Buffalo Calibre

[Moosenose]

I'm heading out for buffalo soon and wondering what calibre you buffalo hunters out there use. I know the regs are at least a 175gr with a minimum of 2000ft-lbs @ 100m. Several buddies have offered large calibres like 30-378 and 338 Winny, but I'm wondering if the 7mm Mag I use will be enough. I am used to it, very confident with it and it has a long history of putting meat in the pot.

[4pointhunter]

i am leaving on the 15th planning on useing 338 win with 225gr bullets, but never been buffalo hunting before, what draw do you have i have the 7-57a nov 15-30

[Gateholio]

Use what you are confident with...And use a premium bullet! If there was ever a time for that, it's now!
:razz:

[Moosenose]

i am leaving on the 15th planning on useing 338 win with 225gr bullets, but never been buffalo hunting before, what draw do you have i have the 7-57a nov 15-30


We are Dec 1-15, so don't shoot them all, leave one for us!
Bunch of Barnes loaded up and tested 4 X 1" @ 100m

[Caveman]

Barnes MRX in 180 from my 30.06 was more than sufficient. Good Luck. As Gatehouse said go with what you are comfortable with

[boxhitch]

Hunters are prohibited from using a weapon other than :
- a rifle that fires a 175 grain or larger bullet retaaining 2000 footpounds or more of energy at 100m.
Doesn't leave many choices in cartridges under .30 cal.

[boxhitch]

Hunters are reminded that under Section 35 (2) of the Wildlife Act, anyone who kills or injures wildlife must make reasonable attempt to retrieve that wildlife, and if it is alive, to kill it. This is particularily important with Bison.
Have not seen this printed in the Regulation Synopsis.
I'm not sure why it is even mentioned.

[David Heitsman]

I used my .375 H & H for a buffalo cow in around 2000. Shot her at 180 yards 3 times from the side. The shots were a little too far back.

Then in 2004 ish I shot a 13 year old bull at 20 yards racing past me, It was a side on double lung snapshot from the hip and he didn't travel 40 yards. Dead. .375 both times.

Guess which one was edible and which one made lousy sausage even!

I wouldn't hesitate with a 7 mil. Just realize that the heart lung area appears really low on the bulls since they have a pronounced hump above their shoulders.

The guides at SRO finish them off all the time with 30.30's so your magnum will be more than adequate.

[goatdancer]

Just make sure you hit it really hard in the right spot. I've heard too many horror stories of a wounded, POed buff try to inflict grievous bodily harm on whatever it sees. Lots of snowmobiles have succumbed to a wounded buff.

[Vanguard]

a 7mm Mag is plenty of power. like its said, a 30-06 is capable of taking everything in north america, and a 7mm is one step ahead of that.I wish I could take my 7mm to Africa. Its what im most conifdent with.

[1899]

IIRC the rule is not to shoot too high. I would use the 7mm if you are comfortable with it.


The shoulder shot can be used to slow the bull down. A solid bullet (or full metal jacket) is frequently used here to get as much penetration as possible. A soft-nosed bullet in the lungs generally follows up this shot. This is not a bad choice, although my favorite follows.
The lung shot is certainly the easiest and surest. A bison's large lungs make for an easy target. One good shot in the lungs will kill a bull, certainly not instantly, but death is inevitable. As most animals hit in the lungs, they will leave a good blood trail, which is easy to follow. Another advantage of this shot is that there is no damage to edible meat. This is the choice of most modern day hunters as they follow the example of the old-time buffalo hunters. Use a soft-nosed, controlled-expansion bullet for this and the heart shot.

The heart is located low in the chest cavity. It is large but well protected by the shoulder and leg. In order to hit the heart, the hunter must wait for the animal to take a step forward, thus exposing the vital organ. Even when well hit in the heart, a big bull can run quite a way -- pumping massive amounts of blood in the process.

Also look at this web site, they have a shot placement picture or two:
http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/planahunt/bison.html

I think that really is the key, that you need to know the anatomy of the animal to ensure a clean shot. I remember when Montana brought back the Bison hunt; each person who drew a tag had to attend a course on proper shot placement.

[kgriz]

Even though I recognise that this answer will cause some kerffuffle from the usuals, here goes:

I read the literature given out for buf hunting and it went on and on about reasonable bullets/force etc as well as choosing your animal etc... and I was skeptical to say the least. After shooting a large buffalo with a 300 mag and a 7mm STW I now no longer downplay the hype. Big bulls with winter coats especially are tough, tough, tough. No sh*t if you shoot him in the lungs he'll die....eventually. God help you if it's in an ugly spot. My uncle and I have harvested countless big-game animals and nothing even comes close to a big buffalo. I guess my point is that I would use as large as gun and bullet that you can get your hands on ( and can shoot accurately of course:shock:) and then go first for a death shot, ie.lungs and then some anchoring shots ( shoulder, spine, head etc). If you lung one there is a chance that he could get somewhere where getting would be hell.......and if you have pulled a big moose out of an ugly spot...times that by about 5 and you might be close.

Good Luck

[threedhunter]

boxhitch, page 16, notes #7.current regs if you have them. pretty clear info.:mrgreen:

[boxhitch]

boxhitch, page 16, notes #7.current regs if you have them. pretty clear info.:mrgreen:
Reads like my posts, quoted from the LEH paper. Whats your point ?

[boxhitch]

While we're on it page 16, archery point


Bow E (Bison only) - For bison, the bow (does not include compound crossbow) must have a pull.........

So compound crossbows are not adequate for Bison? Interesting.

[bigwhiteys]

I killed a buffalo with my 7mm. 1 shot between the eyes and he was done... didn't even kick. But then again I shot him on a bison ranch so it doesn't count... Wanna see the video :lol:

Carl

[Moosenose]

Thanks folks, a lot of this is what I was already thinking. The stories are interesting and maybe we will have one of our own before Christmas.
1899 - thanks for the link to the Montana site, there is some good info there! I like the line about the 2 reasons a buffalo raises his tail; the first is to charge, the second is to discharge.