We often get asked how we “herd” the bison. Most of the time we don’t. Bison will charge dogs & horses, if we need to bring up the rear we might use a vehicle, but more often than not we simply open the gate and ask them if they would like to move. The answer is always “yes”. • Bison are instinctively migratory animals and they know that an open gate means green grass.
We like to say that “it is easy to get a bison to do what a bison wants to do”. We normally set gates and alleyways ahead of them and they know the drill. • This is a nice calm move as they are fat & happy right now, & no squirmy calves *yet*. In the late summer and winter months the herd will wait by the gate and stomp around until we feed them or move them.
Sometimes in hay season we have to trick the herd and pretend to come in another gate while sneak around as fast as we can to avoid meeting 50 bison on the other side of the gate. Ahhh spring, what a wonderful time of year. Grass is green and life is good!
