A common saying in the Black Hills is, “you can herd a buffalo anywhere it wants to go.” Back in September, the Custer State Park buffalo herd must have wanted to go straight to the sorting corrals, because that’s exactly what they did. I attended the annual buffalo roundup and was amazed at how easy the park staff and volunteers on horseback made the process look.

Each year the buffalo roundup draws thousands of visitors to watch the Old West spectacle, but the September roundup is only the preamble to what happens every November – the buffalo auction.

The grasslands in Custer State Park can only support so many bison, so a certain number are auctioned off at the annual auction as a way to keep the herd numbers in check. This past weekend more than 200 people attended the buffalo auction, 78 of them being registered bidders.

Most bidders each year are private buffalo ranchers who are looking to add to their own herds with animals from Custer State Park. In past years, buyers have come from as far away as Florida to bid on animals from the well established herd in South Dakota.

I talked with buffalo herd manager Chad Kremer a couple weeks ago and he anticipated that auction prices would be similar to last year. “The Custer State Park buffalo auction is one of the first sales of the season. With our long running history, many others look to our prices to set the bar for the year,” said Kremer.

His prediction was right on – most prices were similar, if not slightly higher than the 2008 sale prices. 235 bison were sold at Saturday’s auction, bringing in a total of about $174,000 for the park.

The bison were sold for anywhere from about $500 to almost $1,700. The animals that brought the highest prices were the 2-year old breeding bulls, which private ranchers will use to continue to grow their herds. They brought an average of $1,677 per animal.

If you’ve never had the chance to see buffalo close-up, keep the roundup and auction in mind for next year – they’re both great events. Bring the camera, bring the kids – I guarantee you’ll be impressed.