A couple of weeks ago, I attended the annual Custer State Park buffalo roundup. It’s a very cool event where park staff and volunteers round up the park’s 1,000-plus head of bison and herd them into the elaborate corral system – all in front of 14,000 or so incredulous human onlookers (and a few confused begging burros). It’s a real spectacle to see and has turned into quite the tourism event.

The fact is though, the roundup would take place with or without the spectators in attendance. The buffalo roundup in Custer State Park is, first and foremost, a management event – it’s necessary to get all of the bison into the corrals once a year in order to keep the herd healthy.

Shortly after the bison are in the corrals, park staff and veterinarians begin working and sorting the herd. And the public is welcome to stick around and watch the whole process take place. Unfortunately, not many do.

I did.

Some of the bison are vaccinated for disease control. Others are branded for herd identity. The cows are pregnancy checked and a few hundred animals are sorted off and held aside to be sold at public auction in November. The grasslands of Custer State Park can only support a certain number of bison every year, so the sorting – and later auctioning – of the animals is an important part of making sure the park doesn’t get overgrazed. (Sorry, that’s the farm kid and cattle-handling terms coming out in me). The majority of the herd is released back out into the park just a few days following the roundup.

Anyway, long story-short, the sorting and examination process following the actual buffalo roundup is pretty interesting to watch. I’d highly encourage you to stick around for it some year when you make it to the roundup. For now, here are a few photos from this year’s post-roundup herd processing.