Open Season on America’s Last Wild Bison
By LetBuffaloRoam, New West Unfiltered 11-15-07
OPEN SEASON ON AMERICA’S LAST WILD BISON
Montana’s Buffalo Hunt Opens Without Any Buffalo in Montana
For Immediate Release, November 15, 2007
Contact: Buffalo Field Campaign, Stephany Seay 406-646-0070
WEST YELLOWSTONE & GARDINER, MONTANA – Today marks the opening day for Montana’s bison hunt, authorized by the Montana Department of Livestock. Montana has issued 44 tags to kill members of America’s last wild bison population that migrate out of Yellowstone National Park into Montana. It is expected that the Nez Perce as well as Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes will conduct separate buffalo hunts under treaty right. The state’s hunt will continue through February 15, 2008.
There are currently no wild bison in Montana.
Glenn Hockett, President of the Gallatin Wildlife Association, a hunting organization that opposes the current bison hunt and is working to help restore wild bison in Montana had this to say, “Recent reports from Yellowstone National Park indicate there are no bison in the state of Montana for hunters to hunt. I think this points out the flawed nature of this shoot ‘em at the border Department of Livestock led “hunt” with no year round habitat.”
Wild American bison, while native to vast expanses of North America, are granted no year-round habitat in Montana. There is never a time that wild bison are allowed to be in the state without being subjected to harassment, capture, slaughter, quarantine, or shooting. Wild bison are ecologically extinct everywhere outside of Yellowstone National Park.
Montana’s bison hunt is not authorized by the state’s wildlife agency Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, but by the Montana Department of Livestock, an agency that promotes cattle interests.
“I don’t think most people understand that only the Department of Livestock can authorize the hunting of wild bison in Montana, and their goal is no bison left standing in Montana,” said Glenn Hockett.
“Allowing the Department of Livestock to have authority over the management of wild bison or any wildlife species is a clear conflict of interest,” said Buffalo Field Campaign spokeswoman Stephany Seay. “They have no interest whatsoever in wild bison or their habitat, and you may as well put the fox in charge of guarding the hen house.”
Fewer than 4,700 continuously wild American bison exist in the United States; all reside in Yellowstone National Park. A joint state-federal agreement signed in 2000, the Interagency Bison Management Plan prohibits wild bison from migrating to lands outside of the Park and maintains a zero population of wild bison in Montana in an effort to benefit cattle interests who claim they fear the spread of the livestock disease brucellosis from wild bison to cattle. There has never been a documented case of wild bison transmitting brucellosis to cattle.
Buffalo Field Campaign strongly opposes Montana’s bison hunt as well as the Interagency Bison Management Plan. BFC maintains that wild bison should be allowed to naturally and fully restore themselves throughout their native range, especially on public lands, and must be managed as a valued native wildlife species by wildlife professionals, not cattle interests.
“Our position on the hunt is clear,” said Buffalo Field Campaign’s cofounder and subsistence hunter Mike Mease, “No habitat, No hunt.”
2,018 wild American bison have been killed or otherwise removed from the remaining wild population in Yellowstone since 2000 under actions carried out by the Interagency Bison Management Plan, as well as state and treaty right hunts.
Buffalo Field Campaign is the only group working in the field, every day, to stop the slaughter of the wild Yellowstone buffalo. Volunteers defend the buffalo and their native habitat and advocate for their lasting protection. Buffalo Field Campaign has proposed real alternatives to the current mismanagement of Yellowstone bison that can be viewed at http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/actnow/solutions05.html. For more information, video clips and photos visit: http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org.
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Your an environmentalist, does range management mean anything to you? There are 5,000 bison in Yellowstone - again.
The 1200 in Grand Teton Park are over grazing the place.
The article states: "Wild bison are ecologically extinct everywhere outside of Yellowstone National Park."
Simply untrue as it is a half truth. YNP holds the only continuous occupying bison herd in the US. Canada also has continuous bison herds. Other states now have restored wild bison herds on public lands.
The article states: "Montana’s bison hunt is not authorized by the state’s wildlife agency Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, but by the Montana Department of Livestock, an agency that promotes cattle interests."
Another half truth as the FWP is the managing agency for Montana bison hunting. See: http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/bison.html
Applying the term "wild" to park animals that have no fear of humans from years of being glorified zoo animals is a bit of a stretch. Also, shooting these non-wild animals is more just killing than real hunting. That being said, since ther herd is to be culled to a sustainable size, what is the best way to do it? The same issue of "population size" now is being addressed concerning wolves. Animal population control carries imperfect answers to satisfy all interests.
We can all understand the idea that animals need to be 'culled' or that their population needs to be addressed in todays' modern society. I however, find it hypocritical that the Yellowstone bison are given "Duel Classification" as both agricultural pest AND wildlife at only one time of the year in the state of Montana-- hunting season. Bison need have access to public lands without constant haze and slaughter operations under the current Interagency Bison Management Plan. In essence, the Montana Department of Livestock is using this hunt as a means to PREVENT habitat. If there was a residential herd able to flourish on the public lands put aside for Yellowstone's Winter wildlife, (including the Horse Butte Village and the Galanisis's property where bison are welcomed by neighbors who moved to the area with streets such as "Buffalo Drive" and have chosen to be near the amazing bison), then a hunt would be more conceivable. Until bison are able to have habitat on these lands, I stand strong that I do not want my tax dollars wasted on such a corrupt government operation that slaughters the Great American Bison!
