Every October Jim and I celebrate my birthday and our anniversary by taking a hunting trip. We have been very fortunate to share a hunting camp for 13 years and would have it no other way. This year would take us on another grand adventure and we both came up with some great destinations, but one stuck out as the place we needed to go. TEXAS!

We have both wanted to hunt Buffalo for as long as I can remember. We have researched hunts and have found some real dandies, however most were way out of our price range and you don’t get the entire Buffalo. With some outfitters you keep part of the meat and either the head or cape and with some you can purchase the rest of the meat at an additional charge. Neither one of us were to happy with that arrangement so we just kept looking

Team Frady Archery Adventures, which Jim and I own, joined forces with Bowhunting North America, www.bowhuntingnorthamerica.com in May of this year. We had told James and Donna Ferguson, owners of BHNA, about our desire to hunt Buffalo, but were having a hard time convincing ourselves of robbing a major financial institution to do it and being the selfish people we are we wanted the entire buffalo. They suggested Busy B Ranch in Jefferson, Texas owned and operated by Jason Bonner. The Busy B Ranch is on BHNA’s preferred outfitters’ list and James and Donna have both hunted with Jason on many occasions. Not only do they have buffalo, but if you harvest one you keep the entire buff.

After much planning and many phone conversations with Jason and his wife Shanon, we had our dates to hunt Buffalo in October. The Busy B Ranch was an 1100 acre working cattle ranch until the late 80’s. Their love for the outdoors and fishing prompted them to open it to the public in 1989 as Busy B Lodging & Outfitters Service. It is a log cabin bed and breakfast resort and hunting and fishing guide service. They offer exotic hunts and have a breeding program for whitetail deer which they work closely with the Texas Parks and Wildlife services.

When we arrived we followed the signs to cabin 2 and were impressed with what we found; a log cabin nestled in the woods with a sprawling lake in front of it. The cabin was neatly detailed right down to the porch swing and rocking chairs. As we unpacked our hauler from our long 14 ½ hour trip from our Smokey Mountain home in N.C., Jason drove up and asked if he could help. He made us feel right at home, as we talked he asked us what our plans were for the next day due to our late arrival and he knew that we had come to hunt more than just the buffalo.

Jason told us he had spotted some nice buffalo earlier that afternoon and would be glad to take us and drop us off in that area the next morning. Jim loves the challenge of being on the ground on their level, stalking. It sounded like a plan and we were eager to get in the woods to see what would unfold the following morning. I don’t believe either of us slept at all and were up early the next morning to begin our quest.

This year we are filming all of our hunts for Bowhunting North America and it adds a little excitement to the hunt. Bowhunting, as you know puts you and your adversary in a close situation, with two people, one with a camera, it makes it super tough to get into position, to be quiet, and to stay out of the way of the hunter.

We were dressed head to toe in Real Tree HD Green camo. The Busy B Ranch is located in Northeast Texas with pine and hardwoods so this pattern fits in perfect. We headed out with our equipment which includes our Thermacell Mosquito Repellant units for protection from the Texas mosquito warlords, as Jim refers to them.

Jim would be the one hunting the buffalo and I would run the camera. To put our skills to the test we decided to hunt off the ground in a wooded island close to where Jason had spotted the buffalo the day before. With no buffalo spotted the first day we enjoyed watching Fallow Deer, Axis Deer, Sika Grande, Texas hogs, and Oryx.

Jim had set up his 70lb Mathews LX with Carbon Express CX 300 arrows tipped with 125 gr. Phantom Broadheads (by Muzzy). His equipment included a Bodoodle Arrow rest, Specialty Archery Products rear movable sight with scope and his S-Coil stabilizer by Limbsaver.

