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• Schweitzer considers moving Yellowstone bison to NW MT Play Video

  April 3, 2012 8:37 PM

  MOIESE- The bison controversy moved to western Montana Tuesday. Governor Brian Schweitzer said it's just an idea at this point, but state and federal officials are talking about whether the National Bison Range at Moiese could play host to more of those quarantined Yellowstone bison. Schweitzer and a... more »

• MT FWP responds to lawsuit over bison relocation

  March 26, 2012 7:50 PM

  Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) is denying any wrongdoing in approving the relocation of Yellowstone National Park bison onto two Indian reservations. The state has officially responded to a lawsuit filed by a group of ranchers and the Valley County Commission. The group contends the state violated... more »

• Landowners, Gov. Schweitzer clash over bison move Play Video

  March 20, 2012 8:30 PM

  HELENA- In a highly controversial move, 64 bison living at Corwin Springs quarantine facility near Gardiner were loaded onto trucks and transported to the Fort Peck Reservation on Monday. Wildlife managers have been studying the bison to see if the quarantine would keep them brucellosis-free. Governor Brian Schweitzer (D)... more »

• Montana FWP approves bison hunt

  February 16, 2012 6:07 PM

  The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) Commission is giving hunters another chance to kill bison. On Thursday, by a 4 to 1 vote, the commission decided to allow hunters the opportunity to shoot a bison outside defined tolerance areas and outside the hunting normal season. Commissioner A.T.... more »

• MT landowners sue FWP over bison relocation plan

  January 11, 2012 10:24 PM

  HELENA- Several landowners are suing Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) over its plan to relocate Yellowstone National Park bison. The landowners say the state failed to fully analyze the impacts of the bison on humans when the FWP Commission voted to move 68 bison to Fort Peck and... more »

• Schweitzer stops bison relocation

  December 2, 2011 10:49 PM

  Governor Brian Schweitzer (D-Montana) says the state won't relocate any bison until the federal government comes up with a clear definition of "disease free." Schweitzer's office asked the U.S. Department of Interior for permission to move bison from the Turner Ranch near Bozeman to the National Bison Reserve near... more »

• Plan to relocate Yellowstone bison delayed

  November 3, 2011 5:34 PM

  State officials are delaying a plan to relocate 160 Yellowstone National Park bison onto state and tribal lands to address thousands of public comments. Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) spokesperson Ron Aasheim said FWP offered four potential relocation sites that would take up to 40 bison each, including the Fort... more »

• 3,700 bison estimated in Yellowstone National Park

  August 16, 2011 6:34 PM

  According to numbers released by Yellowstone National Park for 2011, there are about 3,700 bison in the park. This estimate is based on a series of aerial surveys. There are 2,300 bison estimated on the Northern Range this summer, with 1,400 in the Central Interior herd and an estimated 500... more »

• Groups file to intervene in bison lawsuit

  July 14, 2011 10:39 PM

  LEWISTOWN- Two pro-bison groups filed to intervene in lawsuits to stop a plan by the state of Montana to allow some bison room to migrate within Gardner Basin outside Yellowstone National Park. The Buffalo Field Campaign and Western Watersheds Project made the action. The groups say Gardiner Basin provides critical... more »

• Yellowstone hopes to release bison back into park for summer

  May 3, 2011 10:18 PM

  WEST YELLOWSTONE- The fate of more than 600 bison is still in question after they were captured wandering north of Yellowstone National Park. The captured bison are being held in holding facilities near Gardiner. "We're at a point where we want to release a test group of bison and... more »

• Summer hours coming to National Bison Range

  May 3, 2011 1:23 PM

  MOIESE- Calving season is well underway in Montana, including at the National Bison Range and refuge officials say they'll open up Red Sleep Mountain Drive on Saturday so folks can catch a glimpse of the baby bison and their moms. Red Sleep is a 19-mile, one-way gravel road which... more »

• Officials search for person who opened gate, released bison

  March 19, 2011 7:18 PM

  National Park Service Rangers are trying to find out who opened a gate at a bison capture facility near Gardiner that allowed 10 to 15 bison to escape. The bison tested positive for exposure to brucellosis and were being held at the Stephens Creek capture facility to prevent them... more »

• Citizens group forming to discuss Yellowstone bison

  February 18, 2011 8:50 AM

  BOZEMAN - A citizens group is meeting to discuss the future of bison in Yellowstone National Park. The first Yellowstone bison citizens working group meeting will be held at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22 in the large community room at the Bozeman Public Library. The meeting will be... more »

• GOP leadership sends letter to Schweitzer

  February 17, 2011 4:19 PM

  HELENA - The Republican leadership in the Montana Legislature wrote a letter to Governor Brian Schweitzer (D-Montana) thanking him for taking initiative on managing the State's wolf population, but GOP leaders are also using the opportunity to send a message about state's rights. In a letter dated Thursday, February... more »

• Brucellosis testing on Yellowstone bison to begin

  February 3, 2011 8:49 AM

  BOZEMAN - Disease testing on more than 300 bison from Yellowstone National Park is set to begin and park officials say those that test positive could be shipped to slaughter this week. Officials nabbed 21 more bison on Tuesday as the animals attempted to migrate out of the snow-packed... more »

