Tag: Gardiner

Yellowstone bison, spooked by hunters, stampede toward park

A Montana photographer has shared footage of dozens of bison stampeding toward Yellowstone National Park after apparently being targeted by hunters.

A Montana photographer on Friday shared footage showing dozens of bison stampeding toward Yellowstone National Park after apparently being targeted by tribal hunters.

A description on Elizabeth Aluck’s Facebook reel reads: “Bison running back into Yellowstone National Park after being shot at by hunters.” (Click here to view the reel.)

The footage, posted on the Yellowstone Critters page, was captured in mid-February near Gardiner, just north of the park. Aluck told FTW Outdoors that she saw hunters shooting at bison and subsequently followed the herd for about 15 minutes as it ran toward the park.

A second Reel showing the beginning of the stampede also was posted to her Yellowstone Critters page. (Aluck privately shared several clips with FTW Outdoors that showed hunters shooting, and wounded bison limping. She said she did not want such graphic content on her public page.)

RELATED: Yellowstone National Park logs first grizzly bear sighting of 2023

On Friday, she added: “Hunters are all over town right now, and will be all weekend.”

Montana’s general bison season closed Feb. 15. But Native American tribes, which enjoy traditional hunting rights, operate within their own system of guidelines.

According to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, several tribes “have demonstrated their aboriginal right to hunt bison in Montana near Yellowstone National Park under treaties that were negotiated with the U.S. Government.

“These are legal hunting rights, and tribes hunt during seasons and under regulations established through their own regulatory processes. At times, these hunts may occur outside of Montana’s regulated hunting seasons.”

The hunts are controversial, in part because bison are sometimes shot soon after crossing the park boundary toward winter foraging areas such as the Gardiner Basin. (Hunting inside the park is illegal.)

The harvest for 2022-23 exceeded 800 animals as of March 3.

It’s worth noting that the park anticipated a significant cull this winter because so many bison were expected to migrate outside of the park in search of grass, posing potential problems.

To be sure, management of Yellowstone National Park bison is highly complex. The park boasted a population of about 6,000 bison before the 2022-23 hunting seasons began.

–Image showing bison running toward Yellowstone National Park is courtesy of Elizabeth Aluck

Montana explains why it killed Yellowstone-area grizzly bear

A Montana grizzly bear that became increasingly habituated to humans was euthanized Wednesday, a day after its capture in the Gardiner Basin near Yellowstone National Park.

A grizzly bear that became increasingly habituated to humans was euthanized Wednesday, a day after its capture in Montana’s Gardiner Basin near Yellowstone National Park.

On Friday, the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Department explained in a news release that the adult female bear had a growing history of conflicts and had been relocated twice before its capture Tuesday on private land.

“In the weeks prior to the capture, the bear had broken into a fenced compound, frequented a home that had no unsecured attractants or natural foods, and killed chickens secured by electric fencing,” FWP stated. “The bear was largely undeterred by hazing efforts, which included rubber bullets, paintballs, electric fencing and noise-making devices.”

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The decision to euthanize the bear was made in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (The bear had a small cub, which will be placed in a zoo.)

FWP stated that bear activity is high as the animals feed intensively in the weeks leading to hibernation, and that conflicts with humans have recently spiked.

On Tuesday, the same day as the Gardiner Basin capture, an adult male grizzly bear was shot and killed west of Emigrant by hunters who said they were acting in self defense.

On. Sept. 14, hunters reported being charged by a grizzly bear in the Tom Miner Basin. One hunter shot the bear with a pistol. A subsequent search involving ground and helicopter crews failed to locate the injured animal.

Conflicts with black bears, FWP stated, also have increased in residential areas such as Bozeman, Big Sky, Belgrade, Helena and Butte.
Several black bears were euthanized after gaining access to unsecured attractants, creating a public safety threat.

FWP explained that all of Montana is bear country and that securing attractants, such as garbage, bird feeders, and pet food, could help prevent bears from becoming habituated.

In the wilderness, hunters and hikers should always carry bear spray and take appropriate steps to prevent surprise encounters.

–Generic grizzly bear image is courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

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