We were both excited as we got into position in the trees hoping the buffalo were using this as a travel route and had not just passed through when Jason had spotted them two days before. We arrived well before daylight on day two to get into position. The wind was in our favor with the morning thermals moving up over the rise into the field

When we sat up, Jim had three natural holes through the trees he had designated to use and I cleared my area to get a good vantage point to film. We sat there the better part of the morning with nothing moving but the birds and squirrels. I saw Jim take in a deep breath, he turned his head very slowly and pointed, the buffalo were coming our way. About 150 yards out, they were crossing an earth dam for one of the lakes. They were on the same trail we had cut earlier that morning and now they were stalking us.

We had set up for the buff’s to come in on the right with the sun at our backs, but they were going to come in on the left following the same trail we had walked to the island of trees we were in. We had to slowly switch from our right to our left or Jim would miss his opportunity at one of the big monsters. With no rain amount to speak of and daytime highs in the 90’s, the leaves on the forest floor sounded like corn flakes when stepped on. Thank goodness for Wildlife Research Center’s scent killer. At this point, between our blood pressure and perspiration we needed to be as scent-free as possible. This is something you don’t won’t to overlook on any hunt.

As we sat there, we could hear the buffalo from 50 yards out, breathing as they got closer. Every step they took was slow and methodical and it seemed they would never come within range. I know I was shaking worse than Jim, the anticipation was almost more than I could stand. As the buffalo moved they kept getting closer and closer to the treeline and we thought they were going to cut through the island on top of us. It was not a comforting feeling.

Two buffalo were walking together; one slightly in front of the other. They were going to walk within yards of us as long as the wind didn’t shift. I could see the muscles in Jim’s shoulders tensing as he slowly drew his bow. He came to full draw and held for what seemed like years, but in reality was closer to a minute. The buffalo kept their steady pace until one was broadside 8 yards from us. Just then the buff stopped, stomped his massive foot and winded us. The buffalo dropped his head and his tail flagged straight out. It is said that when a buffalo drops his head and flags his tail he is getting ready to charge. Jim slowly began to squeeze his Tru-Ball release as the big buff looked him dead in the eyes for an eternity, but it was too late. We watched his arrow disappear right behind the big buff’s shoulder. When the arrow hit, both of the buffalo bolted. Jim had made a double lung shot. The buffalo ran about 250 yards into an open field to what would be its final resting place. From the time the buffalo was shot to the time it was down was less than 30 seconds. The Phantom broadhead passed completely through the buffalo. We found it about 35 yards out in the field from where the buff had been standing.

Being a bowhunter, you have to develop skills to be able to get in close enough for a shot. Neither of us would have ever imagined being able to get that close to any animal, unless we had been in a tree stand or ground blind with perfect conditions.

Jim and I both stared at each other in disbelief for a few seconds after the buffalo was down. I must admit that I was very impressed with the calm composure that Jim had and the perfect timing of his arrow’s release. Time seemed to have stopped while the buffalo were walking toward us and then it unfold so quick that we were both left breathless with our hearts pounding out of our chest. We sat there for about 15 minutes to make sure the buffalo had plenty of time to expire and then we came unglued with plenty of high fives and hugs. I believe the one statement that each of us made more than once was, "Can you believe how close they were to us?". When we walked up to the buffalo we were both amazed at the size and the beauty of this magnificent animal. A dream had come true; a buffalo with a bow, the way it should be. We shared a perfect hunt together and have it burned on film as well as in our hearts and minds.

During our week-long stay with Jason at the Busy B, we harvested several other animals and I must say shooting Texas hogs with a bow is a blast within itself. We highly recommend the Busy B Ranch and finding a hunting buddy that you can share a campfire with to recall having a buffalo look you dead in the eye at the moment of truth.

Next, it was my turn to hunt, Jim would be the cameraman. A Sika Grande ( Silk) deer was on my birthday wish list, but that is another story.

For more on our Texas adventure and pictures go to www.bowhuntingnorthamerica.com.

For more information on Busy B Ranch or to book a hunt:

Busy B Ranch
Jason and Shanon Bonner
1100 West Prospect Rd.
Jefferson, Texas 75657
Phone: 903-665-7448