Annual bison roundup at refuge
Bison are guided by personnel in a Jeep at the National Bison Range during the annual roundup. (Ashley Fox photos/Lake County Leader)
Mike Koole, a refuge law enforcement officer at the National Bison Range, helps guide a bison calf in a pen during roundup practices last week.
Here they come! A group of bison are herded to the corral at the National Bison Range during the annual roundup, where the animals are weighed, vaccinated and microchipped. Others are set aside to share with other tribes. (Ashley Fox/Lake County Leader)
Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge Manager Kevin Shinn, right, helps guide a bison at the National Bison Range during the annual roundup.
The National Bison Range corral was open to the public last week, providing an opportunity for visitors to see how personnel monitor the beasts.
Neil Shook, acting project leader at NBR, said that the animals rounded up and guided to the corrall where staff and volunteers manage for genetics purposes.
This year, about 195 animals were processed, Shook said.
If a bison is a little more ornory and doesn’t want to be bothered, staff let the animal roam.
He estimates that there are between 200 and 250 bison at the range.
The NBR is situated on 18,766 acres, housing bison as well as other animals.
According to the United States Fish & Wildlife Service, the refuge can support between 300 and 400 bison.
Extra bison are removed during the annual roundup and distributed to other bison herds, donated to Native American tribes, or sold to individuals.