My bison hunts were unguided but i don't hunt em solo because of the work required when you get one. Fortunately I have good friends, the guy that took the pic was actually my taxidermist backing me up with a rifle. That bull popped out unexpectedly close during the stalk (18 yards) and for the longest time we stood there wondering if he was gonna stomp us into the ground. With bison you can read their demeanor by the position of their tail. If it's down they are relaxed. If it's halfway up they are on alert. If it's pointing up you are inside their 25 yard comfort zone and likely to get run over. We could not see his tail when he popped out. Unguided bison hunts range from 3-6K on average...depending on type of hunt. Those "drive up and shoot over the hood at tame herds" are bullshit and i enjoy watching videos when those asshats shoot the alpha. The minute the dominate bull is hurt, the rest of the herd begin ramming him as payback for past transgressions and they ruin the robe and meat...pulverizing the animal for 30 minutes or longer. Ha ha! Enjoy your pet trophy! These are white fat kills (can't really call em hunts). it snowed all the time except for two hours during the week of my hunt so glassing and finding tracks was impossible. All you can do in these conditions is cover ground and hope you get lucky. It's cold hiking at elevation.
Because of this I camped in a different spot each night...my hammock was nice and toasty.
Got my bull on the last day...was pretty beat up and worn out by this time...when i shot the damn thing i felt relief more than accomplishment. It didn't seem like I was gonna be successful this time.
Now when I hunt in Canada I am required by law to have a guide. While on my moose hunt we stumbled upon a huge steamy pile of grizz dung...having a guide with a rifle was a welcome thing. It was eery sometimes...the moose would appear and disappear in the morning mist that enveloped us before vanishing into the swamps.
This is my guide Jared...had the eyes of an eagle and the legs of a giraffe. Total purist, didn't drink, smoke or touch coffee. He'd be like, "Ohhhhh...dats a shooter for sure, we better hurry and get doon thar eh?" This was in a place called Beaverlodge in Alberta where the beavers population was 50 times that of humans.
The bugs were so big and thick in the swamps they could carry you away. You covered up!
I had spotted a bull moose moving along a brushline with only one gap large enough for him to pass thru and enter the neighboring swamp. It was 6:03am...just minutes into first legal shooting hours. I sprinted along the same brushline (from the opposite direction) to the "door" I was certain he was heading towards. There I knelt down, nocked an arrow and shakily tried to attach my release. Unknown to me the bull had quickened his pace even though I managed to remain concealed when positioning myself...perhaps he heard me.
So I connect the release, pull back the string as I turn to aim and all I see are legs 10' in front of me. He stopped for a moment then ran off, apparently spooked by my movement but unsure of what I was. A quick call and he stops at 31 yards offering a very hard quartering away shot. I took it. The arrow disappeared mid body on his left side at exactly the right height. I watched as he took a step and stood there a moment, then went down. Moments later he was back on his feet, took a step and laid back down. He did this a third time before going down and staying down. I decided to stay put for 20 minutes before approaching at full draw. He was done. The arrow had barely nicked the left lung but flew cleanly through the other, the Exodus broadhead lodged so deeply into the right shoulder joint it could not be removed. That's why he didn't keep moving, that head was in the perfect spot. My first moose hunt ended in success after nearly two weeks of hard and disappointing hunting. I will never forget the moment I looked up and was in punting position of this bull. It is
That Moment that comes to mind when I think about bow hunting. In that moment I could hear & feel my pulse.
Canadians laugh at us yanks chasing moose with a bow...their rifle season is during the rut. The all shoot their moose with rifles up there..."too much work otherwise" they say. I will say this, moose meat is darker and more flavorful than other ungulates and one of my favorite things to eat is a TOM slider (Tomato, Onion & Moose). Easy peasy! Only takes a few minutes. These hunts start at 6K not including travel.