Bison

Federal, state and tribal officials typically come to an agreement on Yellowstone bison herd reduction goals by the first of the year.

Montana officials are butting heads over the future of the national mammal. At stake is whether bison should be treated as livestock or as wildlife. New...

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte’s office says a U.S. Interior Department plan to consider if bison should be reintroduced to a sprawling refuge raises questions about federal intrusion into state wildlife issues.

Native American lawmakers are asking the Biden administration to craft a federal plan to reintroduce wild bison to areas in and around Glacier National Park and the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge.

Tribal nation leaders and conservation groups sent a letter to Montana’s governor Tuesday urging him to veto two bison management bills.

Montana’s legislature is considering four bison-related bills this session. The two bills that would have helped tribal nations expand bison herds were voted down, while tribal leaders say the surviving bills could harm long-standing bison management on reservations.

Conservation and livestock groups have found a resolution to a long simmering bison disease management disagreement in northeast Montana. The compromise could help inform similar agreements if the American Prairie Reserve continues to expand its bison range.

The U.S. Forest Service this week proposed closing hunting with firearms in part of a controversial pinch-point where bison migrate out of Yellowstone...

Officials set a target Wednesday to reduce bison herds living in and around Yellowstone National Park by 500 to 700 animals this winter. The yearly cull is meant to keep the population in check and prevent bison from possibly transmitting a disease to domestic cattle.

Sixteen Native American tribes across the U.S. will soon receive graduates of the bison quarantine program at the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.