Welcome to Xinos Bison Ranch

At Xinos Bison Ranch, we take pride in offering only the highest quality Bison. We specialize in putting the best bison meat on your table.  So a Majority of our bison hunting packages are for prime-eating bulls and heifers (approximately 17-22 months in age) which are generally going to weigh in the range of 600-800 lbs. on the hoof.  You can expect to put roughly 33-40% of that live weight in your freezer (all boneless cuts), assuming a clean kill where nothing goes to waste.  Not only are these bison the prime age for eating, they are 100% all natural they graze on our large native prairie sections and irrigated pasture.  We hunt them where they live and, ideally, we will put you in position to make the most effective and efficient kill possible.  

 Because bison are a herd animal by nature and they're not afraid of much, the universal truth, whether you're on 10,000 acres or 10 acres, is that finding and approaching a herd of a bison within rifle range in a vehicle is fairly simple.  But it takes strategy, patience, and marksmanship to single out the appropriate bison from the herd and obtain a good, safe shot at a reasonable distance (we should be able to get you within 150 yards, sometimes within 100).  We urge - if not require - our clients to take a rifle shot 2-3" behind the ear to put the animal down almost instantaneously.  This isn't as easy of a shot as the vast majority of people think.  You may likely be dealing with a variety of factors that impact your shooting, including cold, wind, movement, and traffic within the herd.  Precision and velocity are more important than the kick of your gun and the size of your bullet in these regards.  This approach yields the best possible meat on your dinner table and avoids an injured animal getting surrounded by the herd, which will actually attack and try to kill an injured bison.  This is a very bad situation that we try to avoid at all costs.  At the end of the day, our primary objective is to put the best possible meat in your freezer. 

Shot placement is far more important than power.  We strongly recommend, actually urge our clients to take a head/neck shot.  With a well-placed bullet 2-3" at the base of the ear, a bison can be killed instantaneously by an average deer or elk rifle.  We personally use .270s to take our own bison - - big and small.

The head / ear shot is not only the most humane way to take a bison, it also prevents waste and allows for an excellent bleed.  The end result is more meat and better meat for your table.  For our clients who insist on a body shot (and in bow hunting situations), a pretty good portion of a bison's vital organs are covered by their front shoulder (the heart is covered entirely). If the bison is standing straight and broadside, there is about a 6" window between the shoulder and gut to hit the lungs on a younger animal.  In this scenario, it is important that your bullet does not impact the opposing shoulder.  There isn't a very considerable margin of error because a shoulder shot destroys a lot of very good, valuable meat and in most instances won't even take the animal down.  A gut shot won't take them down either.  In either instance, the bison is likely to get excited and the rest of the herd will start to crowd and sometimes even attack the injured animal.  This is obviously a very bad scenario because there's a risk of the meat filling with adrenaline, becoming bruised, or being tainted by stomach contents.  A wounded animal also makes for a very difficult situation because when the other animals crowd it, there might not be a good, clear shot to take the wounded bison down.  

We've had clients who have hunted almost every animal known to man and they overwhelmingly say that the bison is among the toughest, most resilient animals they've ever seen.  So we really cant overstate that shot placement is the most important aspect of the hunt.