The National Park Service and its partners plan to remove around 1,375 bison from the park this winter.
Last year's mild winter and about 1,000 calves born this spring has put the current bison population growing above a five year average and nearing the upper limits of the new bison management plan.
To maintain the population under the 6,000 bison threshold the National Park Service and its partners are planning to reduce 25% of the population, through a combination of three methods.
The new management plan prioritizes the capture and transfer of brucellosis-free bison to tribes across the state. Bison Program Manager Chris Geremia recommended in a report to the superintendent up to 100 bison will be placed in quarantine facilities. Brucellosis-positive animals will be donated to tribes who sacrifice them for meat and hides at a processing facility.
The park also supports and relies on eight tribes’ treaty rights to harvest bison outside the park and the State of Montana’s limited public hunt.
The plan will adapt throughout the winter as the exact number of bison that leave the park are relative to winter weather conditions. Ideally the culling efforts will maintain current demographic conditions with 30% yearlings, 70% adults and an even sex ratio between males and females.
