Montana's bison hunt draws fierce protests, as Wyoming's goes unnoticed

CODY, Wyo. — While Montana simmers, stews and boils over at every mention of a bison hunt, Wyoming has cooked up an effective, well-run and quiet bison hunt over the years.

There are no protesters. There is good hunter response. And if the National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National Park at Jackson ever get done with their environmental review, the hunt may be even bigger in the years to come.

A firestorm of protest accompanies Montana's every mention of a bison hunt, justified by the state as a means of preventing the spread of the cattle disease brucellosis, which is found in Yellowstone National Park bison. So how has Wyoming managed to quietly harvest 47 bison in 2004, 42 in 2003 — a total of 180 bison since 2000?

"One of the things that helped us is when we came out initially and when the (National Elk) Refuge was doing the assessment of the bison herd at Jackson, we went to great lengths to involve the local conservation groups and local communities," said Mark Gocke, regional information and education specialist for Wyoming Game and Fish at Jackson.

"We all sat around the table and talked about the issues. Everybody agreed that hunting was a necessary tool to control the population and protect the habitat we have. We needed a manageable number of bison," he said.

"Only one group opposed — the Fund for Animals — and they're opposed to all hunting," Gocke said.

That process began in 1985. The first public bison hunt took place in 1989 with 12 animals killed.

Since then, there have been some bumps in the road.

In 1990, a group called Legal Action for Animals sued over compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act because the hunt was being conducted on federal land. The Jackson bison hunt was shut down because of the complaint.

In 1994, a management plan was developed for bison leaving Yellowstone National Park and wintering on the North Fork of the Shoshone River, west of Cody. It allowed for 15 bulls to winter there and no cows, due to brucellosis concerns.

In this small wintering population, 12 bull bison were harvested in the winter of 1995-96 and 14 bulls, one cow and one calf were taken in 1996-97 when the 15-bull management goal was exceeded.

After legal hoops were negotiated at Jackson, the hunt there resumed in 1999 on private land, state land and Bridger-Teton National Forest land.