13 years ago... The bison hunt sure doesn’t seem like it was that long ago...

Since my new longbow is on the way, it’s got me thinking about all the wonderful traditional archery memories... For that reason, I started going through the bison hunt photo album and thought I’d share some pics from it.

BISON SKULL PIC - I know, the pic of me holding my bison skull is a little gross looking but I wanted to include it, because you can get an idea of just how big it was.

TWO RIVERS SALOON PIC - This is the place that dad and I stayed at. It was so cool and it seemed like it was right out of a western movie. They had the best elk and bison burgers! I remember one night, dad and I were craving chocolate milk... We walked from the saloon to a small town grocery store. We grabbed some Land O Lakes chocolate milk. Neither one of us had tried Land O Lakes milk before and was looking forward to it. It was delicious! I remember dad pouring some into a small cup and telling me that it was so cold and thick... I’m not sure why I remember every little detail about our bison hunt but I thank Jesus that I do! I wouldn’t trade these memories for a million dollars...

IN A FIELD WITH OUR BOWS PIC - Right before these bow pics were taken, I got into a massive argument with dad... It was actually just me acting like a spoiled little brat and throwing a temper tantrum. Believe it or not, I got so upset, I told dad to just take me home and we’d just forget about the bison hunt. Dad never got angry at me. Instead, he suggested that we go and find a place to shoot our bows. We did just that. There were these huge things of hay in this field and so we tracked down the owner and got permission to shoot. We took big chunks of snowy ice and stuck them into the hay. Then we’d shoot our arrows at the snowy ice. That was so much fun! Guess what? That calmed me down 100% and I told dad that I was so sorry for acting like a little brat... The thing is, dad knew that shooting my bow would be a kind of therapy/help to me and it certainly was. Man, I sure do miss shooting our bows together...

HARVESTED BISON PICS - This was an amazing hunt! It’s kind of funny because as we showed the Native Americans what style of bows we were going to be hunting with, they told us absolutely not! As we stood there, not sure if we were even gonna be able to hunt, they explained that some folks shot bison with huge caliber rifles and they just looked at and kept walking, as if nothing had ever hit them. They were also afraid of the danger factor. Obviously, if a bison attacked, you’d def want a rifle, instead of a bow... We finally convinced them that these traditional bows were capable of killing a bison and they agreed to let us hunt. When I got the opportunity to shoot my bull bison, he was quartering away. He was down within a min... Some folks look at traditional archery as something fun to maybe shoot but nothing that could be used to actually harvest a big game animal... I’m here to tell you, they def can get the job done... In closing, this bison hunt was def one of my all time fav memories. I’m so glad that Jesus allowed me to share it with my wonderful dad! Love and miss you, Dad! I used a 55 pound Robertson Buffalo Bow (Flatbow) with a 425 grain GrizzlyStik. Dad used a longbow that was built in our home state of Kentucky and a homemade cedar arrow.

PS - One day, I’d like to write a really good article about our bison hunt and try to get it published in Traditional Bowhunters Magazine...

Thanks for letting us tag along...Congrats...Memories Made with Your Father=Priceless...4finger

Great story of what looks to be a great hunt ! Thanks for sharing

Good Memories, and good eating, Thank's , Take Care.

Great story. You should write it up and submit it, I know I would enjoy reading the full account.

That's awesome. Hunting with your dad is a big bonus as well.

Incredible Totonoka.

Nice, great looking place and Hunt.

Glenn, wrong word if you mean the Sioux word for buffalo. A buffalo cow = p'te A young male buffalo = p'ta A buffalo bull = tatanka An old buffalo = tagu' The word tatanka literally means big hump and it could be applied to any animal with its head carried lower than its spine, such as the moose and the bear. Pretty good bull. Nice story.

Great story. As a father I know he is proud of the man you have become.

Those memories are priceless!!

Great story and pics Rusty.

You mentioned that "one day" you would like to write about this hunt. Take it from me, there is no One Day. There is only Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Seven in all, I checked. So if you want to write the story pick one of the seven and get started. I'd love to read it. Don't wait for One Day, it'll never come.

Great story. I love the memories I have of hunting with my Dad.

Thanks for the story. It is unique that you had the chance to hunt Bison with your dad. Those memories you will always cherish. That is a hunt I would like to make.

That is awesome it doesn't get any better that than that my friend

Beautiful! Bison tastes great too!

It's great to have memories like that with your Dad. They will last you all of your life.

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