|
Hunt bison on huge ranch in South Dakota |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This South Dakota bison hunt takes place on a 60,000-acre ranch. It is a family-owned operation with 3,500 head of bisona coupe and about 200 to 300 mature bulls. The ranch is fenced into separate pastures ranging in size up to 10,000 acres. These bulls will qualify for Safari Club International's record book but will not qualify for the Boone and Crockett Club's records. Typically more than half of the bulls taken each year are big enough to qualify for SCI listing. The ranch offers three types of hunts. First is the trophy hunt. Each year a number of the herd bulls are separated from the main herd and are offered to people who wish to add a buffalo to their trophy collection. You are allowed to select an animal from this group and shoot it. There is a minimum caliber requirement of no less than .270 rifle. Anything above this will be acceptable. Black powder rifles are accepted with the right size caliber and expert marksmanship at 75 to 150 yards with the target being the size of a softball. Bows and/or crossbows are acceptable for this hunt with an additional fee. You will receive the entire skin and skull. We will process the animal in our slaughter plant. There will be preparation form for you to fill out on the care of your hide and skull. We do not turn ears or clean lips, however, we can have this service done at an additional charge. We will either salt or freeze the hide and prepare it for shipment. The hunter is responsible for shipment of the hide and skull. It can be shipped by air freight, Federal Express, or you can take it home with you. The hunt will be completed in a day, but the hide may need more time if it is to be frozen or some other preparation. Taxidermy services are available upon request. If you are having it shipped to your taxidermist, please bring that information with you. Shipping charges are quite expensive. The ranch is not responsible for your hide or skull after two days. If you wish to purchase the entire animal, we will make special arrangements that are determined by the size of the animal. If you would like to purchase some buffalo meat, it is available. You may buy a quarter or half from the animal you shoot, or we have different cuts available that are already frozen. Bison meat is available at the prevailing market rate, typically about twice the price of beef or more. Our second type of hunt is a meat hunt. This is for a younger prime meat animal. It will either be a heifer or a bull. We will skin the animal and quarter the meat for you. If you want the meat cut and wrapped, we need to know this prior to your arrival, so we can make arrangements for it to be processed at a plant in Fort Pierre. You will get the entire animal: head, hide, and meat. The hide should make a nice rug. You may use a bow or crossbow on this hunt. Our third hunt is for a meat/trophy combination. This hunt is for a two-year old bull. It will make a small trophy. We will cape and skin the animal and quarter the meat. If you want the meat cut and wrapped, we need to know this prior to your arrival, so we can make arrangements for it to be processed. You will get the entire animal: head, hide, and meat. You may use a bow and/or crossbow on this hunt. The hunt can be conducted year round, but hides are best from October to February. We usually don't hunt past Dec. 31 and sometimes we've taken as many animals as we want to harvest before then. In 2011 we are pretty well finished by Dec. 13. Hunters can fly into Pierre or Sioux Falls and rent a vehicle. Hunters should schedule to be on the ranch at 8 am Central Time the day of the hunt. After taking your bull the ranch provides a big lunch and hunters are welcome to look over the operation and watch skinning or shop at one of the gift shops. |
Meat handling If you book a hunt that includes the entire carcass, you have several options pertaining to meat care. The ranch will skin the animal and quarter it. If you want to butcher it yourself, you are welcome to use the ranch's slaughterhouse facilities at a price of $100. Most hunters choose to use a professional meat packing service. You have a choice of using one in Pierre or one in Oneida about 30 miles farther. Prices are subject to change, but the meat packer in Oneida in 2011 charged 75 cents a pound for regular cuts and 80 cents a pound if you want the meat deboned. Meat packers charge for the hanging weight of the meat (sans skin, hooves and head), not the net weight. Meat cows yield about 400 pounds of hanging weight, while 2 1/2-old bulls yield about 500 pounds. Old bulls are substantially bigger. The packer in Pierre charges $65 a pound but adds a surcharge of $100 to $150 for rush orders. Since most hunters want the meat cut and wrapped and ready for the drive home within a couple of days, they usually want rush orders. "The price usually works out to be pretty well the same whether you use the packer in Pierre or the one in Oneida," the rancher said. "Usually the hunter gets his animal on the first day, and we can usually get the carcass to the butcher later that day or early the next morning, and the packer will usually start cutting it up that day. It's best to let it freeze for a couple of days. Depending on the weather and the season, there are things that hunters can do to occupy themselves. We charge a couple of hundred dollars for a day of coyote hunting, prairie dog hunting if it's early enough in the season, or coyote hunting. You need a hunting license." |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
