Horseback riders round up Custer State Park buffalo
Posted: Tuesday, October 02, 2007
CUSTER, S.D. (AP) -- About 1,250 bison thundered down a ridge, kicked up a huge cloud of dust and were herded into corrals during the Custer State Park buffalo roundup on Monday, delighting spectators from around the world.
The roundup started 42 years ago as a way to manage the buffalo and has burgeoned into a late-season tourist event that gives more than 10,000 spectators a glimpse of the past.
"This is as close to the wild and wooly West as you're ever going to get. This is an adrenaline high that is hard to beat," said Bob Lantis, who at 72 has been one of the cowboys in the last 35 roundups.
"This is something the state of South Dakota has that nobody else has."
Forty-five riders on horseback and park rangers in vehicles tried to keep the 2,000-pound animals pointed in the direction of the corrals. The crowd roared when a few broke away and cheered when they were nudged back in line.
"You got to see all of the buffalo along the horizon and then see them come down and it's kind of fun to try to count them all," said Brian Miller, 12, of Aberdeen.
Park staff members have been herding the bison from the outskirts of the 110-square-mile park for weeks.
"What the guests come to see is the culmination of a monthlong effort," said Craig Puglsey, park spokesman.
The roundup usually brings in about 1,500 buffalo but because of drought, the herd was thinned to about 1,250 so they don't overgraze the park grass.
The roundup would happen even without tourists because it's the first step in the management process, Puglsey said.
"We want to bring the whole herd in with the exception of those big bulls and we run them through the corrals and through the chutes, get an accurate count, brand and vaccinate the calves and at that time we'll determine how many of those we'll sell," he said.
About 300 will be auctioned Nov. 17, most of them for private herd development. The proceeds, typically around $240,000, help cover park operations and improvements.
The rest of the animals are turned back onto the 110-square-mile park to roam.
The Custer State Park herd is one of the nation's largest public buffalo herds and is known for being disease-free.
Besides managing the animals, the park staff also has taken training in how to manage the growing crowds of people.
"The roundup really started gaining in popularity when the movie 'Dances With Wolves' came out," Puglsey said.
"There was kind of a rebirth of interest in the buffalo and people started to come to watch. For many people, it's truly a once in a lifetime experience: to see a scene out of the Old West, 1,500 buffalo come thundering across the plains. It's a unique experience for many, many individuals."
On the Net:
Custer State Park: http://www.custerstatepark.info
The roundup started 42 years ago as a way to manage the buffalo and has burgeoned into a late-season tourist event that gives more than 10,000 spectators a glimpse of the past.
"This is as close to the wild and wooly West as you're ever going to get. This is an adrenaline high that is hard to beat," said Bob Lantis, who at 72 has been one of the cowboys in the last 35 roundups.
"This is something the state of South Dakota has that nobody else has."
Forty-five riders on horseback and park rangers in vehicles tried to keep the 2,000-pound animals pointed in the direction of the corrals. The crowd roared when a few broke away and cheered when they were nudged back in line.
"You got to see all of the buffalo along the horizon and then see them come down and it's kind of fun to try to count them all," said Brian Miller, 12, of Aberdeen.
Park staff members have been herding the bison from the outskirts of the 110-square-mile park for weeks.
"What the guests come to see is the culmination of a monthlong effort," said Craig Puglsey, park spokesman.
The roundup usually brings in about 1,500 buffalo but because of drought, the herd was thinned to about 1,250 so they don't overgraze the park grass.
The roundup would happen even without tourists because it's the first step in the management process, Puglsey said.
"We want to bring the whole herd in with the exception of those big bulls and we run them through the corrals and through the chutes, get an accurate count, brand and vaccinate the calves and at that time we'll determine how many of those we'll sell," he said.
About 300 will be auctioned Nov. 17, most of them for private herd development. The proceeds, typically around $240,000, help cover park operations and improvements.
The rest of the animals are turned back onto the 110-square-mile park to roam.
The Custer State Park herd is one of the nation's largest public buffalo herds and is known for being disease-free.
Besides managing the animals, the park staff also has taken training in how to manage the growing crowds of people.
"The roundup really started gaining in popularity when the movie 'Dances With Wolves' came out," Puglsey said.
"There was kind of a rebirth of interest in the buffalo and people started to come to watch. For many people, it's truly a once in a lifetime experience: to see a scene out of the Old West, 1,500 buffalo come thundering across the plains. It's a unique experience for many, many individuals."
On the Net:
Custer State Park: http://www.custerstatepark.info
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