Hazing buffalo BACK into the park is done by the Dept. of Livestock...a state agency that is primarily concerned about the spread of brucelosis from the buffalo into grazing lands and surrounding cattle herds. This is a HUGE issue in the cattle industry, which is still the number one business in the state of MT.
The MT dept of Fish,Wildlife, and Parks does conduct buffalo hunts on a limited basis, when too many buffalo leave the park beyond the buffer zone where hazing takes place. This whole issue is quite an awkward "dance" of sorts to appease the buffalo "protection" groups, and the livestock industry, and a number of various "in-betweeners" happy, IMO.
Years ago, the Park Service treated buffalo like cattle, and "managed" the herd size and health. When the Park's mandate changed to one of letting "mother nature" take it's course, that's when much of the current problems began here. From buffalo, to fires, to wolves, to bears....and I'm not really against all that, but it's allowed a bunch of fringe idealist type groups to get involved and muddy up good policy.
We used to have, back in the 70's, a regular season for free-ranging buffalo that wandered out of the park into the national forest lands. No one was concerned about brucelosis then....hmmm. No one cared that hunters killed buffalo then....hmmm. How times change.
Too bad that wolves won't kill buffalo as readily as they do elk.
Topic: Montana guys? Buffalo Hunting? (Read 241 times)