Comment By LetBuffaloRoam, 11-16-07Range management applies to ranches, not wild places. Range management is what you do when you've cut off the natural flow of things. IF there's overgrazing - which there's not - it's because folks such as yourself (Daryl) advocate for fencing in wildlife, daming the river, so to speak. It's not natural to do so, and the land would suffer the consequences. The way I understand it some of the Park's vegetation was suffering due to elk until the wolves finally came home to bring back some balance. Vegetation is thriving again. And, Yellowstone is great summer habitat, but it's not year-round habitat. Sorry, bison migrate, and they need to move. These man-made borders are destroying the land. Killing the animals is not the answer, letting them roam is. Yellowstone is not a ranch, and wild bison are not "park" animals. They are being prevented by the government and cattle interests from following their natural instincts to migrate all due to a perceived and unfounded fear of wild bison transmitting brucellosis to cattle - which has never happened. Mainly this is about grass, as it's always been. If brucellosis was such a big scare, then shut down the feed lots in Wyoming, vaccinate the cattle, get them out of wild bison habitat. That would help fix things - a cattle-based risk management approach is called for. Wild bison are the only wildlife not allowed to leave Yellowstone, except during Montana's "hunt" - which is being used as a means to keep wild bison out of Montana. As Stephanie discusses, the bison then have "dual status" and as soon as the "hunt" is over, the cowboys will be back out to round them up and push 'em out. Really silly macho madness all at your expense.
Yes, wild bison ARE ecologically extinct in Montana, and everywhere outside of Yellowstone - they are the last continuously wild herd that is not fenced in (except by politics). Other public herds are fenced in and don't even attempt to follow migratory instincts - it appears the government is trying to breed that out of them to create a docile beefalo. Being prevented from carrying out your ecological role makes you ecologically extinct - and there are not any wild bison in Montana - not year round, and never welcome by livestock politics. Further, the bison that inhabit Yellowstone are the only ones that haven't been contaminated by cattle genes.
Sure, you can say that FWP "manages" the herd, but only by the AUTHORITY of the Department of Livestock. The DOL can call off the hunt any time it wants to to chase buffalo into "zones" where they can be killed. Perhaps you missed the front page news in Jan. of '06, where the DOL did just that and 14 bison fell through the ice of Hebgen Lake. So, it's true that the DOL has the AUTHORITY over this canned hunt, not FWP. Shameful.
And as to wild and no fear of humans - bison evolved to face their predators; so, no, they do not fear humans. Helicopters, snowmobiles, hootin' and hollerin' cowboys are one thing, but a person standing near them whether with a camera or a gun is not a perceived threat to a bison.
It would be nice if there were 5,000 wild bison - but, there's not. The Park estimated 4,700. Even so, the Park is not over carrying capacity. It could sustain upwards of 7,500 bison, according to wildlife biologists. As to population - it's time to check the human population and cattle population ... now, there is a clear overpopulation that is destroying everything in it's path.
Daryl and Craig, there's a lot you need to consider before you shoot off at the hip with your misinformed perceptions.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2222/1701734794_1cb096b918_m.jpgI love Bison but I think we ought to preserve ranches also, if we don't, every mountain valley in the west will look like the drive from Bozeman to Belgrade or Tetonia to Victor.
Wouldn't it be a great opportunity and learning experience for all to institute an anthropologically correct bison hunt for the aboriginal people of the Yellowstone region to be conducted as they were in the 1700's. Imagine, the Griswold's family vacation to Yellowstone while watching for moose, elk, and grizzly bear they happen upon a real live native American bison hunt, what an anthropology lessen and photo opportunity that would be.
Native Americans hunting a species that was nearly extinct 150 years ago, now so numerous that they have to be killed in a politically correct way. What could be more politically correct than natives exercising a part of their culture that has been practiced for 12,000 years.
It is the same ol "I want what I want irregardless of the consequences to other animals or people, no one else counts." Make up your minds folks the buffs have to be clean to roam and you do not want that. If you would work half as hard to erradicate the disease as to try to force the buffs out of the park, we'd get somewhere. I suspect the law will prevail.
Comment By Craig Moore, 11-17-07LetBuffaloRoam, I wish you people would get your story straight whether the bison are 'wild' or not. See: http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/01/27/travel/escapes/27bison.html?pagewanted=2
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Mike Mease, head of the Buffalo Field Campaign, and a subsistence hunter himself, says the hunt is an unfair slaughter. Because the buffalo spend much of the year in Yellowstone, where they interact closely with tourists, they are not truly wild, he said.
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This is what I was saying. You attempt to evoke a certain emotional response by calling them 'wild.' BFC's Mike Mease does the same thing by calling them not 'truly wild' because of their habituation to humans. I don't see how they can be both at the same time.
I didn't say that the FWP manages the herd, I did say they manage the hunt. The Interagency Plan between the federal and state governments creates this situation that you protest, not the DOL. I suggest you focus your efforts there rather than the state agency charged with carrying out its requirements in Montana.