Untitled Document

Barnes 05 Buffalo Hunt

Using a Barnes manufactured, Yukon 58GS PCP rifle.

February 2005

Arriving at the hunt location. Truck computer shows you it was very fresh! We got out of the truck and pulled on our outer camo clothing. We got our gear out and checked it. I topped off the Yukon 58 GS, put three slugs in my pocket, took my pony tank just for the heck of it, and started walking.

My buddy had asked if my PCP rifle would be OK (meaning would it fire) since it was so cold. I assured him it would be just fine. I learned that from sitting at the range, by myself, when it was cold enough to freeze my breath and fingers too. Had I decided it was too cold to go shoot all of those times, I would not have known - would I ... ;?)

Very pretty out there. Woods, meadow, logging roads, streams. I stood on stand here, where I thought the stream may mask any small shuffling movement sounds I might make.

We were pleased that it did not rain - as predicted. But it was COLD. Mustache had balls of ice in it all morning from my frozen breath. As you can see, wasn't much chance of any shooting in this direction. Too many trees and saplings. I was counting on the logging road which crossed the stream.

Didn't need the tank, but took it to my first location just for back-up. I left it there when I sighted and stalked off towards the Buffalo, and came back for it after the hunt.

I'd stood here for a couple of hours I guess. And, I was pretty well frozen from the neck up. No point in standing with your hood over your neck and looking downwind you know. Anything downwind knows you are there. So you have to face into the cold wind. But, the wind kept changing all morning while I absorbed it to the bone.

I finally decided to move some to thaw out. Also - I'd seen nothing of any buffalo - though I'd seen some wild Russian Boar thru the trees.

I walked slowly down the logging road back to a large meadow. Nothing there. May as well go back to where I'd been. It was a good spot 'cause the road circled around it near there, and I could see something coming for aways thru the trees.

Getting back to my stand, I found other hunters on foot in the area. They'd seen me move earlier, and I didn't get a chance to signal them that I was back in the area. They'd wounded a Boar with a broadhead, and were after it.

I realized I shouldn't stay without them knowing I was there, so I started to move. At that very moment, I heard a snort, looked around, and ... sure enough ... about 60-70 yards away, on the trail, a buffalo had spotted/smelled my presence.

There were two of them moving together. The lead Buff spun around and left - the other followed. They didn't go back down the trail though, they took off up thru the woods, toward high ground.

I took note of their direction, and set out parallel to them, and about 100 yards away.

Alittle while later, I'd closed some, and they were visible. I stopped, cocked the rifle, and waited. They were moving behind trees. I raised the rifle - picked my opening - here they come .... wait ... no ... almost ...... but not a clean shot. Abort. They trotted off up thru the trees, and I uncocked the rifle and re-slung it over my shoulder - muzzle down.

I took note of their direction, and let them go. I decided to go off at an angle away from them and circle around. Awhile later, I'd made my way back to intersect the logging road again. There was a grove of trees at the top of the high ground. I figured they'd be there. I moved slowly closer to the area. They were there! On top, one facing down thru the woods, the other looking the other way. Looking for me no doubt. I was now crosswind East of them - downhill to their side position. Trying to keep objects between myself and the buffalo.

The line will show you the approx. sight picture I had from my place masked by this big rock. The buffalo were standing sideways, looking left and right in this pic. You can see, my head level was about their hoof level approx. 50 yards away.

There was a nice big rock ahead. If I could use that to mask myself, I was low enough below their position that I could remain upright and close on them. The rock provided a great screen. The buffalo were in the grove, one looking downhill 90 degrees from me, the other looking uphill 90 degrees from me. A dead fall log and the rock formed a "V" which I could see thru - standing 15' from the rock.

I'd picked one of the Buffalo as larger - more solid looking. That's the one I wanted. It was standing to the side - head right. I closed the position, double checked my footing on the icy slope, and framed the heart lung area of the beast in the "V" of the rock/log window. I cocked the rifle. About 50 yards away. I hoped I would not get the "scope full of hair" when I raised the rifle. This occurs from too high a magnification, and it was the reason I was shooting a fixed long eye relief 4X shotgun scope. I wanted very clear placement for my shot. Not just somewhere in a mass of fur.

