Officials plan to cull at least 600 Yellowstone bison

PRAY, Mont. – Bison managers expect between 600 and 900 of the animals at Yellowstone National Park will be culled this winter by hunting or slaughter.

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported federal, state and tribal officials on Tuesday worked out the details for a winter management plan of the herds.

Park officials estimate there are nearly 5,000 bison in the two park herds. Park biologists say the removal of 600 bison would keep the population relatively stable while the removing 900 might lead to a slight decrease.

An interagency agreement calls for a population of about 3,000 bison and limits where the animals are allowed to roam in Montana. So a number of bison are culled each year.

More than 1,200 bison were removed last winter with most shipped to slaughter.