By Larry Weishuhn
“Got a question for you!” said Jim shortly after we had finished recording an episode for my weekly “DSC’s Campfires with Larry Weishuhn” podcast. My first thought was “No, Jim I’m not going to sell you another one of favorite rifles!” I had sold Jim my Marlin .45-70 Guide Rifles a couple of years earlier, a rifle I never intended to sell…but then there was his unique approach.
Jim Bequette had long been the editor of SHOOTING TIMES magazine, where I had served on staff as the hunting columnist years ago. We had become good friends, really good friends. He had approached me with, “Larry, I’m asking the favorite writers I worked with in the past to sell me one of their rifles. I’ve got guns from Bill Jordan, Skeeter Skelton and a few others who used to write for me and Shooting Times. I really want one of yours to go along with their’s!” Being put into that company, how could I refuse? I ended up selling him my .45-70 Marlin Guide rifle, one of the most accurate “off-the-rack” rifles I had ever owned. Frankly I would NEVER have sold that rifle or allowed anyone else to own it, other than Jim Bequette.
“OK Jim, but only if it’s not about another of my rifle.” I answered to to his question.
“No, a friend of mine, Jim Block…we’ve been friends since grade school…and I want to shoot a buffalo, an American bison. We’ve both got Sharpe’s rifle and are looking for a buffalo.”
“I know just the place, Choctaw Hunting Lodge! Let me call my friend there who oversees their hunting program, Dusty Vickrey to see if he has any buffalo hunts available.” I replied.
A quick call to Dusty, then I got him and Jim together to set up a hunt, after telling both I wanted to be present when the hunt occurred. A few weeks later the two Jim and I were unloading our gear into the lodge of one of my favorite places on Earth.
“You two want to make sure your rifles are properly sighted in?” asked Dusty Vickrey after Jim Bequette and Jim Block had stowed their gear and settled into in the comfortable and spacious Choctaw Lodge. Both nodded an affirmative. “Our range is out back, next to the lake. I’ll set up a target at a hundred yards. We’ll do our best to get you that close or closer to a buffalo. Meet me in the kitchen in ten minutes.”
The Jims had arrived after dark the evening before. Both had brought their 1874 Sharps Rifles chambered in .45-70 Government, exact replicas of the originals Sharps rifles made by Shiloh Sharps (www.shilohrifles.com) in Big Timber, Montana.
We were waiting in the kitchen when Dusty returned. It was interesting to see Dusty’s face when he saw the rifles. “We’ve done numerous buffalo hunts, but this is the first time we had anyone show up with true buffalo hunter rifles. I like it!”
At the range, I watched Jim Block chamber a hand-loaded, 495-grain hard-cast bullet propelled by black powder cartridge, adjust his sights and shoot. He put his shot into the “X-ring”. H followed it with a second shot less than one half-inch from the first. Jim Bequette did the same with a 300-grain Soft Point bullet, commercial load when it was his turn to shoot.
“Think both these guys are ready to go!” commented Dusty smiling broadly. We walked back to the lodge in preparation of heading afield for buffalo.
A few minutes later we headed to the Choctaw Lodge’s estate area where the buffalo lived part of over contiguous 40,000-acres, owned by the Choctaw Nation in the immediate area of Southeastern Oklahoma. The Jims commented the steep, rolling hills and deep valleys covered with oaks, pines and a variety of underbrush were not quite what they had expected. Rather they had thought the land might be flatter and not covered with so many trees. “This is going to be a most fun hunt!” commented Bequette.
Dusty pointed the ATV toward a long deep valley. “Saw a lone bull here a couple of days ago. Also saw him here four days before. And one of our guides saw him here just before dark yesterday as well. We think he’s staying somewhere in this valley. If we spot him while we’re driving, we’ll go past him like we didn’t see him, go another quarter mile or so, then stop and try to stalk him. Unlike what you might have heard, buffalo can be really wary. They are usually far from easy!”
Dusty continued, “We drive everywhere here on the ranch in ATVs. Sometimes they do not pay the ATVs much attention, sometimes… But, if they see a person walking, they run, sometimes they go a long way before stopping. If we get on a stalk, we’ll need to pay particular attention to the wind and move slowly.” Both Jims nodded affirmatively
We had barely entered Long Valley when we spotted a lone buffalo bull. We acted as if we had not seen him. Dusty drove on and stopped our ATV nearly a half mile farther on.
“Who’s shooting first?” asked Dusty. Bequette pointed at Jim Block, “This is a birthday present from Jim’s wife. She knew we had been talking about hunting buffalo with a Sharps rifle ever since we were in high school together. Finally, we’re getting to so so.” Jim Blocker started to protest, but Bequette shook his head. “You’re up first!”
“Load up, but have extra shells where you can get to them quickly. Buffalo can be really tough to bring down. Shooting those hard cast bullets, it may take more than one. Shoot for the vitals immediately behind the shoulder, about a third of the way up from the bottom of his body. Don’t shoot too high, keep your shot in the lower third!” Dusty instructed then continued. “We’ll move slowly and use trees as cover where we can. We’ll try to a hundred yards or less.”
