For the second year in a row, a rare white bison stands out in the herd of 14 calves Wyoming State Parks has for its annual sale.
That's because the bull calf from the Bear River State Park is not a pure Plains or wood bison. He has a Charolais ancestor that dates back an estimated 100 years or more.
“When the bison almost went extinct, there were only about 200 to 300 animals left,” Bear River State Park Superintendent Tyfani Sager said. “Conservationists were concerned that they would go extinct if something wasn't done, and they had started breeding cattle with bison to keep the genetics alive.”
Sager said attempts have been made to get a DNA hair sample to see exactly what percentage of the Charolais remains, but they have so far been unsuccessful. Park officials do know that the Charolais ancestor was most likely bred in the late 1800s or early 1900s, and only a small percentage remains from the domestic cow in his bison descendants.
“It's been bred out of them for the most part,” Sager said. “But they have kept their white color.”
The calves have already been shipped to Hot Springs State Park in preparation for the sale. Aside from the one white anomaly, the rest of the herd at Bear Riveris primarily plains bison.
The main bull, Bam Bam, is a wood and Plains bison mix.
An Accidental Herd
The year after Bear River State Park opened in 1991, the park hosted the herd from Hot Springs State Park. The intention wasn't for Bear River to have a herd of its own, but the bison were such a hit they first hosted yearlings until a small herd was retained.
“We are along I-80, and since so many people have never seen bison before, we decided that we would have them down here full-time,” Sager said.
Bear River how has a herd consisting of Bam Bam and eight cows, including the white Charolais that continues to pass on the white gene. The herd ranges in age from 3 years old to 20.
Sager said each animal has its own personality. Over the years, she has watched three bulls stand guard over their small herd.
“Bam Bam's dad, Titan, was kind of an ornery guy,” Sager said. “He would chase you around and it was kind of entertaining, but he was definitely a force to reckon with.”
She said nobody went without the ranger when it was time to feed the herd, and they stayed as far from Titan as feasible. Before Titan, the bull ruling the herd was King, which lived to be 21 and was made into a full-body mount now displayed at the visitors center.
Sager said that as the weather changes the calves and adults get the “zoomies.”
“It’s fun to watch them because they run as fast as they can in circles,” Sager said. “Just having fun and being crazy.”
Signs are posted to remind visitors bison are dangerous, but, unlike at Hot Springs State Park where the bison range in an open pasture, the Bear River bison are behind an electric fence.
The capacity at Bear Creek is 12 bison, which they rotate between three pastures. With the drought and cost of hay, park officials are limiting the herd to nine.
Most of the time, the bison are in the southwest pasture. The park’s three bull elk are in the other two pastures.
“They can intermingle with each other since they get along really well,” Sager said.
Elk Friends Of The Bison
The first elk the park hosted came from Kendrick Park in Sheridan, a city park along Big Goose Creek with a fenced pasture housing elk and bison.
Fred and Barney were half-brothers that were popular with visitors. Fred lived to be 13 and Barney was 20 when he died, surprising them with his longevity.
Bear River State Park is home to three bull elk: Boo, 18, Shadow, 14, and Zeus, 11.
“It is pretty unique to have them, and people like to watch them, especially when they are wading in the pond in the summertime,” Sager said.
While the bison are usually bought from other breeders, the elk come from the wild. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department round them up to test, after which the park will request a healthy yearling from this group.
“We want a young one so that they're not too traumatized when they go into a captive environment,” Sager said. “They are pretty spoiled since they get fed in the wintertime and get to roam free.”
Boo did not grow antlers this year and Sager said that is a sign that he is nearing the end of his life.
“Sometimes when they get older, a lot of their hormones go more toward their body than trying to grow antlers,” Sager said. “We've had a Game and Fish warden come out and he agreed that we will most likely have to put Boo down before it starts getting really cold because we don't want him to suffer.”
Sager said since they don’t have room for another full mount, they will most likely keep his skull for use in their interpretive and educational programs.
Hot Springs Herd
Hot Springs State Park once had its own elk herd also, but they kept escaping. Now the park only has the bison introduced in 1916.
They are rated to keep up to 15 bison. This year, they are selling off all but one late-born calf so the park will have 14 adults and one young bull.
The herd leader is Thunder. Superintendent Chris Delay said they plan to get a young bull calf from the Durham Ranch near Gillette. He is hoping that there will be enough age difference that when Thunder is ready to “retire” as lead bull, the new bull can step into his place.
Because the bison pasture at Hot Springs State Park has both hiking paths and roads, Delay reminds visitors to be cautious around the bison.
“Make sure you stay in your vehicle but feel free to roll down your windows and take a lot of pictures,” Delay said. “A good rule of thumb if you're hiking is to hold your thumb out in front of them and if you can see any of the bison around your thumb, you're probably too close.”
Delay warns that the bison are wild animals and even a friendly nudge can hurt a person because they can weigh up to 3,000 pounds.
The Annual Auction
The auction for the calves opens every November. Bear River State Park sends theirs to Thermopolis for a combined sale.
This year, the state parks are selling 10 heifer calves and four bull calves. They are accepting sealed bids until Dec. 14. with a minimum bid of $1,100 for heifer calves and $1,300 for bull calves.
“Last year they averaged around $1,300 apiece,” Delay said. “People are welcome to set up an appointment to see the animals and choose which ones they want to bid on.”
Most of the bison calves end up on bison ranches and farms in Wyoming, including last year’s white calf that has grown into a fine non-albino bison.
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
