The Great Bison

Unfortunately, in recent decades, this annual migration has led to needless conflict. While elk, moose, and other wildlife pass freely between Yellowstone and the surrounding area, bison are captured and shipped to slaughter by the thousands or hazed back into Yellowstone’s unforgiving high country to face starvation.

Year after year, the bison slaughter results in unflattering national and international attention and has become a black eye for local communities and Montana. The bison slaughter is a waste of a unique and valuable natural heritage of the West. A healthy bison population could provide much, much more for the people of Montana.

Looking back – looking ahead
As every school kid learns, bison once teemed across the American West by the tens of millions. In the late 1800s, due to market hunters and massive slaughter, the herd was reduced to fewer than 1,000 west of the Mississippi River. Even Yellowstone was not safe from poaching. By 1884, just 23 wild bison remained in Yellowstone National Park’s Pelican Valley.

Today, nearly 4,000 wild bison roam Yellowstone, delighting visitors with a glimpse of American history. Saving the bison was America’s first attempt at saving an “endangered species.” Today they are living evidence of the vision and restraint of our forefathers, who brought them back from the brink.

Our job is not done…
Bison do not have to be confined to Yellowstone Park. They can provide more than just snapshots in tourists’ photo albums. By expanding the room they have to roam — and expanding hunting opportunities — bison can once again help support Montana families and communities.

There is a better way.

Existing public lands adjacent to the Park can provide more of the necessary habitat for bison during harsh winters. This will eliminate the need to haze, capture and kill bison at the Park boundary.

Montana can have a wild bison population and a healthy cattle industry. On the west side of the park, by West Yellowstone, and north of the park, by Gardiner, we must work cooperatively with landowners to maintain separation of cattle and bison.

The bison population can be managed like we do elk and other wildlife – through a well-planned hunt. Hunting can be an effective conservation tool to manage the bison population just as it is in other states that have instituted non-controversial bison seasons. More information on the bison hunt.

Giving Yellowstone Bison Room to Roam, is a publication by GYC about a better solution for managing bison in Montana. [Download now]