Montana bison hunt riles critics

Despite efforts to level the field between hunters, tame animals, some see the event as a massacre.

By Jim Robbins / New York Times


WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. -- On a recent sun-washed day, a lone shaggy-headed bull bison quietly munched grass and flowers in a rural subdivision here. It was a postcard scene of peaceful co-existence, soon to be replaced by quite a different picture.

Last week, in an attempt to thin the ranks of bison outside Yellowstone National Park and curb the threat of a disease, Montana wildlife officials chose 50 people to hunt the animals near the north and west entrances of the park. More than 6,000 people, including the governor, applied for the licenses, some of which were distributed through a lottery for the hunt between Nov. 15 and Feb. 15.

It is the first planned bison hunt in Montana since 1990; that one was ended after it turned into a public relations debacle as television news cameras recorded hunters shooting bison that simply stared at them.

The state is trying to make the hunt more acceptable by leveling the field somewhat between hunters and their 2,000-pound targets, which are used to humans and do not know to flee. But critics say the measures are not enough, and at least one group says its members plan to film the bison hunt to publicize what they consider a glorified massacre.

"The bison should not be considered a nemesis," said Mike Mease, a founder of the group, called the Buffalo Field Campaign.

"They should be considered an asset. People would come from around the world to see them," said Mease, who added that he is a hunter and is not opposed to other kinds of hunting.

Nancy Perry, vice president of government affairs for the Humane Society of the United States, said the bison hunt "affords trophy hunters the opportunity to shoot what are effectively parked cars."

"These bison have no fear of people and will stand and stare in curiosity as they are gunned down," she said.

In a state where hunting animals to fill a freezer is a way of life, a bison is a prize like no other. It weighs a ton or more, and offers hundreds of pounds of meat that is low in fat, sweeter than beef and considered a delicacy.

Just 23 bison survived in Yellowstone at the turn of the 20th century, all the wild buffalo that remained in the United States after the vast herds of bison that roamed the West in the 19th century were slaughtered. Park officials created a buffalo ranch and brought the wild bison back from the edge of extinction. There are now nearly 5,000 bison in Yellowstone.

"Bison have been harvested for meat in Montana for 12,000 years," said Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who was not chosen in the lottery for hunting licenses. "The essence of the problem is that there is a limited amount of animals that you can raise on a finite amount of pasture."

Schweitzer noted that other states, including Montana's southern neighbor Wyoming, have buffalo hunts. Wyoming holds an annual hunt for park bison, but the bison population here is far larger and more obvious, which has focused more attention on hunts in Montana.

Officials say the bison are being targeted because they carry a disease, brucellosis, which causes cattle to abort their young. (Cooked bison meat is safe to eat.) The authorities regularly try to drive the animals back into the park, swooping over them with helicopters and herding them with all-terrain vehicles and horses. They also have trapped hundreds of stray bison since 1990 and shipped them off for slaughter, with the meat going to Indian tribes.

"We have a legitimate problem," said Ron Aasheim, a spokesman for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks department. "A diseased animal that weighs a ton."

The federal Department of Agriculture has told the state that if bison are allowed to wander, Montana cattle could lose their disease-free status. That would keep raisers from shipping cattle without expensive testing. But there is no solid evidence that wild bison pass the disease to cattle when the two species are not confined together, and even the governor acknowledges that the state's bison policy is skewed in that only 500 cattle live where they might be at risk.

Bison advocates say that the animals should be allowed to form herds outside the park, and that the true motivation for controlling the population is to eliminate competition with cattle for forage on public land.

Thanks for the post Kathi. To add a bit more, the state of MT has done a pretty good job setting up this hunt. In contrast to the hunts held in the late 80's which occured mostly around towns like Gardiner and West Yellowstone, they have established larger hunting areas west and north of the Park boundary that are open to hunting. They have limited the weapons to center fires only (no bows or muzzleloaders) firing a bullet greater than 150 grains (Still a bit light IMO!) I was not fortunate enough to draw a tag this year but I look forward to paying $3 again next year for another chance! Fortunately for us, MT has a law against hunter harassment so we hope not to see a repeat of the 80's when protesters constantly harassed bison hunters. Some even physically attacked hunters with ski poles! I guess those 150 grain bullets would work fine in that situation (-: Thanks.

I, too, am eager to get my three dollars in to have a chance to take one of Montana's biggest animals. I'm a little shakey about the 150 grain bullets as well. I would probably load a large trophy bonded or monolithic in my 300WSM or 7mm Rem Mag and then load them hot. I'm glad that they are going to let us have a chance at these magnificient animals.