A short time later we again spotted the bull. Problem was…he spotted us at the same time. Immediately he turned and ran. Last we saw, he was running, crossing into the adjoining valley. We walked back to the ATV. So much for simply walking up to a buffalo and shooting him as some would have thought one could do!
An hour later we spotted another bull. We parked the ATV and headed in his direction. Thankfully, the wind had “come up” and he neither heard or saw us. He was feeding on a slope at the tailings of a water hole. I hung behind with my camera, hoping to record the hunt for an episode of our weekly “A Sportsman’s Life” which can be seen on CarbonTV.com and on my www.larryweishuhn.net website, as well as the A Sportsman’s Life YouTube channel. Dusty and Jim used the dam to hide their movement to get within less than a hundred yards of the still unsuspecting bull. There Jim Block set up shooting sticks, rested his Sharps and took careful aim. The bullet hit the bull squarely through the vitals. He acted no different than if he had been bitten by a mere mosquito. The bull started slowly walking away. Blocker quickly reloaded and shot him a second time. Still no real reaction from the bull. He just kept walking slowly. We followed. It was not until he had put a third bullet into the bull’s vitals that he went down.
At the buffalo’s side we admired his size and majesty. After hearty congratulations Dusty and I listened to the Jims talk about how hunting buffalo together was something they had started talking about over 50 years ago. Now finally it had happened! Both of them, well really all of us were ecstatic over our success!
After appropriate photos, and, a few TV things I asked “the players” to do for the episode I was filming for “A Sportsman’s Life” Dusty called in his support team to properly take care of the downed buffalo. That amounted to getting the bull skinned and the carcass to the meat processor to create many great future, delicious meals.
With Jim Block’s bull down, we started looking for a buffalo for Bequette. Little did we know that it would take some doing, not just one more day, but several. Each time we saw a bull he was running and soon hidden by trees, tall hills and deep valleys. This, much to the chagrin of Dusty and his crew.
Over the past three years they had conducted numerous buffalo hunts on the Choctaw. Most of those hunts were completed within a day. Those that took longer were completed in two, leaving a couple of days to hunt the Choctaw Hunting Lodge’s wild hogs and/or fishing while waiting for the meat to be processed.
We did find a bull very late one afternoon. But by the time we did and got close enough for a shot, it was too dark for Jim to see sights.
We hunted hard all day long for nearly four full days and were into the last hours of the hunt. I was reminded of a whitetail hunt I had done with Bequette a couple of months earlier. Less than two hours remained, when Jim finally got a shot. I hoped this hunt would end the same as that one!
Last day of the hunt we left camp after a most delicious noon meal. One thing about hunting on the Choctaw, expect to gain rather than lose weight! Thankfully that afternoon luck was on our side. We spotted a cow, a younger and an older bull feeding on a grassy slope not far from camp. We drove past them quite some distance, stopped, then walked into the wind back to where we had seen them, hoping to the buffalo were still there, knowing buffalo sometimes simply just decide to go elsewhere! By the time we got back to where they had been feeding, they were gone.
Dusty suggested I walk through a strip of woods near where we had seen them, while he and the two Jims went the other direction. No sooner had I crossed into the woods I spotted the buffalo. They were walking slowly, coming my way. I ran to where I could see Dusty and waved them my way.
A short time later we set up an ambush. If the buffalo continued the way I had seen them coming, they should cross in front of us less than a hundred yards away. Bequette set up shooting sticks, rested his Sharps, got ready and waited. Suddenly a cow came by at a run. I hoped the bull would not do so, giving Jim a reasonable shot.
I watched through the camera lens. The bull was following the cow coming our way, thankfully at a slow walk. I filmed the buffalo knowing any moment Jim would shoot. He did, the bull bucked and ran. I knew from the shot placement I had seen through the camera’s lens the bull would not go far. He didn’t! The bull dropped less than 75-yards from where Jim had shot him. After hearty congratulations and many photos, we called in the “Choctaw buffalo extraction team” to gut Jim’s bull and take him to the local processor. That night, with “safewater” we toasted the Choctaw Hunting Lodge, the buffalo, old and new friends, and told many hunting tales, including both Jims telling their buffalo stories several times!
The Choctaw Hunting Lodge (www.choctawhuntinglodge.com), owned by the Choctaw Nation located in Southeastern Oklahoma, is one of those truly special places; fabulously beautiful productive wildlife habitat and wildlife populations; spacious and comfortable lodge; food fit for royalty; staffed by the finest and most knowledgeable people in the outdoor industry. While on the buffalo hunt I visited with Dusty who heads the Lodge’s hunting program, Matt Gamble who heads the Choctaw Nation’s wildlife program and Jody Standifer with the Choctaw Nation. The future of hunting on the Choctaw is secure under their leadership. There are numerous hunting opportunities available on the Choctaw Hunting Lodge especially for buffalo, various exotic species and even a limited number of outstanding whitetail hunts. As I have mentioned it is indeed one of my favorite places on earth. Once you’ve visited there I know you will agree!