bison - PRB or slugs?

[crockett]

On the width thing...bison come in all sizes. Some bulls are really huge. 3 feet might be the max.
Just wondering why the interest??? Bullet penetration?

 

[BrownBear]

Their rib cages are pretty deep top to bottom, and pretty skinny as you get down toward the bottom where the heart lays. You might get 3' at the widest point up below the spine, but no one is going to be shooting them up there. Down low, even the big bulls I've helped dress probably don't make 18".

 

[USMA65]

These are a few pf the pictures I took while living on an Indian Reservation in SD.
Link
Link

I can post more, but as you can see from the frontal shot, a three foot wide chest might be a little off, even though this one was not fully mature.

 

[USMA65]

One more of a cow and calf:
Link

 

[Britsmoothy]

Thank you.

So, what's all the fuss about then?

B :thumbsup:

 

[nwtradegun]

if ur going on a meat hunt it wont be a big bull or mature animal. most likely a yearling or 2 yr. old.

 

[Rokon]

Use a conical and make it a head shot--forget the heart and lungs.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Why does the head need a conical brother?

 

[Shifty]

According the the Alaska Game& Fish Dept, the ideal shot on a American Bison is a double lung,aiming slighly behind and above the elbow,head shot is not recommended as they have very thick Skulls,some good reading on there site.

 

[USMA65]

Historically the Lakota would ride alongside a tatanka and place an arrow, or lance, into the lungs. A PRB will have the same effect if properly placed, given adequate size of RB and powder. Magnum TV shows would lead one to another conclusion, but history is on our side of the equation.

 

[Shifty]

That is a Great reply ,also none bow hunters simply cannot believe how quickly a well placed SHARP Broadhed will put down a Big Game animal.

 

[johnwm]

Thanks for all the interesting info, gents. As mentioned up above, this will be a meat hunt, so the bison will be probably half the mass of a fully mature one-ton big boy. It'll still be one of the biggest critters I've ever shot, and by far the largest I've taken with a muzzleloader. It looks like a .54-cal PRB will do the job, and I don't intend to shoot beyond 50 yards or so.

I'm just more accustomed to having people tell me that my gun choice is overkill, rather than wondering if I'm using enough! :grin: :haha:

Unfortunately, it's starting to look like getting the meat back into my country is going to be much more difficult that I imagined. I'm still researching that end of it.

 

[longcruise]

Even well after the plains Indians had muzzle loaders they were far more efficient at running buff with bows.

 

[JeffG]

I killed a 1000 lb bison for meat in 2012. I uses a 350gr cast .458 bullet going 1700fps. Heart and lungs. It was an easy pass through. Bison have a chest like a bluegill or a bream; they are not round like a cow. PRB from a 50 or 54 should be fine, under 150 yards. Use a stout load and test the penetration water filled milk jugs. The rifle is going to maintain its line of sight penetration better than a smooth bore.Shot placement should be right behind the elbow in the lungs. it should be a full broadside shot. Mine ran about a hundred fifty yards and piled up. My two cents based on my experience. :thumbsup: