The American bison has a crazy and complex history in our country. As a lifelong hunter, I was a little embarrassed of how little I knew about these beasts, that is until Chad drew the tag. During chats about gear lists or logistics of the hunt, Chad would pepper me with fun facts and incredible stories about bison and our history with them. I finally couldn’t take it anymore and read the books Chad kept referencing. American Buffalo by Steve Rinella and Last Stand by Michael Punke were two of my favorites. I learned that bison weren’t just another critter that roamed the Great Plains of North America, but THE critter that caused our country’s first thoughts of, “Hey, maybe we shouldn’t just kill everything until it’s gone.”
This was going to be a wilderness hunt. Not a ranch hunt where you drop an animal within easy range of Farmer Fred’s tractor. It became immediately clear to Chad that this adventure would not be possible without the use of pack animals. Bull bison weigh up to 2,000 lbs. Additionally, the main hunting grounds were located 10 miles into a roadless (and tractor-less) Montana wilderness.
Chad is a bit afraid of riding horses, and to be completely honest, so am I, so we hiked. Chad hired Chase and Mareen of Yellowstone Horse and Mule to take in our camp, and eventually, take out our camp and hopefully the meat of America’s largest land mammal. This wasn’t a guided hunt, we just needed something more than our frail human backs and knees to do the heavy lifting.
A total of 16 horses and mules came in on the trail behind us. Chase, Maureen, two of their helpers (Spencer and Claire), and four elk hunters rode in on horseback with the pack string. Once Chad and I found their camp location, we dropped our packs and headed to a high point to glass the valley. Daylight was fading quickly, but it didn’t take long to spot what appeared to be a large bull about two miles down the valley. Perfect! We had a plan for the morning.
As we set up our camp, we excitedly discussed the possibilities of the next day. We decided this was probably going to be more like antelope hunting and less like elk hunting. No need to hike in the early morning darkness for hours. Bison just stand around in the open and eat grass and gore tourists all day, so let’s just sleep in. We could lazily sip some coffee in the early morning and start hiking at daylight when it’s much easier to see charging grizzly bears. We settled in for a restless night of sleep.
Boom! The alarm clock went off before sunrise in the form of gunfire. Two more shots and we were wide awake. The shooting seemed to come from the valley floor and likely not from elk hunters. Were there other bison hunters here? With only four other tags in the entire unit, it seemed unlikely. We got our packs ready and began hiking towards the bull we had spotted the night before. Boom! More shots rang out from the valley floor. We walked up to a group of folks that had a spotting scope set up and were glassing down the valley. One of them had a bison tag and apparently also went with the “sleep-in” method this morning. The group confirmed that two bison were already on the ground. Wow! Three of the other four tag holders were here and already blasting away. Maybe we should have gotten up early. We got to a good glassing point and could see the two bison that were down. One was nearby, and the other was likely the bull we had spotted last night, now about a mile away and dead.
We continued through the tall grass, scanning the brushy flats in front of us, occasionally glancing up the sidewalls of the valley. Eventually, we spotted an unmistakable brown mass in the trees about 300 yards above. It was a bull and a big one. His giant hump stuck well above his massive black triangular head.
Using a well-placed tree for cover, we stayed out of sight and got closer. Much closer. Chad settled in with his rifle and placed a copper bullet from his 7mm magnum through the heart of the old bull. He took a few wobbly steps and fell to the ground.
We stood silently over the animal for a few minutes, in awe of the beauty and enormity of the great beast. Slowly, we came to the realization of the hard work in store for our immediate future. It took Chad and me a total of 12 hours to skin and debone the massive animal, leaving no meat behind. We estimated that around 800 lbs. of pure wild bison meat lay at our feet. The hide alone was nearly 150 lbs.
Maureen (Mo) and Claire of Yellowstone Horse and Mule were tasked with babysitting us while Chase and Spencer were out guiding the elk hunters. Mo brought a string of animals to the kill site that evening. We loaded the meat in panniers and hoisted them onto pack animals. We then transported the meat and hide a couple hundred yards down the mountain, away from the carcass and hopefully away from the large predators that would soon investigate the free gut pile buffet Chad had provided. We headed back to camp for some much-needed food and a few swigs of celebratory whiskey.
Morning arrived quickly. Chad and I broke down camp and headed back to the meat. We approached slowly, glassing ahead for any bears that may have decided the meat was theirs now. Mo and Claire began hoisting panniers onto pack animals as Chad and I completed the final task of skinning out the head and removing the lower jaw. The ladies only needed our help when it came to the awkward and heavy hide.
I can’t say enough about these two ladies. I’m convinced they know everything about the backcountry and horses. They threw heavy panniers around like they were nothing. It was impressive. Mo is obviously a horse and wilderness expert, and Claire can seemingly lift twice her body weight, all while keeping a smile on her face. Only in her early 20s, she aspires to one day “tame wild BLM horses,” which speaks to how tough, and maybe a little crazy, she is.
We parted ways with the girls and pack animals as they headed back up the 10-mile trail we originally came in on. Chad and I, wanting to stick with the old guy downhill hiking method, decided to a take a longer 18-mile route to a different trailhead. In the end, I believe this was the faster and easier route for a couple of old dudes. Chad’s dad, Carl, met the ladies at their trailhead to get the meat, hide, and our camp supplies. He then drove another 40 miles to pick us up at our trailhead.
Carl was late picking us up due to a small disaster that struck the pack string on the way out. It was a rainy, muddy day. Parts of the trail were already a mess due to a historic flood event the area saw in 2022. Misty, the horse with the 150 lb. hide, lost her footing in some mud and tumbled down the side of a washout, dragging three mules with her. The horse flipped at least twice on the way down the near-vertical drop. Luckily, nobody was hurt, but it took the girls hours to move rocks and cut a new path through deadfall using hand tools just to get the string back to the main path. In Mo’s words from a message she sent shortly after the trip:
Once we finally got them all out and back up to the trail, we checked their packs. The britchen on Misty’s pack saddle was completely broken, hanging on by one of the six leather straps that it had been attached by, but somehow, despite falling, sliding, flipping, and who knows what else, the bison hide sat perfectly in place on her back, with the exception of the extra debris it had picked up on the way down. I’m guessing it probably gave her some cushion on her way down, too. I’m pretty sure I should get a trophy or something for a packing job like that!
A big thanks to Yellowstone Horse and Mule for not only making this trip possible, but for the unbelievable toughness and professionalism they all showed throughout the trip. Thank you, Chad, for thinking of me when you lucked out and got this unique opportunity to hunt the most iconic and incredible animal of the West. This is an adventure neither of us will forget. Thank you, Carl, for all the driving and dealing with the logistical nightmare of picking up meat on crappy roads and then successfully finding a couple of very tired guys in the dark with no cell coverage. As always, thanks to my wife, Laurie, for always understanding when I take off on hunting adventures and then listening to me whine about being sore for the next couple days.