American Prairie Offering New Opportunities For "Any Age" Bison Harvest

American Prairie is pleased to again offer an annual public bison harvest on its Sun Prairie property, with a new opportunity for two recipients to take a bison of any age. The harvest is in addition to the hunting opportunities for a variety of wildlife species that are already available on American Prairie land.

This year, American Prairie is offering a total of 20 opportunities, with most being awarded in such a way that gives preference to the people who live and work in Montana and the communities surrounding the Reserve.

“We’re excited to expand this year’s harvest to include two opportunities for bison of any age or sex,” said Scott Heidebrink, Director of Bison Restoration for American Prairie. “We’ve been offering bison harvests to the public since 2018, and typically harvesters are restricted to bison less than two years in age. But our herd is healthy and diverse in age, so we feel comfortable allowing two older animals being taken.”

American Prairie is awarding bison harvest opportunities through an online drawing that is free to enter. Harvests will be designated as follows: FIVE opportunities to local residents, EIGHT to Montana residents, THREE to members of Montana’s Indigenous communities, and one to the general public worldwide. Three additional harvest opportunities are being donated to three Central Montana charities to benefit those organizations.

The drawing is free to enter, and registrants awarded the opportunity to harvest are required to pay a non-refundable fee of $300. Eligible individuals must fill out and submit the form by 11:59PM on June 30, 2023. The recipients will be randomly selected on July 7, 2023.

“Every year we see more and more interest from the public in harvesting a bison,” said Heidebrink. “We know what a very unique opportunity this is and we’ve consistently received positive feedback from hunters who say it is a terrific experience.”