Rowdy Roundup

MOIESE — Ten feet in the air, with hundreds of people standing on it, a thin, steel platform starts to rumble. Rather than panic or flee, people smile, laugh, take pictures and watch in amazement as thousands of pounds of animal trample only feet beneath them. It’s just another Bison Roundup at the National Bison Range in Moiese.

Every year, people from all over the area and beyond flock to the National Bison Range to watch staff and volunteers round up approximately 400 bison to have them weighed, tagged, given shots and re-released. It’s an awe-inspiring, fun event for visitors but simply a necessary, routine event for the range. The roundup allows staff to monitor the bison population and control it if necessary, as well as keep an eye on the health of the herd.

“[The population is] probably not a problem this year,” Pat Jamieson, outdoor recreation planner, said. “We’re not expecting 25 extra calves, I’m thinking about 10.”

The calves go through a slightly different process than the rest of the bison, as they get their first microchips planted behind their ear, which allows the range to track them in the years to come.

To gather and send all 400 bison through the process takes about two days for the range. Trucks are used to help gather the bison and send them through the chute, where they are then weighed, tagged and sent for any necessary shots. When complete, sold bison are sent to holding pens, while the others are re-released into the range. Once in the chute, the process takes roughly 10 minutes per bison.

The process has been changed dramatically in recent years with an emphasis on safety. The range began using trucks to send the bison to the chute four years ago for multiple reasons. First, when on horseback, the staff had problems moving the bison from the pasture to the chutes.

“We always had smart bulls that would stay in the corner and you couldn’t get behind them,” Jamieson said.

Secondly, horses would have to gain good speed to get the bison moving fast toward the chute. That created danger for the horses, as well as the riled-up bison. With the Jeeps, it’s a different story.

“The nice thing about the Jeeps is that they allow the bison to come in slower,” Jamieson said.

Another recent advancement is the use of a hydraulic system to hold the bison’s head in place while being tagged and given shots. Before, a tying system was used which would cause the bison’s head to be tightened too much. Now, the head is held perfectly, ensuring safety to the animal, as well as the workers.

Those workers for the roundup include quite a bit of volunteers. According to Jamieson, roughly half of those helping with the roundup are volunteers, including a bison geneticist from Bozeman, while the other half is made up of people with the National Bison Range, as well as other refugees.

While they work tirelessly, however, visitors scramble for a good view of the proceedings, many carrying binoculars and cameras to capture the event.

It’s a fun, educational visit for all the attendants and a great way to spend the day. And that’s no bull.