passing into the public. He ended up shooting one around 11am. It was a small bull, and the neighboring rancher let him and his dad drive their truck to about 50 yards from the bull. A few buddies and I made it down in time to lift a few quarters in the truck and have a couple beers. Glad he made the trip and was able to have some success.

Wow, couldn't have worked out any better. That boy is living right!

 

[Sask hunter]

Congrats!

 

[.270Rem]

Nice to know your friend got accurate info on what was happening and converted it into a punched tag, happy faces, and sore backs. Congratulations to him and his crew on a successful hunt!

 

[blueridge]

Awesome! Kudos to the rancher for being neighborly and letting you get so close.

 

[brownbear932008]

Gonna be some great table fair right there!