Bison help Please !

nube · #1 07-12-2017, 09:48 AM

Well my 12 year old 60 pound daughter is going to try and kill a 2000 lb beast. Any pointers or contacts would be great guys. I'm more excited to take her on this hunt than I am on my sheep hunt. Hope it goes well.

bonedogg · #2 07-12-2017, 10:12 AM

Sweet, go get em! Congrats to your daughter, I'm guessing she won't come home empty handed

nube · #3 07-12-2017, 10:16 AM

We will see. I hear it is not an easy hunt to find them at times. I have a good skidoo so I think I will be taking it. Trapping season just got put on hold this year I think with these 2 draws I got. Won't be able to kill as many wolves I guess but on to new adventures it looks like

sns2 · #4 07-12-2017, 10:19 AM

Unreal! This one will be memories to last a lifetime. I envy you greatly. My boy and I were unsuccessful

raab · #5 07-12-2017, 10:29 AM

Good call on taking a sled. Will be following this thread for other suggestions.

Esox · #6 07-12-2017, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nube

We will see. I hear it is not an easy hunt to find them at times. I have a good skidoo so I think I will be taking it. Trapping season just got put on hold this year I think with these 2 draws I got. Won't be able to kill as many wolves I guess but on to new adventures it looks like

Be in contact with the Conservation Officers and biologists in that area. If they know its your 12 year old daughter they will all be more than helpful finding the animals. I would suspect they will even call you throughout the days when your up there letting you know where they are. This is a herd management tool so they want them to get shot and a 12 year old youth would be even better. I will get a hold of my contacts who are helicopter pilots and fly in that country a lot and see what they can help with.

nube · #7 07-12-2017, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sns2

Unreal! This one will be memories to last a lifetime. I envy you greatly. My boy and I were unsuccessful

I was going to make the Ewe hunt our deal this year but that has changed now lol. Hopefully I have time and her grades are good so I can get a hunt in with her for that too. I hope I can get her a sheep on a quick 2 day hunt so we can spend a week up north chasing buffalo

double gun · #8 07-12-2017, 10:44 AM

Lucky girl. Good luck!

savagencounter · #9 07-12-2017, 11:28 AM

By the looks of it next year June 2 is the day to apply lol . Congrats.

Pilsner Man · #10 07-12-2017, 11:34 AM

Ill be watching this one for ideas.

Ill be looking for a buffalo this winter also!!

nube · #11 07-12-2017, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pilsner Man

Ill be watching this one for ideas.

Ill be looking for a buffalo this winter also!!

We should try and go together Jon!

sharpstick · #12 07-12-2017, 03:24 PM

My brother works in Rainbow, I will ask him to have his operators keep their eyes open closer to the season opener and tell me the areas they are seeing them. I hope to draw this tag one day and will be asking for help too so I don't mind helping out if I can.
PM me sometime and stay in touch.
Cheers.
SS

Pilsner Man · #13 07-12-2017, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nube

We should try and go together Jon!

We should try to make something work. I think having lots of eyes and help is a good thing for this tag.

crazyfish · #14 07-12-2017, 07:14 PM

I'm in too , 19 yr old daughter got a bison tag ! She hasn't stopped smilling yet !

nube · #15 07-12-2017, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyfish

I'm in too , 19 yr old daughter got a bison tag ! She hasn't stopped smilling yet !

That is pretty cool.
I'm wondering if my daughter is succesful if it will be the youngest female in Alberta to get one? She may be making history here. Not that it matter much but I find that pretty cool.
I think this is great that she can get a draw like this.
She has been so excited since I told her. Her mother knew about it but she pretended that she didn't and my daughter told her all about it and how lucky she was.
Fingers crossed!

Slicktricker · #16 07-12-2017, 07:46 PM

I have a few friends up there. Operating right now when I was slick lining up there wasn't hard to find them congrats on the draw.

ADH · #17 07-12-2017, 10:18 PM

First of all congrats to her! I work in and out of that area throughout the year and they do not seem to move too much with season change. That being said a good place to start is to head up the Chateh/Habay road and hunt around the wildland. Be sure to look at all the maps and avoid the reserve land. Other than that you should run in to some. I have seen a lot over the years.

