Jim and Val on the Road: 9/30 - Buffalo roundup in Custer State Park

We got up at 4:30 am....an unheard-of thing for us to do. Lovie and the cats were very confused. We were verging on confused ourselves. We didn't eat because there was a pancake and sausage breakfast available at the roundup, but we didn't think about the fact that it might be three or more hours before we got to the food.

Cars in line behind us around 5:30 am. Just as long a line in front.

We thought getting there at 5:30 would be fine....and it was, actually....but we found out people were there much earlier than that. We luckily managed to find a good spot for our chairs right at the fence where we'd get a good view. Our neighbors had weaseled their way into a spot behind the road barricades last night and slept in their van. Since they were sitting next to us I don't think their extra effort gained them much ground.

Sunrise from the roundup area.

Sunrise glow to the west over the corrals.

After a while we left our chairs to go to the breakfast tent. There was a very long line but we had nothing else to do so we got in it. We met some very nice travelers from Wisconsin with whom we compared notes over places to go and things to see with good advice from them about what to do in Springfield, Illinois. You never know what you're going to learn about from fellow travelers.

The pancake and sausage breakfast turned out to be two nearly cold pancakes with two very tasty (and nearly cold) sausages. By the time we got them back to our chairs they were definitely cold. Jim's coffee was not only cold but awful. It was good to know the exorbitant price ($16) was going to charity. If we ever go again we'll pack a portable breakfast.

The event was supposed to start at 9:30 but it seemed to take a lot longer to get going. We were freezing so we were well aware of the delay. The SD governor and his entourage always attend so they had to be there before anything could start. We heard the governor and selected VIPs get to ride in the herding pick-ups. Both pick-ups and horse-mounted riders are used to get the bison gathered up.

The pick-ups which rounded up the herd.

We could see a herd of bison off in the distance (behind where the last pick-up is in the picture) and it turned out to be the day's catch. Pick-ups and horses came over the hills to the right and all of a sudden the bison started running. They were rather funny....they'd run a few hundred yards, then stop and eat. No point standing there doing nothing when there's grass to be eaten. The trucks and horses would get closer and they'd run again. Then eat. Once they were chased into the area where they would be turned and headed for the corrals a whole bunch of them took off up the next hill.

A small part of the herd

Packed together after being rounded up again

The horse-mounted herders

We couldn't tell how many horses and trucks there were but heard it was anywhere from 30 to 60 of each. Local car dealers provide the trucks so individuals aren't risking their own vehicles. One year someone hit a rock and tore the oil pan out of the vehicle he was driving so it's a good thing it wasn't his. People who want to assist on horseback put in applications to participate. We're guessing that riding ability and round-up experience is required. Bison are dangerous and unpredictable so inexperienced riders would be a hindrance rather than a help.

We heard about what happened the last two years. Two years ago the whole herd went exactly where it was supposed to go. Last year a group split off and had to be rounded up again. Then it did it again. It took a lot of extra time to get the escapees back to the herd. Our informant's opinion was that they had more trucks and horse-riders this year to make sure there were enough to keep the herd under control.

Custer State Park has a herd of around 1,300 bison. Naturally they were not rounding up all 1,300 today. They've been bringing them in for well over a week, processing around 100 per day. (Processing means ear-tagging, weighing, checking for pregnancy and various other things, and sorting.) It's all very stressful for the animals, so they're kept in the pastures next to the corrals for a calm-down period after being rounded up.

We stayed to watch some of the processing, waiting for a very long time because we had no idea when it would start. They'd run two or three bison into the chutes, poke and prod them, push one into a contraption that (we think) weighed them, ear-tag them, and run them out. The final part was sorting which is where they separated the animals which will be auctioned in November. They have to keep the herd at a level the park's grazing area can support, so any extra animals are sold.

After seeing enough of the processing (which didn't take long), we went to the corral with the animals waiting for their turns in the chutes. They were milling around, doing a bit of pushing and shoving, but behaving themselves quite well. Bison have a very definite pecking order in the herd which may have helped keep them in line. There was one irritable cow who didn't like people up against the fence. She'd come over and glare and snort. One nitwit spectator reached her fingers into the fence to scratch the cow's nose and got an understandably negative reaction. It was a stupid thing to do because any one of the adult bison could have come through the fence in a heartbeat.

One of the very handsome roundup participants.

We were surprised to see this big bull in the pen. None of the big boys (as they are affectionately called by everyone) are included in the roundup. They are all well known and don't need to be poked and prodded. They are also very unpredictable and can destroy a corral in a flash. This one may have gotten caught up in the melee when his group was rounded up. Whatever happened, he was behaving very well.

We heard another interesting story of a big bull who took offence at a tour bus. The bus was sitting still in the road, couldn't do anything else, and the bull charged it full on. Put a real bash in the bus and killed the bull. Most unfortunate for all concerned.

Calves are orange until they're around two months old, so this one is quite a baby, born rather late in the season. It was very confused and forlorn. We were told its mother had already gone through processing. It even went up to the big bull looking for comfort. It was being ignored and pushed around by everyone. We hope it didn't have to wait much longer to find its mother.They're called "gingers" due to their color.

A patiently waiting trio.

We got back to the RV around 4:00. It was a long day, exhausting only because of the hour we got up and lack of food. (Dropping blood sugar doesn't do much for one's energy.)

The roundup was great.....I'd love to do it again. Not so sure about Jim but he was a very good sport about it.