# Book Cliffs Bison 18 points well spent



## lifes short (Sep 11, 2013)




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## lifes short (Sep 11, 2013)




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## huntinfanatic (Aug 3, 2012)

Great looking buff! Congratulations.


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## Kwalk3 (Jun 21, 2012)

Awesome Buffalo! Congrats! Story?


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

Awesome8)


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

VERY nice...:!:...


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## lifes short (Sep 11, 2013)

Public Thanks to Goofy for response to my thread about this hunt last May. Story to follow.


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## rsb_924 (May 30, 2014)

Nice..


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## tander123 (Sep 21, 2007)

Wohoo! Congrats. My favorite hunt was down there when I got my cow


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## tander123 (Sep 21, 2007)

Should have said when I got my cow in the Henry's


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Holy cow!!

I'd run the other way if I seen that big SOB!

Congratulations. Can't wait for the story.


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## osageorange (Nov 20, 2010)

Perfectly fantastic. Congratulations.


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## FULLHOUSE (Oct 1, 2007)

wyogoob Holy cow!!

I'd run the other way if I seen that big SOB!

Sorry Goob I call bulls--t on that statement I think you would pull your big a$$ hand gun out kill it then rummage through its guts for all the treats:shock:. That is a beautiful bull by the way as yours is. Congrats to both of you.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Congrats on the bison. That background looks familiar, I may of worked on a rig out in that area.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Awesome!:thumb: 


I presume that was the Wildhorse bench hunt?


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

Congrats! A bison hunt in Utah is my ultimate dream for this state. Unfortunately, at 4 points....it is not likely to ever happen. But I'll keep trying!


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

I want one!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

FULLHOUSE said:


> wyogoob Holy cow!!
> 
> I'd run the other way if I seen that big SOB!
> 
> Sorry Goob I call bulls--t on that statement I think you would pull your big a$$ hand gun out kill it then rummage through its guts for all the treats:shock:. That is a beautiful bull by the way as yours is. Congrats to both of you.


Thanks. This bull looks bigger, badder and older than mine and there's no trees to hide behind!

.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

wyogoob said:


> Thanks. This bull looks bigger, badder and older than mine and there's no trees to hide behind!
> 
> .


Yeah, but that bull also would have read the "oysters" thread and would be fleeing across the plain at pronghorn speed with his tail tucked very firmly between its legs. ;-)

RE"Congrats! A bison hunt in Utah is my ultimate dream for this state. Unfortunately, at 4 points....it is not likely to ever happen. But I'll keep trying!"

I hear ya, and am in the same boat. I will say this though. I'd rather be in the bison pool than the moose for OIL. A bit more future opportunity on the horizon IMO.


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## 35whelen (Jul 3, 2012)

Awesome! Congratulations!


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## 35whelen (Jul 3, 2012)

What caliber rifle did you use, lifes short?


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## silentstalker (Feb 19, 2008)

That is a beauty! Congrats on a heck of a bull!


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## lifes short (Sep 11, 2013)

Heres the story. I found out I had drawn a tag while I was sitting on the beach at Flaming Gorge, looking at the smart phone while waiting for the wind to die down so we could chase some Lake Trout. I could not wait to start finding some info on the hunt and area. The next week I was on the phone with the biologist that are in charge of that area with the DWR. I spoke with two, a former biologist and the current one. They were both great in educating me to how the Bison have behaved at the time of year the hunt is and what to excpect. I told him I had purchased Topo maps of the area and was headed up the next day to start learning the area. His last statement was do not be dissappointed if you do not see any Bison. They will not be on the hunt area until we get snow. They summer higher up in the Book Cliffs. He also said that I would think they were nuts and the hunt area looks like Mars and during the summer I would not believe Bison ever used that area.

The next morning my wife and I were loaded in the truck and spent the four hours getting to the hunt area from Salt Lake. We arrived on Mars right on schedule. We spent the day learning roads and watching Wild Horses. They named this Wild Horse Bench for a reason. Got he oppurtunity to change a flat tire on the way home.

The next trip was the weekend before the hunt opened(Saturday before Thanksgiving) Drove most of the roads on Agency Draw section of unit saw some nice deer and Elk but no Bison. Still dry and warm.

Opening day the Saturday after Thanksgiving set camp up by Pelican lake and spent the day on ATV's in agency Draw. Lots of Elk and Deer, no Bison. Still warm and dry. 

Skipped the next weekend still warm and dry.

Third weekend of the hunt looks like some storm. Pulled two ATV's up and drove around with them on the trailer getting rained on. Started turning to snow, seeing Elk and Deer no Bison. We are 29 miles from the paved road, as far as you can be on this hunt. It is snowing we are slowwly going down the Agency Draw road and the trailer goes sideways in the road behind me. We get out and the spring on one side of the trailer is broken the axle is kitty corner, the trailer is sitting solid on the tire and we have not seen another vehicle all day. I get on the cell phone and call my brother in Riverton. He goes over to my house and finds a spare spring I have. Him and my nephew head towards Roosevelt. While I am on the phone my son and buddy grab the HiLift and have trailer jacked up the axle kicked bakinto place and have backtracked and found the broken spring pieces. We loosen the U-bolts and put the bottom spring in the best we can and stack two of the broken pieces on top of it. Then cinch the U bolts back up tight. My buddy then slides a section of 2X4 between the u-bolts and the top of the axle. a couple of motorcycle tie downs to hold the axle in place and one to hold the 2X4 in place and we are headed off the mountain at a blistering 7 mph. It took us as long to get back to Pelican Lake as it did my brother and nephew to drive up from Riverton. About a half hour after they got there the spare spring was in so we could get back to town.

