We have several bison hunting packages available in many locations and multiple options. From traditional free range bison hunting, to meat hunts on private ranches. Hunting the magnificent American bison in a traditional manner is unequaled in excitement and adventure.
*Non-trophy meat hunts are almost always fairly limited, so don’t wait to book. A buffalo bull will provide you with 600 pounds of meat or more, the USDA has gone on record stating that buffalo meat is healthier than beef.
There aren’t many wild bison herds left, but you can find them free range in Alaska, Arizona, Montana, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, the Crow Reservation in Montana, and Canada. If you can’t get a tag, you can also choose to hunt your bull on a private fenced herd. Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young only recognize the wild herds, but Super Slam and SCI accept all bison, regardless of where you hunt them. The minimum score for a Boone and Crockett bison is 115″. The Pope and Young minimum score for a bison is 100″.
The odds of drawing a bison tag in Alaska are very low, but they have no point system, so you’ll have a random chance of drawing, just like everybody else. Be sure to do your homework prior to applying because many of the units are comprised almost completely of private land. Other units will have only fly-in access. The Delta unit has the best access, plenty of public land, and also has the largest free range bison herd in Alaska.
Arizona has the most complicated draw process of any other state, but you can accumulate more than one point per year for your bison hunt. Draw odds for the any bison tag usually run between 1% and 10% and cow hunts run between 10% and 20%. Arizona also offers a raffle tag and a Governor’s tag.
OI Hunting Consultant, Gary Colbath with a great archery South Dakota bison.
The odds of drawing a buffalo tag in Montana are just under 1%, but there is not a point system. Montana does allow you to apply for a cow/calf tag as a second choice, but they only issue those tags if enough bison come out of Yellowstone.
If you want to avoid having to draw a tag, you can skip that process by hunting the Crow Reservation. Hunts there will range from $2,500 to $6,000. Great bulls are taken yearly on the reservation.
South Dakota’s has a point system in place for bison tags. If you draw a trophy bull permit, you will be scheduled for a three-day hunt. For non-trophy bulls and cows, you will be scheduled for a one-day hunt. If you draw, you will be fully guided by Custer State Park employees for no extra charge.
Utah bison tags are issued through draw, raffle tags, Governor’s tags and Commissioner tags. You can apply for either a bull or cow hunt, but be prepared…if you don’t have 20 points, your chances are under 1%.
Wyoming has a random drawing for their bison tags, and you can apply for either an either-sex or a cow/calf permit. Bull hunts (either-sex) are about 1% to 2% depending on the year, but the cow/calf hunts have better odds at 15% to 20%.
I’ve been on a lot of hunts over the past years, and can honestly say this was one of my best trips to date! Hunting mountain goats has been one of my lifelong goals. I never thought much of pursuing it. That was until Russ Meyer gave me a call. With animals in every direction, the hardest decision was figuring out which mountain goat we were going after. That is a true rarity these days. I can’t wait to go back to hunt with this outfit!
It was a great stag hunt with a top notch outfitter. The food, accommodations and hunting well exceed the expectations I had for this trip. This was the first guided hunt I have ever went on and I was not disappointed. The abundance of game really surprised me and we encountered stags every time in the field.
I recently returned from a late season whitetail hunt in Dimmit County, in South Texas. What happened will go down in history as one of the greatest hunts of my life. I was hunting a buck that I’ve been chasing for the past five years. He’s a 14 year old legend we call Indigo, and he’s been an impossible deer to hunt for his entire mature life (since he was five).
Have you been on a hunt with us or one of our outfitters? We’d love to hear how it went. Please fill out a trip report.
© 2019 · OUTDOORS INTERNATIONAL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
