Bison Hunt In Yellowstone?

[lukew]

Author: Todd Helms

“Officials have agreed to allow as many as 900 bison from Yellowstone National Park to be shot by hunters, sent to slaughter or placed in quarantine this winter…”
Anyone who has visited YNP recently can attest that there are too many of two things… people and bison! It is virtually impossible to visit “the Park” without running into droves of each animal. I live along the borders of the nation’s first national park and much of our local economy comes from the millions of annual visitors each year and just like the tourists, bison spread out from the Park as well, finding nooks and crannies to live in, especially during the winter. Like the money made from tourism it would be nice to have a crack at those big shaggies too!
However, before we dust off the Sharps and get our Quigley on I’m betting that any “hunt” won’t be a hunt at all but a cull carried out by government “sharpshooters”. That would be sad indeed! I for one would pay a handsome fee to hunt a wild bison and do my part to thin the over populated YNP herd. I don’t know about you but there’s just something about a big old “buffalo” that’s romantic, the skull, the hide, the meat… every inch of the American bison is pure nostalgia, they are the true symbol of the American West.
Romance aside, we owe these animals a balanced ecosystem and YNP is anything but right now. Too many predators, too many bison, each wreaking havoc on the flora and fauna of one of the most incredible places on the planet. That balance, and a fair bit of monetary profit could assuredly be generated via a limited public hunt on the bison of YNP.
I will keep my ear to the ground on this, looking for opportunities for public comment about an open hunt. Fingers crossed the Park Service will use common sense on this and allow John and Jane Q Public to participate in the balancing of our Nation’s bison herd.
Source:
https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/wyoming/article_4acbdca6-04e1-5cfe-8a27-e3bf790b1056.html

 

[JimP]

Many many years ago they held a migration hunt as the bison moved out of the park and to the north. My cousin drew one of these tags. As the bison came out in single file the park ranger would tell the shooters which one to shoot, they had a red ribbon in their ears. At the shot most of the bison would just stand around but would soon begin the trek to the north again.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Author: Todd Helms

Fingers crossed the Park Service will use common sense on this and allow John and Jane Q Public to participate in the balancing of our Nation’s bison herd.
Source:
https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/wyoming/article_4acbdca6-04e1-5cfe-8a27-e3bf790b1056.html

You don't really believe this do you? The Park Service will never allow the hunting public to cull the Bison herd. They have had a problem for years at Rocky Mountain NP with a huge overpopulation of elk. Yep....they started solving the problem by hiring people to "thin " them out. Not hunters from the general public, but paid shooters. The NPS is shutting off millions of dollars in revenue by not allowing some sport hunting of the excess animals..........and that will not change. The anti hunters have their ear for sure! Sad, sad deal.

 

[idcwby]

You don't really believe this do you? The Park Service will never allow the hunting public to cull the Bison herd. They have had a problem for years at Rocky Mountain NP with a huge overpopulation of elk. Yep....they started solving the problem by hiring people to "thin " them out. Not hunters from the general public, but paid shooters. The NPS is shutting off millions of dollars in revenue by not allowing some sport hunting of the excess animals..........and that will not change. The anti hunters have their ear for sure! Sad, sad deal.

I think there is a possibility. We’ve had two mountain goat hunts in the last few years on NPS ground and they did a hunt for buffalo in the Grand Canyon National park this last year.

 

[kidoggy]

nothing against those who want to but personally I would just as soon pay a local rancher a couple grand to shoot one of his cows out in one of his pastures .
it is essentially the same quality hunt without the drive.

 

[Muley bound]

I’ve never had a desire to shoot one of them. A lot of good meat though! Can feed your family and friends for a while off one of them beasts!!! My buddy is doing a South Dakota hunt next year, and the price isn’t that bad really. I’m going to tag along just for the experience of it all!

 

[JimP]

The problem as I see it is are they going to do the same as they did with the Grand Canyon hunt where the meat is pooled and then you only get a percentage of it out of the meat pool?

 

[go_deep]

I'd happily go hunt Buffalo in Yellowstone!

 

[idcwby]

The problem as I see it is are they going to do the same as they did with the Grand Canyon hunt where the meat is pooled and then you only get a percentage of it out of the meat pool?

I never heard the outcome on the Grand Canyon hunt, partly because don’t know anyone that got to go. It would be interesting to see the rules they would put to it.

 

[Rich M]

nothing against those who want to but personally I would just as soon pay a local rancher a couple grand to shoot one of his cows out in one of his pastures .
it is essentially the same quality hunt without the drive.

I shot a cow this year - 500/600 pound heifer. 50 feet, 350 Legend with 165 gr FTX homeloads at about 2300 fps between the eye and the ear. Took her feet out from under her instantly - farmer was surprised at how quickly she hit the ground. Always feels weird to shoot one of his pets but they sure eat good. Plus he allows us to quarter them in the back 40 - the buzzards clean up the remains in a day or two.

Anyway, we have buffalo on some of the ranches down here and they don't seem to be as large as many of the cows. I wouldn't cross the country to hunt them, but if it was a local thing, darn tooting I'd sign up.

 

[kidoggy]

yeah . that up about sums it up for me also.
I don't believe it takes any skill at all to hunt them. they are basically just a dumb version of cow which are dumb as dumb also.

but if I had the opportunity to shoot one from my back porch , I probably would.

so I don't fault any one for wanting to , I simply have no desire.