Johnny Shotgun · #18 07-12-2017, 11:22 PM

That's great to hear! I also was awarded the draw this year on my first ever attempt. I will be following all of these posts for the ideas and any information I can grab! Best of luck to your daughter!

1bowhunter12 · #19 07-13-2017, 04:29 PM

Good luck to you and your daughter nube ...I can't get drawn to save my soul .. I must have done something horrible in a previous life ... Or maybe just this one lol

jawa · #20 07-13-2017, 05:05 PM

Wow congrats too your daughter nube
if ya need a skinner lol

nube · #21 07-13-2017, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jawa

Wow congrats too your daughter nube
if ya need a skinner lol

lol Thanks bud. Was going to see if you wanted to trap my line a bit this year. I won't have time to do much I don't think.

jawa · #22 07-13-2017, 06:20 PM

sure im game
give me a call when you have time

fordtruckin · #23 07-13-2017, 07:52 PM

Being down here in Montana where the Bison hunt happens, I can give you some pointers on the processing portion. While I haven't had the opportunity to harvest one myself, I have seen dozens of tribal hunters harvest them and have seen what works and what doesn't.

Pointer
1, Bring lots of extra help
2, Bring several sharp knives and sharpeners
3, A tarp to keep the meat/hide clean. Once you start gutting it the blood will cause a muddy mess where your working.
4, A cordless reciprocating saw makes short work of quartering. Especially helpful if you want to keep the rib meat but don't want to deal with it out in the field. You can cut slabs off and look like the Flintstones heading home.
5, The gut sack on a bison is huge, a shovel or something else to help leverage it out.
6, Plenty of rope. It can be used to keep the animal on its back when gutting so you don't have to hold each leg open, it helps reduce energy expended when gutting. Also depending upon where the animal is harvested you can use rope to drag it closer to a vehicle.(the best set up I saw was 2 trucks parked face to face, one with a winch the other with a block, they drug a bison over 500 yards back to the road with that set up).
7, and perhaps most important, Have fun! It's a once in a life time hunt enjoy it! Your daughter is a lucky young lady and I for one am insanely jealous of her right now! I wish you two an awesome experience!!

nube · #24 07-13-2017, 08:39 PM

Anyone have any thoughts on where to stay? I am not even sure what is in Zama. I assume there is a camp you could rent a room?

BackPackHunter · #25 07-13-2017, 08:55 PM

http://www.noralta-zama.com

Ken H · #26 07-13-2017, 09:10 PM

My buddies and I stayed in high level both times we were there. Camps run you around $160 per person per night. Hotels plus food are still less expensive. If I get to go up again I will bring an outfitters tent. I think it would be a great experience.

Desert Eagle · #27 07-13-2017, 09:24 PM

We winterized a cargo trailer and stayed in there with a wood stove even below -30 We were toasty warm.

"No Choke"Lord Walsingham · #28 07-13-2017, 10:47 PM

I am writing to wish your daughter and self the best time afield possible! Furthermore, I am looking forward to reading the story of your Hunt here on AO in the future.

Torkdiesel · #29 07-15-2017, 10:05 AM

I'll give you all the info you need buddy. And we'll be up there again too so will likely be able to help you out.

Stay in Rainbow at the old hotel. It's cheap, close to the Bison, and the store has fuel.
Zama is a ghost town now (there's nothing there)
High Level is too far to drive (1 1/2 each way)
Two sleds is a must, with 2 skimmers
If you go early hunt the road, if you go later then hunt where we do
Rechargeable ricip saw for splitting carcass (its huge)
Wait for a bull !!! Don't get antsy and shoot a cow. We shot a big bull and it tastes incredible

sns2 · #30 07-15-2017, 10:22 AM

Nube, are you gonna have her shoot her 7-08 with 140 Barnes or are you thinking a braked rifle like a 300 mag and earmuffs? If you don't have one, I am sure that one of the members would lend you one for this momentous hunt. You are right in that this is a great system that allows for a once in a lifetime opportunity. I would guess she will be the youngest female hunter to harvest a Bison in Alberta.

I have a feeling that this one will likely end up being the best hunting story ever posted on AO!

I am stoked for you two!!!