Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
truehunter

2017 Buffalo House Rock Ranch

Recommended Posts

Here's a diff. viewpoint...I sat 14 looong days in one of Russ's blinds last year. Didn't see a cow, could have killed a bull, had a cow tag. Didn't hire Russ but helped out voluntarily with some $$ and salt blocks. 3 guys killed bison, none of them paying clients. All but one were the result of radio calls that bison were on a salt. Russ and his guys cut up their animals and packed them out (one by backpack out of a canyon), and got them to the camp cooler. Here's the reality of this hunt- a loud fart will send them running back into the park. So will huntersd running around doing their own thing.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I guess there's two sides to every story so I'll throw mine in there. I had the June 1-15 hunt and hired Russ to guide me. I was coming from out of state and all of my buddies and family had commitments so I knew I needed help if not guiding then atleast physically taking care of a buffalo if I got one. It's extremely expensive for me to bring all my camp gear and food down from ND so the outfitted end of it was a no brainer. Long story short, I hunted the entire 10 days sitting the blind all day every day (140hrs total) and did not have a chance to harvest a buffalo. There were two guided hunters of the 12, one harvested and 1 did not. There were 12 total tags and 6 harvested. 50/50 no matter if you went guided or not. Brian Myers was my guide and was the hardest working guide I've ever seen. The guy truly cares about each and every hunter whether they're guided or not. When one of the non paying hunters would kill he was the first one there to show them the cuts to make on their capes and get them started on the meat. One hunter killed and Brian went in and made the cuts for them, packed a steak and a quarter out, then returned in a couple hours to see they were clearly struggling, and helped them with the rest and packed out another quarter and some neck meat. He packed out over half of their buffalo and didn't expect nor receive a nickel. People can flame Jacoby if they want, I for one did not get to spend a considerable amount of time with him so I guess I can't weigh in much on a personal level, but Brian Myers is one of the finest people I've ever had the chance of getting to know. In the 140 hours of sitting in the blind I began calculating the amount of gear that Russ supplies for all hunters, paying or not. They had atleast 15 radios so all hunters could stay in contact in case someone killed. I don't know much about those commercial radios but I'm sure they aren't less then $200 each. They have atleast 20 or more salts. Each has a camera (some with bear boxes) let's say $150 each. There's a primos blind at each with a chaise lounge chair (you sit AAAALLLL day). Another $250+$75. That's $12,500 worth of gear alone that is there for all hunters to use. Anyone who's run cams or put out blinds knows that the fuel,batteries, cards and time cost double every year then what the gear costs. Brian would get up at 3am each morning to go check the meadow near the gate for buffalo. If they are there he rounds everyone up to go after them. He then drops off hunters and spends the day hiking in to check cams. All day. If anyone gets lucky, he helps them out. It gets dark up there about 8:30 and he doesn't get back to the trailer till 9. Honestly not sure how the guy does it as it wiped me out after 10 days. He truly has a passion for buffalo and wants every hunter to be successful. Is the system perfect? Absolutely not. In a perfect world the buffalo would be spread out in the whole plateau and we could all hunt where we wanted. Unfortunately that's not how it works. Those buffalo are EXTREMELY smart. The salt I sat had two bulls hitting it at night every 4th or 5th day. I did have a run in one am at daylight sneaking in. Every morning there were deer on the salt and I was able to sneak in and could easily have killed every deer every morning. The morning the buff were on there, I had the slightest breeze hit my neck as I was trying to get a clear shot and they blew out. If they get any pressure they are gone. Those bulls never came back after that. I sat it until the last hour of the last night and never saw another. Am I bitter at the other hunters who killed? Absolutely not! Would I do the hunt again? Probably not, it's not my style of hunting and it's a bit tough realizing that you are powerless to the whims of those buffalo and the park boundary. Am I glad I did the hunt. Absolutely. I learned my limits not so much physically but mentally. Someday I'll draw another free range tag or shoot one on a big ranch somewhere and can atleast feel like I earned my buffalo! It is a completely different hunt then anyone will have ever been on but rewarding in it's own way. If you want a dead buffalo go to Raymond ranch. As far as Russ and how he runs things, in my opinion they are doing the best they can to kill the most buffalo they can. They aren't getting rich doing it, id doubt if they're much over breaking even to be honest but one thing I can assure you is if they just had a free for all and everyone drove up and down the boundary roads they would not shoot any buffalo, paid hunters or not. They definitely need to find a better way, but with the cards that are dealt right now I think it's the best that can be done. I don't know how the whole second hunt went down. I do know that the bulls were moving into the cows, the new moon was coming in and the park service was starting to fence the water so it should have been a dynamite hunt but that being said those things are unpredictable and a buffalo is gonna do what they're gonna do. I met most all of the hunters on the first hunt and I don't think there's a single one of the 12 that would have anything but good things to say about the whole operation but maybe they'll chime in?