• Bison may face slaughter after leaving Yellowstone

  February 1, 2011 9:25 AM

  WEST YELLOWSTONE - Montana officials say that an estimated 300 wild bison have been captured after migrating out of Yellowstone National Park and now face potential slaughter. The animals were driven back to the park on Monday after traveling about 10 miles past Yellowstone's northern boundary. The bison... more »

• Bison roaming near Yellowstone pose problems Play Video

  January 27, 2011 5:05 PM

  BOZEMAN - Several of the 25 bison released last week wondering onto private property have caused all sorts of problems for both state and federal officials, so Montana's News Station checked to find out what officials are doing to keep the Interagency Bison Management Plan going. Despite the fact... more »

• Ranchers concerned about roaming Fort Belknap bison

  January 22, 2011 4:52 PM

  The Fort Belknap Reservation is looking to bring in more bison from Yellowstone National Park, but first, some Blaine County ranchers want to see improvements in the reservation's current management plan. On Thursday, about 200 head of bison roamed onto private property, ruining fences and feeding on hay. ... more »

• Bison back roaming public lands outside Yellowstone Play Video

  January 19, 2011 8:24 PM

  YELLOWSTONE NP- For the first time in decades, bison are roaming public lands just outside of Yellowstone National Park. In Gardiner this morning, state and federal agencies took the first steps toward a new way to manage the Yellowstone bison herd. Twenty five bison were released from Yellowstone... more »

• Brucellosis monitoring program up for public review

  October 27, 2010 12:30 PM

  BOZEMAN - The Montana Department of Livestock will hold public meetings next month on a proposed rule for a 'livestock disease surveillance area' around Yellowstone National Park. The surveillance area was first established in January and livestock producers inside the four-county designated surveillance area must test their animals for... more »

• FWP sets 2010 Montana bison quotas

  August 11, 2010 8:48 AM

  HELENA - Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials have approved bison quotas for the 2010 hunting season, despite some opposition by tribes. FWP will allow for the harvest of 44 bison of either sex with an additional 100 cow calf licenses. Of the total 44 licenses, 16 are allocated... more »

• Bison migrating near West Yellowstone

  May 11, 2010 10:25 AM

  WEST YELLOWSTONE - Bison are migrating across popular highways near West Yellowstone. More than 50 bison, including some newborn calves clogged Highway 191 just north of town Saturday. Drivers stopped to watch the animals while others just waited for a chance to continue on their way. Large lighted... more »

• Group opposes bison hazing effort

  May 6, 2010 8:47 PM

  BOZEMAN - The Bozeman-based Greater Yellowstone Coalition announces its opposition to the yearly Department of Labor bison hazing effort. Coalition staff say they have opposed hazing for the last 20 years, listing it as an inappropriate way to manage the animal. GYC National Parks Program Director, Mark Pearson, says... more »

• Annual roundup of YNP bison underway

  May 5, 2010 8:02 PM

  BILLINGS - Montana livestock agents have started their annual roundup of Yellowstone National Park bison, pushing migrating animals back toward the park to prevent them from coming into contact with cattle. Department of Livestock spokesman Steve Merritt says nine bison were hazed from an area near West Yellowstone on... more »

• Groups sue over bison's move to Turner's ranch Play Video

  March 23, 2010 9:07 PM

  BOZEMAN - Several conservation and wildlife groups are suing the State of Montana and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks over the transfer of Yellowstone bison to Ted Turner's private ranch. The Gallatin Wildlife Association , Buffalo Field Campaign , Yellowstone Buffalo Foundation and Western Watershed Project are named as... more »

• FWP gathering info about future of MT wild bison

  March 19, 2010 11:44 AM

  HELENA - The question of what the future holds for wild bison in Montana will be the topic that at least one Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologist will wrestle with over the coming year. Arnold Dood, a 33-year FWP veteran, will crisscross the state to talk about bison... more »

• Survey: 3,000 bison call Yellowstone home

  March 17, 2010 5:32 PM

  YELLOWSTONE NP - About 3,000 bison make their home in Yellowstone National Park, according to a recently completed population estimate. The low snowpack, which left bare patches of ground, made the aerial survey difficult to conduct this year and likely resulted in an underestimate of as much as 10... more »

• MT bison hunt winds down

  February 16, 2010 9:53 AM

  WEST YELLOWSTONE - Hunters had shot only one Yellowstone bison as Montana's hunt neared an end on Monday evening, and that was back in December near West Yellowstone. Any bison now leaving the park will be subject to hazing, capture and possibly slaughter, under a program meant to prevent... more »

• Turner to get Montana bison Play Video

  February 2, 2010 7:22 PM

  Billionaire Ted Turner is getting 88 bison from Yellowstone National Park from a Montana program that was supposed to put the disease-free animals on public or tribal lands. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Director Joe Maurier announced the decision Tuesday. The animals were spared several years ago from a periodic... more »

• New plan for bison in Yellowstone National Park

  November 18, 2009 9:59 AM

  BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Federal and state officials are drafting new strategies to deal with bison coming out of Yellowstone National Park, but still don't have an alternative to periodic slaughters of the iconic Western animal. That's the message in a new report to Congress, prepared after the Government Accountability... more »