Tagged: bison

The State Legislature passed a bill that would allow hunters to try and thin wild bison herds in northwest Wyoming.  But an amendment added in the Senate led to a lot of debate in the House. 

The Senate amendment would give $250,000 to the Wyoming Attorney General’s office to defend the second amendment rights of Wyoming citizens “to possess and use any firearm” that is useful in hunting bison.  Many saw this as a way to add a gun rights law to a bill that deals with bison hunting. 

Some environmental groups say they support a plan to alter bison hunting rules. The proposal by Rep. Keith Gingery of Jackson would end the once-in-a-lifetime limit on hunting cow bison and would drastically reduce the cost of nonresident licenses.

The goal is to get the bison population down to about 500, from a high of 12-hundred.

Lloyd Dorsey with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition likes the idea.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department received thousands of applications for bison hunting permits this year, and invited about 400 of those to hunt.

Spokesman Mark Gocke says hunters will be helping to reduce the herd size of the largest land animal in North America. The ideal herd size is 500 bison, but there are currently 900.

Gocke says the drought has driven the bison herd from its typical summer rangeland and onto the Elk Refuge seeking forage. The herd competes with elk and other animals for food.

Government officials plan haze a large herd of migrating bison back into Yellowstone National Park this week - an annual event that is again drawing opposition from wildlife advocates and American Indian groups.

Montana state veterinarian Marty Zaluski says an estimated 400 bison are outside the park in the West Yellowstone area. Government workers could start driving the animals back into Yellowstone using a helicopter as early as Wednesday.

Hundreds of bison leave the park annually during winter to graze at lower elevations.