I’m not gonna hunt them or shoot one, but a guy down the road has a pretty big herd of them. I was driving by and looking at them and wondering what folks use on Buffalo. I suppose a 30-06 would do it. Indians used to use arrows, so they can’t be that hard to kill.

They also had unlimited time to follow up a kill and wait until it dropped, and weren't in any rush
to get it dressed out and toted back to camp.
They didn't have a deadline to punch in the following Monday

I have killed two. One with a 375 H&H Mag and one with a 300 Win Mag. You are correct they are not hard to kill.

most of the time they ran them off cliffs

I would use a Sharps rifle in some old school caliber like .45-70 if I were to ever hunt them. Just because…

from what i understand the .45-70 was not the preferred caliber. The 45-90 or .45-110 was much more common on the buffalo plains for the heavy work.

That would be fine too. But the .45-70 is plenty powerful since the advent of smokeless powders which occurred after bison were essentially extirpated.

oh, 100%

i know two guys that have killed buffalo. One took 7 rage tipped broadheads ( complete passthrus ) and the other 6 shots with a 28 Nosler. I think the common way to kill them way back was a heart shot and then let nature take its course.

I have a buddy who hunted Rulon Jones ranch in Idaho for elk, his dad came and video'd the entire hunt. After he got his elk they shadowed another hunter who took a buffalo. Shot it low in the pump house with a .416 Rigby, the buffalo stood stock still for over 2 min with a full stream of blood pouring out his side before he layed down.


They are tough suckers

No doubt. I’ve heard it said that they are like moose - they almost always die easily but they almost never die quickly.

A .308 and 300wsm will work fine. Shot placement is key .

.338 Win Mag pushing a 225 gr. Bullet in the neck would park one.

They are not so much 'tough' as they just have a LOT of blood.

I have shot 3 of them in WY for meat. I use a 450 Marlin. It untracks them right there.

It all depends on where you plan on shooting them.

I shot my bull with a T/C Contender pistol in .30-30. One shot to the center of the forehead did it.

You can use just about anything if you're prepared to trail them for a long time.

Neck or head shots?

No that's a 243. From experience

WOULD or WILL?

I used a 375 H&H and it still ran 90 yards into a huge ravine. It wasn’t s fun experience getting it out either

I'd use a bow. A guy I know killed one with a 55 pound compound. I reckon getting close wouldn't be an issue

I always wanted to shoot one while riding a galloping horse. Using a bow would be my ultimate way but using a gun would still be something to remember.

The thought of me on a galloping horse while trying to shoot a bow is not a good mental picture.

If I were to go after one, I'd have to stick to the more traditional hunt....with a 45/70 and my Sharps rifle....it just sounds more like it should be done like that. If I were to try anything else, it would be one of my traditional muzzleloaders.

Both
It would kill one
It will kill one