Got heavier springs on the trailer and phoned the biologist again that week. When he returned my call I told him that I guess I just needed to be reassured that Bison really would show up. He laughed and talked about the warm weather we were having and said that they just needed snow on the ground and to keep trying. He is a very nice guy. I skipped that weekend for lack of snow on the ground.

With the Storms around Christmas we decided to just run up the Saturday after Christmas and look around no ATV's this day. We concentrated on the areas the biologist had suggested in May and the week prior his story was still the same. We arrived at the area about an hour after daylight 2" of snow on the ground. As we are driving along the edge of a canyon my brother says stop and back up. Down in the canyon right below us two Bison! We stop and get out and watch them both Bulls. We can get within a couple hundred yards but they are down in a steep canyon. I can see some roads below them but do not know how to get to them. We start looking. We end up out on a bluff half a mile from them. We are glassing trying to figure out the rods and see a herd of about 30 then a herd of about 20 then a lone one on a ridge.We have to find the roads.

We come upon another truck and he asks if we are hunting and we tell him yep. He says he is too and has been out 4 times and not seen any. He says give me you phone number and if he sees any he will call us. I ask him if he knows how to get into the canyon behind me and he says yes. I ask if he will show us if we show him about 40 or 50 Bison and he says follow me. (will finish later)


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

Great story so far - can't wait to hear the end! Congrats on a great buff! What a cool animal with tons of history behind it.


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## lifes short (Sep 11, 2013)

As we enter the canyon I can see the lone Bison. I flag the other guy down and show it to him and explain where we saw the other ones. He said go ahead and lead. I am carrying a Marlin lever action 45-70 with 418 grain home cast bullets. I have taken a couple of deer and several wild hogs in Texas with this and I am very comfortable out to 150 yards with it. This is the outfit I want to use if we can get close enough. My son has my .338 win mag loaded with 210 Nosler Partitions if I only have a longer shot. The other hunter holds back and lets us get closer to this bull. I get to what I think is under 150 yards before he starts being concerned about us. My brother ranges him and tells me 261 yards. I answer no way maybe 125 he ranges him again and says 259, so much for my estimate on such a big animal. The bull is only about five steps from going down a side canyon and looking nervous. I ask my son to hand me my .338. He is standing in a spot we can get the truck to. I aim just above his brisket right on his front leg and squeeze one off. He stumbles, lifts his front leg and regains his footing, my brother says hit him again before he goes down that canyon so I hit him in the chest again. My son says he is blowing blood out his nose. He takes a step toward the canyon so I hit him again. He turns uphill and stands there. I pull a shell from the buttstock and put one more round into his chest from this side and he is down for the count.

We are able to drive the truck right to him. The other hunter came up and I show him the canyon the original two bulls are in and where the lower herd is we can see them from my Bull and which road the other twenty head were on. He grabs a couple pictures and was off.

We are not able to roll him over for pictures and have to use a chain and the truck to set him up for the pictures. It took four hours to skin him, clean him pull his legs off and load him in the truck in seven pieces.

With over a month left in the hunt I probably could of held out for a larger Bull but my goal was a mature bull I could get to and take care of ourselves.

Mission accomplished and could not be happier. He is aging in my back garage and I am looking forward to butchering him ourselves. Family and hunting buddies are priceless!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

lifes short said:


> As we enter the canyon I can see the lone Bison. I flag the other guy down and show it to him and explain where we saw the other ones. He said go ahead and lead. I am carrying a Marlin lever action 45-70 with 418 grain home cast bullets. I have taken a couple of deer and several wild hogs in Texas with this and I am very comfortable out to 150 yards with it. This is the outfit I want to use if we can get close enough. My son has my .338 win mag loaded with 210 Nosler Partitions if I only have a longer shot. The other hunter holds back and lets us get closer to this bull. I get to what I think is under 150 yards before he starts being concerned about us. My brother ranges him and tells me 261 yards. I answer no way maybe 125 he ranges him again and says 259, so much for my estimate on such a big animal. The bull is only about five steps from going down a side canyon and looking nervous. I ask my son to hand me my .338. He is standing in a spot we can get the truck to. I aim just above his brisket right on his front leg and squeeze one off. He stumbles, lifts his front leg and regains his footing, my brother says hit him again before he goes down that canyon so I hit him in the chest again. My son says he is blowing blood out his nose. He takes a step toward the canyon so I hit him again. He turns uphill and stands there. I pull a shell from the buttstock and put one more round into his chest from this side and he is down for the count.
> 
> We are able to drive the truck right to him. The other hunter came up and I show him the canyon the original two bulls are in and where the lower herd is we can see them from my Bull and which road the other twenty head were on. He grabs a couple pictures and was off.
> 
> ...


Great story and nice shooting! Good luck and keep us posted on the meat processing. I'm grinding my bison trim now. There's about 240 lbs of it.


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