How does the killing field reflect upon Montana and its values?
A billboard put up in Helena that opposes the slaughter of bison from Yellowstone National Park (Photo courtesy of Alliance for the Wild Rockies).
The issue of how we treat wildlife reflects upon who we are as a people. It reflects our character. It reflects what we value in life or if we even value life at all. Perhaps we accept this as a given and with that being the case, we are willing to accept the darker side of who we are. But many of us refuse to accept that dark scenario, which is why people speak out when they do. When they see a wrong, they naturally want to make it right.
The Gallatin Wildlife Association has received recent complaints from residents in the Horse Butte area north of West Yellowstone about the slaughter of pregnant bison, bison with calves yet unborn. They couldn’t be brought into this life because of the existence of policies and practices instilled by governments and tribes. To this we ask, where is the respect, the honor, the reverence for this species that we hear so much about? The killing of four to five bison cows so late in their pregnancy on March 27 is unethical and unthinkable.
Our organization has long been an advocate to end the senseless and indiscriminate killing of bison as they migrate from Yellowstone National Park. The Beattie Gulch area near Gardiner, Montana is known as “the killing field.” Yet, simultaneously, the so-called hunt has also been occurring on the west side of the park. We all knew that, but it never received much press attention.
The central herd contains less population than their northern herd counterpart, but the totality of the kill is no less disturbing. According to Status Report to the Park Superintendent dated October 2023, the IBMP should restrict the removal of bison to the northern herd. With that being said, what explains these killings? Where is the oversight? This flies in the face of good science management and sound ethical principles.
People will question our right to say that, but there have been articles written on this issue for decades. A Reuters article dated March 7, 2014, cited James St. Goddard, a member of the Blackfeet Nation proclaiming the loss of Indian culture. In that article, he reportedly said: “These are atrocities. Why are they killing these babies? Are we all ignorant of our own Indian culture?”
But this action results from the decision of many stakeholders. The governor, the Montana Department of Livestock, and the Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP) are just as much to blame as anyone. They have placed tribes into an untenable situation. They don’t have to participate, but they do. We ask the question: Where is the management of the hunt? We’re told each tribe manages their own hunt, yet this so-called hunt appears to be unmanageable, with apparently no one being in authority to make a difference.
The deaths of these pregnant bison cows are not meaningless. What effect do these kills have on the sustainability of bison, especially those of the central herd. These hunts hinder rather than promote the migratory behavior of bison, and their ability to fulfill the agreed upon conservation area outside the park boundary.
Writing commentaries to the paper hasn’t accomplished anything, yet we still do it, hoping it will stir the public to action. Governments and tribes need to make the difference. Both entities need to reflect the will of the people, yet the government of Montana refuses to do so. However, our silence gives the State the right to say it does. Like it or not we have become complicit.
The residents of Horse Butte and Gardiner have a voice. They have a right to use that voice, but they don’t deserve to have that voice ignored. This increases mistrust in our government and cynicism overall.
We need to be better than our history and better than who we currently are. We can start that process by showing we can manage and coexist with wildlife on better terms. Our organization has tried, and we will continue to try, to eke out what ray of sunshine we can for better management of bison and all wildlife. Not trying is not an option. For the existence of bison, we just hope it will be sooner rather than later.
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