I could see fine when I brought up the Yukon. I steadied on the top of the heart - just behind the rear vertical line of the front leg, and low in the chest. I took up the first stage of the trigger, steady, tipped off the second stage - the rifle ROARED!, and the buffalo kicked up it's heels like the traditional vision you may have of a mule kicking.

Both buffalo moved off about 10 yards over the crest of the hill and stood there. Mine had it's head lowered. I moved alittle to see, and brought up the Leica 8X range finder. (As noted in an earlier post - I'd changed the battery and verified it working in the shop the night before ... but in the woods, it didn't work. Must have been a bogus battery in the pack - I don't know. I could not range find with it - but it had nice clear 8X optics). I used the 8X one eye unit to scope the Buffalo. Frothy bloody foam was coming from it's nose. As I watched, I saw more fluid blood coming now. I knew I had a buffalo.

It moved off at a very slow walk. Begin to rock back and forth immediately - very unsteady. Very shortly it went down, and lay on it's side. From shot to demise was honestly just a few minutes.

I just stayed away from it for fifteen minutes or so. I looked for the area where it had stood with it's head down, but could not spot it right away. I just remembered the spot wrong in the excitement. Over the crest of the hill, it was closer to where it had fallen than I'd thought. Meaning, it had moved even less distance after being hit than I'd first thought. The Buffalo lay five yards from where it had stopped and bled - maybe 20 yards, or less, from where the bullet had impacted.

Even before I'd approached the kill, a buddy had appeared out of the woods and come over into the area. He'd actually seen the buffalo from a distance, said to himself he'd wished I was up there on high ground, and then had heard my shot from another direction! When we approached the buffalo, I instinctly looked at the point on the buffalo which I'd picked for my shot - but this was now the opposite side of the beast. It lay on the entry wound side. As I looked, I spotted a lump. Very clear, even thru the thick fur. I touched it - it seemed hard! I pointed it out to my buddy, and he pinched it between glove and finger ... no doubt ... it was the bullet.

My bud, hunting glove one hand, pinched the hide and verified that it was my 450 grain slug, part way thru the hide on the exit side of the beast!

A light slice ....

And there it was. Clear thru the Buffalo, from about 50 yards.

Cleaned up - there's his slice marks to release it from the hide. You can see the molded "V" in the mushroomed top. As soon as I saw that, I figured it had hit a rib.

Upon cleaning the beast, the guide said he could feel jagged bone on the entry side. Later that night, at the butcher shop (after the carcass was hung and split) I looked into the clean carcass and saw the 58 caliber "paper punched" hole in the entry side - neatly taking away one half the width of one rib (which are about the width of a yard stick). It looked like you'd used a hole saw it was so neat. On the interior of the Buffalo, the ribs have a wide "V" cross-section, with the point inward. More than likely, the shape to the top of this slug was formed when the slug impactd the rib on the exit side of the beast. It glanced off the wedge shaped rib section, spun sideways, made a wide wound channel, and almost exited the Buffalo on the far side. The hide just caught it from being lost.

There's the Beast ... (atop the Buffalo ... ;?)

That's alot of fine meat there, which we will surely enjoy.

Note the width (depth if standing) of the Buffalo. Probably about 1,200 pounds on the hoof. Now, you have the waste inside, the skeleton, the hide, the head ... all weighs up. But - there will be maybe 600 lbs of meat.

Last night, I got a call from my buddy. He said the outfitter had snapped some pics and sent him some. I scanned this one. There ya'are! Not all the best angles, but it works.

Yes - some have asked me to confirm. Just the one shot.

Got a mail from a friend I've known since high school. He's been a big hunter all his life. He also comes from a hunting family. I thought his mail was interesting as it confirmed what I'd seen and reported.

Copy:

Gary,

Looks like you did real good. It's interesting in that, in my observations, the heart/top of the heart shot always produces the "mule kick", and leads to quick demise.

Rick

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