Montana Officials Propose Expansion of Bison Hunt

Montana wildlife commissioners recently gave their preliminary approval to a plan that would allow more hunters to participate in the state’s bison hunt. According to the Associated Press, the proposal would extend the current annual quota of 150 animals to 200 as well as expand the area where bison could be hunted.

For years, bison have presented the state and and its portion of Yellowstone National Park with a curious management problem. The bison are an attractive sight for many tourists, but their migratory habits have brought the animals into conflict with cattle ranchers. Bison are especially susceptible to brucellosis—The Billings Gazette reported that nearly half of Yellowstone’s wild bison tested positive for exposure to the disease. As the large animals travel out of the park, they are liable to infect cattle and other livestock.

Hunting has played an important part in controlling bison numbers, although lack of availability and other factors in recent years resulted in lower harvest numbers. Currently, most of the hunters participating in Montana’s bison hunt are members of Montana’s Native American tribes. In 2005, state legislators passed a law that holds bison hunting licenses in reserve for these hunters. Montana’s Indian tribes have a long-standing association with the buffalo, and to this day harvest the animals for meat, clothing, and medicine. With the current proposal, officials hope to extend the opportunity to state-registered hunters.

The recovery of Yellowstone’s bison population is one of America’s greatest conservation success stories. From only a mere 25 animals living in the park in 1901, Yellowstone officials now estimate the bison population to be around 4,600.

“We’re slowly but surely moving in the direction of recognizing bison as a valued, native wildlife, just like elk,” Gallatin Wildlife Association President Glenn Hockett told the Associated Press.

A final vote for the proposal will take place on February 13.

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