Round 'em up — Bison can give herders a run for their money

ANTELOPE ISLAND — The tail. Watch the tail. It's a buffalo's way of giving warning ... so back off, quickly, or be chased.

And, yes, buffalo can be herded — anywhere they want to go, and not necessarily where today's buffalo-punchers want them to go.

Which brought this advice:

"Stay back ... push them gently. And, when they get tired, let them rest. Push them too hard and they'll come after you," said Steve Booth, a member of the Davis County sheriff's mounted posse and a 19-year veteran of the annual bison roundup on Antelope Island.

"I've been chased every year. And, sometimes, they'll chase you pretty hard. I've seen a horse killed, and I've seen cows come out and hit a horse in the rump. Sometimes, though, you have to be as aggressive as they are to get them moving. The big thing, though, is know you can only herd buffalo anywhere they want to go."

With that information imprinted on the mind, about 150 riders saddled up and fanned out over the island late last month. Most rode west from Fielding Garr Ranch to engage one of three large herds, this one numbering more than 200 animals.

With lots of whoops and hollers and a line of no fewer than 50 horses and riders, the herd started to move north, at a lope at first, then a comfortable walk for maybe a mile. Then the herd stopped. Most animals casually grazed on dried grasses. Some of the bulls and older cows moved out to the fringes and challenged riders.

The first warning sign, said Booth, is the tail goes straight up.

"When the tail goes up, you start moving away, because they'll come after you. Generally, they'll come out a ways and then go back into the herd. When they start coming out a lot, then you know they're tired, so let them rest. The big bulls, now, will sometimes chase you until they get you. ... A buffalo can run as fast as a horse all day long. A horse can run for a couple of minutes and then will give out."

This was the 22nd year the island buffalo have been rounded up and corralled.

It's done for two reasons:

• To inspect their health through individual examinations.

• To choose those that stay on the island and those that were sold at auction last week.