Our April Hunt of the Month features huntress, Sharon Morozumi. Sharon came out on a very special hunt, with the objective of taking one of our American bison with her bow! While Native Hunt has offered bison hunts for quite some time, this would be a fairly unique experience for the team. CEO of Native Hunt T. Michael Riddle put all of his resources to work to make sure Sharon had a successful and fulfilling hunt.

Riddle took Sharon's husband and another guide out ahead of the hunters to scout out the animals. Amazingly even these massive creatures can totally disappear in the expanse of nature, but they were soon able to locate the herd. Once the animals were located, the next trick was to get the huntress into position with a favorable wind and enough cover to stalk within bow range.

While the bison at the Jolon Ranch may seem docile to the casual observer, they're far from tame, as Riddle was reminded when he got a little too close and the big bull charged him. The challenge for the guide and huntress would be to get in close enough to make a clean kill, yet also have a clear route to escape if things went wrong. Riddle and the others would observe from a safe distance where they would be able to watch the animals after the shot.

The guide for this hunt is one of Riddle's youngest guys, Colby Williams. Williams, the son of a long-time Central Coast hunting guide, grew up in a hunting environment and was helping his father from an early age. He's been working on and off for Native Hunt for the last three years or so. Even so, nothing in that experience quite matched up to the situation facing him on this hunt. Wild hogs and blacktail deer are one thing... bowhunting American Bison is another.

I asked Colby what he thought was the most challenging part of the hunt. "The biggest thing was getting into range," he said. "She (Sharon) said she was comfortable out to about 20 yards. It was tough getting within 20 yards of those animals. There wasn't a lot of cover where they were. We had to make real slow movements and make sure their attention wasn't on us before we made our move."

Getting close wasn't the only consideration, though, when stalking animals that may go in excess of a ton. "My primary concern was safety," said Colby.


Buffalo tend to huddle up and protect a wounded member of the herd, and have been known to charge a predator. After the shot, which Colby described as very well-placed, the hunters and guides had to stand off and wait until the herd finally dispersed before collecting the animal, a fine cow. The remainder of the weekend was spent in typical Native Hunt fashion, touring the ranch to view the wildlife, target shooting, and enjoying good food and fellowship around the campfire.

Colby said he had a great time with the Morozumis, and apparently the sentiment was shared. Here's what Sharon wrote to me regarding her experience.

My bison hunt at Native Hunt was most excellent. Colby the guide was most professional and helpful. Mike is always a pleasure to work with. All the staff were very professional and courteous.

The land is beautiful and the wildlife is very enjoyable to observe. The hunt was very exciting and I appreciate everyone's patience. As a bowhunter it is important to be in the right place and yardage is crucial.

All in all it was a truly wonderful experience and I will recommend Native Hunt to others and I definitely plan to return for a future hunt.

Congratulations to Sharon Morozumi for a great hunt and harvest, and to the team from Native Hunt for bringing it all together for yet another satisfied client!