  • Like 7

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yea if I'm not a paying client I don't want to be told where I can or can not hunt. Public land is fair chase, first come first serve.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I to was on the June 1-15 hunt and have to agree with yotebuster.I had an opportunity on the 4th day to shoot a buffalo but passed on a young bull never saw a buffalo after that.I will say I think your odds of killing a buffalo go up greatly working with Russ and Bryan not to mention when you get one down they are right there if you need them to help you get it out.This was the most boring hunt I have been on,sitting a salt for 15 hours a day gets old fast,but that is what it takes.Not sure if I will apply for this hunt again.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have a friend that was on a DIY hunt on the kiabab this year and was successful some of Russes guides helped him get it out they had nothing to gain by it.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm collecting points hoping things will change for the better. I detest hunting boundaries whether unit, state, private, municipal, park, etc.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm collecting points hoping things will change for the better. I detest hunting boundaries whether unit, state, private, municipal, park, etc.

I hear you for sure. I don't think things will ever change up there. If they established a new population on the house rock maybe, but I have a feeling those buffalo would get smart quick and head up top as well. With the exception of Henry mountains, I don't think there's really any free range bison hunts that you don't have to wait on the them to come off some type of closed area. Kind of an oxymoron that the "free range" hunts require that and the fenced hunts are the only ones where you can actually pursue a buffalo!

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

When I started this post I realized that there would be some in favor of russ Jacoby and some not. My experience is true and found that Brian when talking to him face to face was very cordial however behind my back was backstabbing. Whether they are good or not does not in anyway give permission for them to hunt over the shoulder of other who have been there first and or block national forest roads stating their client is hunting the area (of which this is actually illegal a misdemeaner article17-316 to be exact) So in the future if any guide or hunter tries to block any road know this as a reference. My main point of the post was to be informative. rather than get into the he said she said more of how the hunt actually is. The fact that they helped out many non paying clients brings up a good conversation as to why would you pay to have them as your guide?? something to consider for those that are looking into this hunt. If they work just as hard for non paying clients as they do for paying clients maybe you should save your money and tip them with cleaning up. I know talking to this client of his he did not see the difference between what he was getting and other non payers. Point being whether you choose to have a guide or not maybe ask more details on what to expect from the hunt.

I laughed when i heard it mentioned how smart these animals are. Really?? I believe this is what russ tells everyone so he can again have control of the whole forest. Iknow they shot two buffalo in the area and then they came in to take care of the buffalo then that afternoon after the shots and vehicles in the area buffalo returned to same exact spot. But besides him, I wish I could figure out how to post some pics (maybe someone can help me with that) also a good video on public land of how these animals are not really intelligent. there was a dead carcass in the middle of them and they where stepping over it. they sit grazing on the park 1/4 mile from kiabab with people out taking pictures. they dont even care. then all of a sudden they read the sign saying crossing the park boundaries and become the most intelligent animals?? cmon.

hopefully we can get more people in the past years that have hunted this hunt to give their experience on the matter. I hope this to be an informative post for future bison hunters to understand what they are getting themselves into before the hunt and can know what to expect. Like mentioned before tonz of hours behind a blind sitting all day in the heat waiting for a buffalo to come in. bring lots of books to read.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So wait . . . People are all butt hurt because when they go to sit on a salt lick set up by someone else, with a trailcam set by someone else and someone else's ground blind that they heard was being hit on a radio provided by that same someone else but then they get there and someone else is there?

 

I can see that.

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So wait . . . People are all butt hurt because when they go to sit on a salt lick set up by someone else, with a trailcam set by someone else and someone else's ground blind that they heard was being hit on a radio provided by that same someone else but then they get there and someone else is there?

 

I can see that.

yep, where ever I put a cam I own that area for a mile radius.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So wait . . . People are all butt hurt because when they go to sit on a salt lick set up by someone else, with a trailcam set by someone else and someone else's ground blind that they heard was being hit on a radio provided by that same someone else but then they get there and someone else is there?

 

I can see that.

At first this would seem like a really good deal and it is depending on your perspective. Where it gets tough is that more or less in exchange for working with them, you give up some of your freedom to go wander the woods and truly "hunt". This is why all of us hunt, because we can go out and do our thing how we want and not listen to what anyone else says or does. That element is removed in this case. Does that suck? Yep. Is the current way the best and likely only way to kill bison. Most likely. I'm not arguing for or against it but I am a firm believer that this system is the best way to maximize tag success. It's definitely not for everyone and it sounds like the OP is in that boat, and so am I. I just wanted to make sure everyone saw both perspectives on it. The one thing that I will adamantly disagree with the OP on is that they are stupid animals. There are places all over the country where you can see 200" Muleys and 400" bulls eat out of bird feeders in back yards but that doesn't mean they are stupid. On the contrary it means they are smart as heck. It means they know where they are safe and where they aren't. It means that they are smart enough to overcome their innate fear of humans to live in an area swamped with them because they are smart enough to know they can't be hunted by those very humans. The buffalo are no different. They need salt, that is the one and only reason they ever cross that line, they also know that they're gonna run a good chance of getting killed while being over there or they would just stay there. A big lone old bison bull is the smartest animal I've ever had the chance to hunt. I've killed more bull elk then I can count on both hands, big muley bucks, more big eastern white tails then I can count and even some coues (the next smartest!) and the mind games and nocturnal nature of them really got the best of me. It sounds like the OP spent more time inside the park then inside the blind and the season is still going, it's dry, hot and the bulls are moving into the herds of "dumb" cows. If they were that stupid I would urge him to get up there and shoot a big old ten year old bull real quick while he's still got a few days of season left.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I would probably either start my own salt or set in a tree stand near the fence where they cross from the park. its probably fairly easy to tell where they have broken or pushed over the fence.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×