Wyoming Wild Bison Hunt Pic's, More Pic's added.

[ellensburgpo]

Nice bull, can't wait to hear the end of the story.

[Halo]

I have so dreamed of going there to photgraph moose.    You are living the dream man!   PS I put in for it every year, obviously have never been drawn.   

Bone if you ever get drawn let me know, I now have a ton of info, maps, contacts etc.

[Halo]

I will probably be hated for this but I put in for a ton of hunts all over but that was the first time I ever put in for Wyoming bison. It's better to be lucky than good.

[JCKILLSHOT]

   So jealous!!

[Axle]

Awesome posts! thank you 

[Halo]

OK, December 29th, our first day of hunting on round 3, we hiked about 8 miles in the roughly 12" of snow at 5 degrees below zero, that is brutal. My feet were freezing even with the insulated boots with heat packs in them. After all that we only saw tracks and gut piles from the day before and a whole lot of hunters. Most of the other hunters had cow only tags so we hoped to hear of a lone bull or group of bulls from them but nothing. All we heard was, "you should have been here yesterday". After we got to the truck we decided to take a drive to the North end of the Refuge and see how close to the boundary the main herd was. Along the way we stoped at one of the bison hunting parking lots to see how it looked crossing the Gross Ventre River into the Refuge, we had used hip boots on round 2. There were a couple hunters sitting in their truck and the river looked the same, cold. The thought of changing boots on the other side of the river in subzero temperatures did not really appeal to us so up the road we drove. A little over a mile later I looked over and saw a lone bull bison through a gap in the trees. After a little figuring we thought it might be on the far side of the river and legal but we couldn't see exactly where the river was. I stood on the toolbox in my truck and was able to see that yes it was on the other side of the river and legal. It was only about 400 yards away but I was in the park and bison hunters are required to hunt only from designated parking lots. So back to the parking lot we go. When we get there the two hunters that were there in the truck are now across the river and hiking upstream toward the bull a mile up.  We could only assume they had spotted the bull before us and were starting the stalk. With nothing we could do we just sat there waiting to hear the shot. While we waited another hunter and his wife pulled in and we talked with them for awhile, they also had a bull tag, so they drove up the road and looked at the bull and returned to sit in frustration and listen for the shot with us. While we waited we all, (other bull tag holder as well) decided to look over a log across the river it appeared some hunters had crossed on. As we sized up the snow covered log we noticed orange coming back down river, but it was 4 hunters not 2. We all waited to see how they crossed, one walked the log, one "cooned it" straddling the log, and the other two waded with boots they had stashed on the other side. We talked with them and found out they had cow only tags, they also said they talked to the other two hunters and that they had cow only tags. Suddenly we were back in the game.

[Wanttohuntmore]

Awesome pictures!  Saw some of them on Jeff's phone, now I need to put in for that tag.  Congrats!

[JODakota]

Tagged for a good read!

[Halo]

As soon as we found out there were only cow hunters in the area, other than the any bison tag holder standing right next to me that we had earlier told about the bull, it was across the log we went. It was a little over a mile to the bull and when we started getting close we slowed to a crawl trying to figure out where it was. We soon spotted a brown shaggy back in the willow brush of the river bottom, and about a half dozen big bull elk scattered all through the willow brush around him. Two of the elk were almost directly between us and the bull bison. I didn't want to spook the elk during the stalk and blow the bison across the river and into the safety of the park so I decided to let the closest bull elk see us move a little to hopefully get them uncomfortable and give us some room for the stalk without blowing out too panicked. It worked the elk trotted a few steps then wandered off leaving the bison feeding contently. Now within 100 yards I would have to enter the willow brush to try to get a clear shot. I as quietly as possible picked my way through the brush to within 50 yards where I found a clear shooting lane that the bull was feeding towards, so that's where I sat up, bi pods out, waiting for my opportunity. Seconds later there he was, but he was quartering hard towards me, I had hoped to hit him behind the ear but that did not look likely so I waited, wind in my face and him feeding towards me, completely oblivious. Then he turned his head directly towards me, head down, still feeding. So that was it, I decided to take him head on in the neck just above his skull. One shot from the .338 and he was on the ground.

[Basket Rack]

That is a great looking bison, he has a realy nice looking hide.  Thanks for sharing, great write up.

[blackveltbowhunter]

   Nice Bull!!! Congratz!

[MLBowhunting]

Just amazing

[wsucowboy]

Nice bull, sounds like an amazing hunt! 

[Bigluke1981]

Congrats on a great Hunt. I have really enjoyed the story and pics!

[mkcj]

What a great hunting adventure to read about  on your trophy.