A 70-year-old woman from Canada is dead after being attacked by a bison on a popular hiking trail in Custer State Park in western South Dakota, marking the first fatal bison attack in the park in at least 21 years.
The name of the woman has not been released at the family’s request, Custer County Sheriff Marty Mechaley told Cowboy State Daily.
She and her husband were on vacation in the park, the sheriff added.
The attack happened Monday afternoon on the Grace Coolidge Trail, about 1½ miles from Center Lake.
What Happened
According to the sheriff, the woman and her husband saw five bull bison walking along the trail an estimated 1,500 feet ahead of them.
The bulls continued down the trail and out of sight ahead of the couple. Mechaley said the couple stopped every now and then to give the bison space.
The Custer County Chronicle first reported Wednesday that the couple came around a corner and saw the bulls standing about 50 yards away.
The couple stopped walking, and as the bulls began to walk away, the couple began to follow behind them. The bulls turned around and looked at them again, and the couple stopped again.
The bulls began to walk away again — and again, the couple began to follow.
“As they got closer to the bulls, one of them turned around and came at her, and him” the sheriff said. “One of the bulls charged her and hit her.”
The bull threw the women roughly 6 feet in the air, according to Lt. Derrick Reifenrath, who took the report from the husband.
The husband took cover behind a tree and called 911, the sheriff said. Custer County dispatch received the call at 1:44 p.m.
Mechaley said the bison lingered near the woman for about 15 minutes after the initial attack. During that time, she was still conscious and able to speak with her husband.
She had serious injuries to her leg and complained to her husband of abdominal pain, the sheriff said.
After about 15 minutes, the bison walked away.
But when the husband attempted to reach his wife, the animal turned and charged a second time, tossing her into the air and throwing her 20 feet, according to law enforcement.
The bison walked away a second time, and the husband ran to his wife to perform CPR, the sheriff said, adding that she had stopped breathing.
Rescue Efforts Futile
Mechaley said park staff responded quickly and rendered first aid. Due to the width of the trail, they were able to drive to the scene.
“There were a lot of resources there trying to assist as much as they could,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
Emergency air transport was requested, but a life flight helicopter declined the rescue because of stormy weather in the area.
Sheriff said he met with the family of the victim Friday morning.
Hikers: Bison Activity Has Increased There
Rapid City resident Leanne Olson hikes the Grace Coolidge Trail frequently and told Cowboy State Daily that bison activity along the route has been a growing issue with local hikers.
“It’s not just a skinny trail. It’s an old forestry road,” Olson said. “I see people of all ages on that trail, and a lot of dogs.”
She said she noticed fresh bison tracks during a hike earlier this month.
“I thought, ‘OK, I’m going to be watching,’” she said.
Olson, who belongs to a Black Hills hiking group on social media, said there has been “quite a bit of chatter” recently about bison sightings on the trail.
During a hike on May 2, she said she saw two buffalo patties not far from each other but never saw a bison that day.
Frequent park visitor Susan Weitzel of Mitchell, Nebraska, snapped a photo of a bison near her camper while camping in the park last week. She felt safe then, she said, because there was a fence between her and the animal.
She said that last week, there seemed to be more bulls close to the Game Lodge.
She said she enjoys morning walks on the Grace Coolidge Trail but multiple walks were cut short last week because of bison on the trail.
“Most people we spoke with turned around, whether on bikes or walking. We did see someone jog right by them,” she told Cowboy State Daily.
Having learned that a 70-year-old woman was killed by a bison on the trail a week after Weitzel’s stay in the park, she said, “I am 71, so my first thought was it could have been me.
"It appears that she was following good practice and giving them space. It definitely has been in my mind.”
Drought Stress?
According to an emailed statement from the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, drier conditions are causing bison spread out throughout the park.
Olson said it makes sense to her that buffalo would be on the trail this year with the area’s lack of water.
“The water is always running and the water is always clean,” she said.
She said the trail moves along a series of ponds and there are multiple water crossings, with12 bridges.
First Fatal Attack In Decades
“I’ve been here for 21 years and this is the first death from a bison I’ve seen in the park,” Mechaley said, although dangerous encounters with bison happen in the park every year, with various injuries reported.
In 2020, a female biker from Iowa made national news after she was depantsed by a buffalo when she got too close to a calf.
One of the bison’s horns got caught in the woman’s belt and the animal violently swung her around.
In 2022, British tourist Amelia Dean was hospitalized for weeks after being gored and flipped by a bison in Custer State Park.
But for Mechaley, this week’s attack marked a tragic first.
“This is the first time I know of that there was a loss of life (due to a bison attack),” he said.
Reminder, This Is Wildlife
Mechaley called the incident a tragedy and urged visitors to remember that bison remain unpredictable wild animals.
“This is a tragedy and a reminder that buffalo can be both unpredictable and dangerous,” he said. “We want to remind people to keep your distance, because this is their park.”
He called Monday’s event a “terrible situation.”
“We like people coming here and vacationing and having a good time,” he said. “We don’t people to get hurt. Our hearts definitely go out to (the family).
“This isn’t a time to point fingers or second-guess anybody. A person lost their life and we need to be respectful of the family.”
Hikers are encouraged to make noise as they are on the trails, be mindful when rounding corners or coming across a ridge, and to keep pets on a leash.
In an emailed statement to media, Nick Harrington, communications manager for the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks said Harrington said park staff had moved the bison from the area and were actively monitoring the animal’s behavior to ensure public safety and prevent future incidents.
“Hikers are encouraged to make noise as they are on the trails, be mindful when rounding corners or coming across a ridge, and to keep pets on a leash,” according to the statement.
Kate Meadows can be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.