Know why the ranchers are so consered about brucellosis ?? back in the fiftys before montana had the disease free status they were fighting these diseases very hard and very dirty . exanple , my cousins had a summer ranch on the Blackfoot indian res. they had ONE cow come down with the disease . the montana Dep. of AG Shot ,burned, barried some 500 head of cattle plus barred them from raising cattle on this land for 7 years. they did not recive any compensation for all of this . point is montana went thought ALOT to get the DF status and we have not forgoten all this ... course the greenys worship bufflo ( and grizzys and wolves ) and heaven help those who mess with those sacred animals .

I know I'm preaching to the choir in this forum but, YNP rather steadfastly refuses to intervene in population management of the bison herd in the Park. Kind of like, out of sight out of mind and not in by backyard. It is a simple fact that it is possible to grow lots and LOTS AND LOTS MORE buffalo and elk in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, provided those populations have a food base. Once that grass and forage is heavily damaged or destroyed it takes much longer at 7000 ft on that boreal plateau to grow grass than it does critters to eat it. Montana and Wyoming both are initiating seasons on buffalo. Montana's, at the moment, is a poor excuse for trimming excess. 50? What the hell is that? YNP's latest guesstimate is 5500 to 6000 buffalo and they claim to witness no degredation of the food base. Horse pucky! Drought aside, any nimrod can see overgrazing. It wasn't that many years ago that they said the sustainable herd should be around 2500 to 3000. This brucellosis fiasco is just that. Elk also carry the dreaded desease and they pore out of the park in mass (at least until the wolves 'et 'em) and not one Montana cow has got brucellosis yet. Back in the late fifties and early sixties the Lamar ranger station was the central round up spot for corralling and (GHAST NO!) shooting the excess buffalo and elk, butchered them and fed the meat to people who needed in from orphanages to the state prison in Deer Lodge. That old ranger station use to have a wall of pre-64 model 70's for control work. Oh My God! How could we do such a thing? If Ranger Rick won't do it, let American hunters cull the excess, or just send in Seal Team Six for a weekend HILO.

Yellowstone: I agree with your preachings - very much so! Especially about the Wolves decimating the Elk!
And to those folks that care about Buffalo "firepower" - I was filming a Buffalo "harvest" two years ago when my friend killed a 3 1/2 year old adult Buffalo with ONE SHOT from a 45 Long Colt pistol!
That Buffalo fell so hard and fast that it "bounced" up a bit off of the ground!
It died in its tracks INSTANTLY!
I have it on film!
As with all game harvesting - patience and proper bullet placement will bring your game to bag!
I believe my friend was using 240 grain bullets out of his revolving pistol!
Yeah I was unsuccessful AGAIN this year in the Buffalo drawing!
Maybe next year!
To tell the truth I was hedging against the governor allowing the Hunt this year seeings as how he cancelled it after the drawing last year?
Democrats?
Long live the Buffalo!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I agree with yellowstone, but give the MT FWP a little credit. They started last year at 10 permits, which was pathetic, cancelled that hunt, and now came back with 50 tags. That's a 500% improvement! No doubt they are testing the water a bit, so we'll keep our fingers crossed that those ski-pole caryying greenies and their buddies in the media won't make the hunts into a propaganda circus. Imagine Katie C. on the Today show, broadcasting with a tear in her eye from West Yellowstone . . .

Sorry guys, but I just can't resist it. Those 5500 plain folks who didn't get drawn just need to get the governor to apply for you next year and then offer to go with you just in case you should beat the 6000 to 1 odds and draw a tag. It apparrently helps if you're in the military and if it was up to me I'd give all the returning Montana troops a hunting license as a heartfelt thanks for a job well done. But give me a break, I didn't sail in on the last pickle boat. 29 Goddamned years applying for a resident moose tag and no cupie doll, but nope that drawing is not now and never has been rigged. It's strictly random. Maybe it's the brucellosis rampaging out of YNP, but I think I'm going to puke.

Hey it's my hunting partner chimimg in. Howdy Big Snowy. Yeah I know they're testing the water, but even if Montana hunters could in divine fashion walk on it, it will never meet the approval of the alphabet networks. I'd bet a dollar and a doughnut that Katie can draw a fine bead with rifle or pistol. It's her footstool Matt Lauer who doesn't know which way to hold the buttstock. Good night.

Well, I for one want to get drawn... I'll don a purple Patagonia fleece for the kill pic's and then send em' to Patagonia for publication in their catalog. Then, I'd head over to the Co-Op to get a veggie shake with said buffalo in the back of the truck... should make the greenies more green !

Can out of state hunters apply for this hunt? Can someone post some information on who to contact to apply for a tag next year? I'd really appreciate it.