American prairie. What's the issue?

[mtmuley]

You Can't Graze Here! | Fresh Tracks Weekly (Ep. 111)

Thanks Randy. Gonna follow @OlWhitcombPlace closely . mtmuley

 

[Hunting Wife]

@OlWhitcombPlace glad to see you sharing your work here. Thanks for coming on.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Have you ever thought that if EVERYONE is argumentative, maybe YOU Could be the argumentative one?

Not logical question in that I think not too many folks are argumentative, merely a few. But no, I try not to be argumentative ... however, false statements and illogical opinions based on skewed rationale or false information do cause me to bristle and to attempt to correct the false by providing truth and logical conclusions. Unfortunately, that offends those who are stuck with their falsehood or illogical opinion. I can't help that. What I can do is to avoid the debate about things of which I do not have good true and logical information.
As you have noted, factual information regarding American Prairie and about the Flying D Ranch is familiar to me. Conversely, I would never engage in a discussion about big horn sheep hunting techniques in the Breaks as I don't have a clue.
'Hope that answers your question.

 

[BrentD]

Is anybody else grazing bison on public ground? And are the american prairie bison being sold for meat or just put thete for effect?

 

[Nunjagottam]

Is anybody else grazing bison on public ground? And are the american prairie bison being sold for meat or just put thete for effect?

MSGA enters the chat...

 

[BrentD]

MSGA enters the chat...

Translate that for me. I have a wager with myself.

 

[Big Sky Guy]

Translate that for me. I have a wager with myself.

Montana Stock Growers Association I believe.

 

[BrentD]

Montana Stock Growers Association I believe.

Makes no sense to me.

 

[Big Sky Guy]

You Can't Graze Here! | Fresh Tracks Weekly (Ep. 111)

Watching this now so excuse me if you cover it in the remaining 5 minutes, but did I hear correctly that the AP was running 900 bison but is also leasing their own private land for 8 THOUSAND cattle??

Is there no concern by the ranchers with those leases that the AP is going to cancel those leases? Maybe that’s not a lot of cattle in the industry, I don’t really know, but it seems like enough to at least have some leverage?

 

[Big Fin]

Watching this now so excuse me if you cover it in the remaining 5 minutes, but did I hear correctly that the AP was running 900 bison but is also leasing their own private land for 8 THOUSAND cattle??

Is there no concern by the ranchers with those leases that the AP is going to cancel those leases? Maybe that’s not a lot of cattle in the industry l, I don’t really know, but it seems like enough to at least have some leverage?

Yes, you heard that correctly. 8,000 cattle and 900 bison.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Yes, you heard that correctly. 8,000 cattle and 900 bison.

Based on the bufaalo'd cowboy signs you would think it were 8 cows and 9000 bison.

@OlWhitcombPlace is there a bison population objective that APR wants to attain?

 

[npaden]

From their website:

Currently, bison herd sizes and management are restricted in this region of Montana because of factors like species designation and land use requirements. So rather than focusing on an exact number of animals, it is important to prioritize the ecological role of the species and the impact on the landscape. That being said, we rely on science and research to indicate potential herd sizes that we can use to monitor ecological progress. Preliminary estimates indicate that the 3.2-million-acre (5,000 square miles) American Prairie vision could support tens of thousands of bison. But that number is likely decades away from being possible. So we look to current research, the Vermejo Statement, which estimates that a herd of 5,000 or more will provide an exceptional contribution to bison conservation and ecological recovery.


We believe a herd of 5,000 is realistic and possible. A herd of that size is considered the minimal viable population to fulfill its ecological role on the landscape, to be genetically viable, and to survive what the species encounters on the landscape, including disease, fire and starvation due to drought, and extreme winters.

 

[bayoublaster7527]

These APR threads are always interesting. I am not super familiar with them as they are not based here in Colorado. No real opinion. Sometimes it is worthwhile to get some perspective, things could always be much worse. Here in Colorado we have APR’s southern, much less friendly cousin- Southern Plains Land Trust. They do not allow any public access for hunting, angling, camping, hiking, etc. They do however offer guided tours for wealthy donors from Denver, Boulder, Aspen, etc. In fact SPLC is ground zero for the anti-hunting activism that has inflicted this state. It ties together the recent ant-hunting CPW Commission appointments with First Gentleman “Wildlife Czar” Marlon Reis. If you pay attention most of the CATS- Prop 127 folks and other crazies who rant and rave at the commission meetings have some association with SPLC. Not that SPLC is inherently bad, but the folks that make up the organization wield significant political power and seem quite determined to eliminate hunting and trapping from the state.

 

[Gerald Martin]

I think AP is around the 8th largest provider of Block Management Access for hunting in MT.

 

[mtmuley]

I think AP is around the 8th largest provider of Block Management Access for hunting in MT.

Any idea the percentage of available access as opposed to no access? Seems low as to their holdings. Just a question, nothing else. mtmuley

 

[MNElkNut]

Some of their land is managed by lottery for elk hunting, so add that to the mix. My buddies applied but did not draw in 2024.

I think (should be verified) that when they buy a property, they may keep it closed to hunting for a season or so until they get a good grasp on the status of wildlife and ecology for that particular property. Then they typically open it up to some degree of hunting (BM or lottery) if it is in good enough condition. Again, I believe I read that but am not sure of the exact details.

 

[D4570]

They had a bison hunt/draw too. I didn't get drawn.

 

[Drake4]

Any idea the percentage of available access as opposed to no access? Seems low as to their holdings. Just a question, nothing else. mtmuley

Oak was more accurate.

 

[Oak]

Any idea the percentage of available access as opposed to no access? Seems low as to their holdings. Just a question, nothing else. mtmuley

Per their website, they currently own 167,000 acres and had over 82,000 acres enrolled in BM in 2025. Two minutes of Google fu is what that took.

 

[Vic Colfari]

Is anybody else grazing bison on public ground? And are the american prairie bison being sold for meat or just put thete for effect?

Key Examples of Bison Grazing on Public Lands:

• National Parks & Monuments:
  • Badlands National Park (South Dakota): Home to a large, free-roaming herd.
  • Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota): One of the nation's premier conservation herds.
  • Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota): Features scenic grazing along the Little Missouri River.
  • Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona): A herd grazes on the North Rim.
  • Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (Kansas): Manages a herd to restore prairie ecosystems.
  • Chickasaw National Recreation Area (Oklahoma): Features a small, managed herd.
    
• Federal Grasslands & Protected Areas:
  • Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (Illinois): The first U.S. Forest Service site to reintroduce bison for ecological restoration.
  • American Prairie / BLM land (Montana): Several allotments in Phillips County were authorized for bison grazing, including Telegraph Creek and Box Elder.