Media focus on bison hunt diminishing

BILLINGS – Media attention surrounding Montana’s first bison hunt in 15 years is fading, and the state wildlife agency says the hunt is starting to resemble others in which sportsmen pursue big game.

An opposition group called the Buffalo Field Campaign continues to monitor the bison hunt, which opened last week and has resulted in the deaths of six bison. There have been no reports of disturbances.

“At this point, I think it’s going as smoothly as it possibly can,” said Melissa Frost, spokeswoman for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Bozeman.

The Buffalo Field Campaign “is documenting the hunt, doing exactly what they said they would,” Frost told the Billings Gazette. “They are not disturbing the hunters.”

The organization remains firm in its opposition.

Dan Brister of the Buffalo Field Campaign said state and federal officials should give bison more room to migrate outside Yellowstone National Park before hunting takes place. Camera-toting crews from the group have been following hunters, to capture images for distribution to news organizations and anyone else.

“We believe the truth will speak for itself,” Brister said. “Our job is to let people see what this is all about.”

At its start, the hunt drew news crews from as far away as Poland and Great Britain. Frost said most reporters were gone by the weekend.

She said she was pleased to hear that a hunter killed a bison Saturday without the immediate knowledge of state officials or the Buffalo Field Campaign.

“The hunter got in and out,” Frost said. “It’s like a normal big-game hunt. That’s what we want.”

The hunt is meant to thin the bison population near Yellowstone and is Montana’s first since 1990. Concerns about bison hunting’s effect on Montana’s image prevented more hunts over the years.