APR Bison - anybody applying?

[mtmiller]

I missed where this was described as a hunt. If someone want to give me a two-year old bison for $300, but I have to kill it, sign me up.

 

[mtmiller]

Reading their site, it sounds a little like that harvest opportunity will go away once they have grizz and wolves on the reserve.

Weird. Almost like exercising private property rights.

 

[MO Betta]

Weird. Almost like exercising private property rights.

I've got no opinion of it either way, just commenting on the verbiage.

 

[MT Bound]

No worse than drawing a WY tag and spending days watching the bison never leave the park. At least they’re accessible on the APR.

BINGO!!! That's exactly what the MT and WY tags are....it's really not a hunt....

 

[Straight Arrow]

Thanks, I understood the underlying math. I just thought maybe they had had a past draw for context or some of our MT insiders had a sense of current response.

Good point. I'll bet APR could provide the numbers to do the math. I'm just not certain the previous hunting draws were structured as this one.

 

[MO Betta]

I don't know if that's their true intention or not, but the grizz and wolves in YNP aren't cutting enough bison out of the herd. Biologically, wolves and grizz won't kill enough bison to completely replace human harvest.

Right now they look to be managing the age classes of bulls as their herd grows, with a goal of 10k head they have a ways to go before worrying about anything else like predation really.

 

[Hunting Wife]

I have no interest in high fence hunting, but my guess is these guys range in the course of a given hunting season as much as the average pronghorn - who seem to keep coming back to the same spot each day in the fall. I haven't seen the APR so don't know how much they are "herded" and used to humans. Could be cool or could be fish in a barrel, will be interesting to hear the experiences of the few who draw. Currently my tenuous hopes are placed with the WY supertag (that I will never draw).

Just an observation...I’ve worked on bison for a lot of years across most of the federal herds. In my experience these animals are less acclimated to humans and behave in more of what I would consider a “natural” way than what you see in “wild” National Park bison, fwiw.

 

[Schaaf]

Good point. I'll bet APR could provide the numbers to do the math. I'm just not certain the previous hunting draws were structured as this one.

I think this is the most they’ve given to date. I don’t know the out of state numbers but there were about 1500 Montana residents apply and 500 from the local counties apply in 2019.

 

[Straight Arrow]

At least they’re accessible on the APR.

Summer time they are even hanging out at the Buffalo Camp campground.

 

[HSi-ESi]

I think this is the most they’ve given to date. I don’t know the out of state numbers but there were about 1500 Montana residents apply and 500 from the local counties apply in 2019.

2019 was the first year they started the draw, before that it was the auction tags. I bet the numbers increase this year.

 

[VikingsGuy]

I think this is the most they’ve given to date. I don’t know the out of state numbers but there were about 1500 Montana residents apply and 500 from the local counties apply in 2019.

 

[TC207]

Im in. I will keep applying for the FWP bison tag, but the odds seem against me to say the least. I fully acknowledge that it would be a harvest rather than a hunt, but the opportunity to harvest a bison myself rather than just purchasing a quarter is something I am very interested in. And the price-per-pound is pretty appealing as well!

 

[Carnage2011]

No worse than drawing a WY tag and spending days watching the bison never leave the park. At least they’re accessible on the APR.

I’m not disagreeing with you, but why put in for the draw then? You can roll down to Uncle Ted’s and shoot one out of the hay field for less money than Wyoming will charge you for the tag.

 

[SFC B]

Threw my hat in......can't win if you don't play!

 

[madtom]

I’m not disagreeing with you, but why put in for the draw then? You can roll down to Uncle Ted’s and shoot one out of the hay field for less money than Wyoming will charge you for the tag.

I don’t apply for the Wyoming bison hunt.

 

[Doublecluck]

Geeeze, I assume anyone not applying because “the hunt” part of it has never purchased a steak right? Lol.. Who knows what beef will cost by then, 300 bucks might be a steal..

Thanks for posting, had no idea, rack of baby prime ruffalo rib... ummmm.. yum..

 

[LopeHunter]

I recall having a buffalo burger from a small stand on the side of the road during a family trip back in the 1960s driving westward to visit California relatives. I don't recall much but felt we were officially in the West as cherished every bite. There are worse things than 500 pounds of young bison meat to eat up and share with friends. If a farmer offered me a beef cow of similar weight for $300 but I had to shoot the cow then I see this no different than if he offered to sell me a bushel of carrots for $1 but I had to go harvest from his farm. I grew up raising farm critters and planting a commercial garden every year as a kid to make money so harvesting is harvesting whether harvesting a carrot or a roasting hen for the table.

 

[DaveAZ]

Just looked up the acronyms, United Property Owners of Montana (UPOM) and American Prairie Reserve (APR). Didn't know anything about, will read up on it. Thanks

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

I have no interest in high fence hunting, but my guess is these guys range in the course of a given hunting season as much as the average pronghorn - who seem to keep coming back to the same spot each day in the fall. I haven't seen the APR so don't know how much they are "herded" and used to humans. Could be cool or could be fish in a barrel, will be interesting to hear the experiences of the few who draw. Currently my tenuous hopes are placed with the WY supertag (that I will never draw).

Habitat Connectivity

www.americanprairie.org

 

[wyoelkfan15]

BINGO!!! That's exactly what the MT and WY tags are....it's really not a hunt....

I'd disagree, I had a friend pull his bull tag several years ago. Took his pack train into the wilderness and had, by all accounts, an awesome hunt. You do hear the horror stories of fish in a barrel on the refuge but I'd say that's a personal decision...