Hunting Yellowstone Bison: The tangled web of tribal rights, conservation and politics

<p>Montana has one of the most unique wildlife situations in the world. Yellowstone National Park bison almost annually migrate into Montana during the winter. Since the bison are carriers of the disease brucellosis, which can cause pregnant female cattle to abort, the park animals are not allowed to freely roam like other wildlife. Instead, they are confined to designated zones outside the park’s north and west entrances, near the communities of Gardiner and West Yellowstone.</p> <p>Incremental progress has been made in addressing the conflicts between those who believe the bison should be allowed to roam like other wildlife and state and federal officials in charge of managing the big mammals. With the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considering a petition to list bison as an endangered species, and Yellowstone officials writing a new bison management plan, the iconic species that is now the national mammal stands at the cusp of more management changes. In addition, a bison advocacy group has publicly plotted a plan to argue that bison should be allowed to roam freely so tribes can hunt them, bringing treaty rights into the mix.</p> <p>On this episode is Brett French, outdoor editor at the Billings Gazette, who recently wrote a story on the ins and outs and disagreements over bison management.</p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>