Tribe’s bison gathered in seasonal roundup
Friday - November 1, 2024 by Jeremy Wade Shockley | The Southern Ute Drum
The bison program uses stats from the annual roundup to maintain the herd, also addressing the needs of the membership — such as an increasing demand for processed bison meat, tanned hides, while also harvesting other cultural aspects from the buffalo.
Wildlife Resource Management Admin. Assistant, Nicole Black, prepares injections for the bison as they make their way through the stock yard gates.
Soil Conservation Technician, Preston Abayta lends a hand with tagging and vaccinating Bison on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
Southern Ute Tribal member, Randy Herrera helps work the gates during the annual bison roundup and wellness check.
A bison waits in a holding pen ahead of its annual vaccinations and health checkup. In a team effort by Wildlife Resource Management and Tribal Rangers, the annual Bison roundup took place over a single day, Wednesday, Oct. 23.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Wade Shockley | The Southern Ute Drum
Photo Credit: Jeremy Wade Shockley | The Southern Ute Drum
Photo Credit: Jeremy Wade Shockley | The Southern Ute Drum
Photo Credit: Jeremy Wade Shockley | The Southern Ute Drum
Photo Credit: Jeremy Wade Shockley | The Southern Ute Drum
To keep the Tribe’s bison herd healthy, animals are brought in for an annual checkup, Southern Ute Wildlife biologists pull the weights of the animals to make sure they are healthy. They work to doctor and maintain the animals, checking for any sign of physical trauma. They also use this opportunity to add ear tags for tracking, identifying females and males each year that are born in the spring. The Tribe’s bison were rounded up on Wednesday, Oct. 23.