Montana Bison
F.A.Q.
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Where did the name Rancho Picante come from?
I taught fifth grade at a Miami, Florida Elementary School for twelve years. When I had decided to establish a bison herd on the property in Gallatin County that I had purchased for my own kids, I gave the eleven year olds in my class the opportunity to win a homework pass by coming up with the most creative name for the ranch and business. Rancho Picante (“spicy ranch” in Spanish) won!
Are the bison free range?
As much as they have room for, yes. Now that we have added the 7,500 acres of leased grazing ground near Ft Smith in South-central Montana, they have plenty of room to roam as they please.
What do you feed them?
They graze year round on natural highland prairie grasses. If the snow gets too deep or the year has been too dry, we supplement during the winter with grass hay. At two times during the year, we also feed the bison cows an all-natural, compressed nutritional supplement of vitamins, trace elements and protein that helps the cows during pregnancy.
When do bison have their calves?
In the late Spring season—April-June—when new grass is coming up and the weather is more hospitable to newborns than it is in the dead of winter. This is the time of year when all wild species such as deer and elk also have their calves. It is only beef cattle whose cycles have been altered over the generations during their domestication that calve in the midwinter months of January and February. This often results in the necessity of human intervention and a higher calf mortality rate for the newborn calves as well as mother cows. Bison have a close to zero death rate during their pregnancy and birthing cycle.
How long do bison live?
Both bulls and cows can live into their twenties. Bulls are at their optimum breeding potency from three-ten, and cows can continue to bear young well into their twenties. Mature bulls can weigh in well over a ton; mature cows rarely exceed 1250-1300 lbs.
What about the horns?
Both bison bulls and cows have horns, but their different growth pattern and appearance distinguish each. The bulls have horns that grow out at almost a forty-five degree angle when young, then turn up for a very wide tip-to-tip finish. The cows have horns that curl up in an arc from birth, resulting in black horn tips that are closer to their heads.
As was customary with the Native Americans, do you use all of the animal?
Yes we do. The meat of course, as well as all of the organ meats—liver, kidneys, hearts—are sold through our marketing, wholesale, and retail networks to end consumers. The tails (similar to oxtails for soups and stews) tongues and bones. The hides are sold either raw for others to parflesh and tan, or kept by us to do the same and sell as finished buffalo robes. The heads are retained after slaughter, skinned, cleaned, boiled, bleached and dried, and sold to our standing list of those wanting the bright white finished product with its shining black distinctive horn caps for decoration or ritual. (said to keep away evil spirits) Even the offal is sold to pet food companies.
Are the bison difficult to raise and handle?
They require very little human intervention at any point in their lives. They are peaceful grazers who most enjoy being left alone. They will allow human approach, but only up to a point outside of their “personal zone”. If attempt is made to enter within that space, the cows will retreat; the bulls will warn and then charge!
The greatest difficulty in raising bison is the annual handling of the herd when we preg check the cows, vaccinate the heifer calves and separate them and the bull calves from their mother cows for the first time, give the whole herd a dose of worming medication, and determine which animals will be sent in for slaughter and into our meat markets.
Bison do NOT like to be contained and will do whatever is in their power to break out of any confinement—as in small pens, alleys, chutes and squeeze chute apparatus. They are very powerful creatures, can move very quickly, and if one or two are successful in making a “jail break” you can count on all the rest to immediately follow the same open route.
The saying in the Bison Business that ”you can get a Bison to do anything it wants to do” holds true. So, you have to either lead them, coax them, or train them to move where you want them to go. This takes patience, a practiced routine, familiar paths of movements, attention to their mood and social network, and sufficient supply of “cake”—the 14% protein supplement mentioned earlier. While getting them INTO the transport trailer to move them anywhere is the difficult part, once they are inside, they calm down and are rarely rambunctious during travel.
Are Bison a dangerous and infectious source of the Brucellosis disease and thus a threat to domestic livestock such as cattle?
In a word, NO! Decades-long studies by State Fish and Wildlife departments and other wildlife agencies have substantiated that almost 100% of brucellosis cases found in cattle have been transferred from elk, not Bison. Bison being moved into or out of the Montana Designated Surveillance Area (DSA) are required to have been vaccinated as heifer calves or tested as negative for the disease.
However, all Bison ranchers in the State of Montana voluntarily vaccinate their young female bison wherever they are, just as a precaution and to enable them to sell the calves or mature animals to out-of-state buyers.
How many Bison are there now in North America?
About 500,000, none of which have any cattle genes remaining. They are all ranch raised with the exception of a handful of wild herd remaining in Yellowstone National Park, Custer State Park in South Dakota, and Antelope Island State Park in Utah. Roughly 50,000 Bison are slaughtered annually to meet demand, but the demand is growing (for comparison, 250,000 beef animals are slaughtered every DAY in the US). There are roughly 1500 active Bison ranchers in the United States and a lesser number in Canada, and we are all working to increase the size of our herds to meet the steadily rising demand for this wonderful tasting, healthy meat, while still preserving the natural lifestyle and free-roaming nature of these iconic wild animals whose ancestors have been here for more than 250,000 years.
What’s the difference between bison and buffalo?
The American Bison (Bison bison) is commonly known as the American Buffalo. The term buffalo is considered to be an acceptable synonym for the American Bison. The term buffalo dates back to the 1600’s in North America when the term was first recorded.
How big are bison?
Bison can span 7 to 11 ½ feet head to body, with the tail adding 12 to 36 inches, and stand 5 to 6 ½ feet tall at the shoulder.
How much do bison weigh?
A mature bison bull weighs approximately 2,000 pounds. A mature bison cow weighs approximately 1,100 pounds.
How fast can a bison run?
Bison can run up to speeds of 40 MPH.
How much do bison calves weigh at birth?
Calves weight between 40-50 pounds and are usually up and walking or running within a couple of hours of being born.
What is the gestation period for female bison?
Bison mate in August and September and the gestation period for American bison cows is 9 ½ months. Cows have their calves from mid-April through June and generally have one calf per year, although twins can occur on rare occasions.
How many calves will a bison have in her lifetime?
Female bison begin breeding when they are two years old and have their first calves when they are three. Cows can live to be 20-25 years old and under the right conditions, can birth a calf each year.
When are calves considered adults?
Bison calves usually nurse until the next calf is born. If the cow is not pregnant, a calf may nurse up to 18 months.
Do bison chew cud like cows do?
Yes, bison are considered a ruminant, meaning they chew cud before digesting their food.
What does bison fur feel like?
Bison have shaggy, long, dark brown winter coats and a lighter brown and lighter weight brown summer coat. They have course guard hairs and a soft wool undercoat.
Do bison have natural predators?
Because of their size and strength, bison have few natural predators. Wolves regularly prey on bison, but generally attack cows and calves. Grizzly bears can also prey on calves or old, injured or sick adult bison. Humans have historically been the greatest predator to the American Bison, bringing them nearly to extinction in the 1800’s.
How many bison live in Yellowstone National Park?
Yellowstone National Park is home to the largest free roaming bison population in the world. The herd numbers around 3,500 head.
What is the spiritual relationship between the American Bison and the American Indian culture?
Amongst Native American tribes, especially Plains Indians, the American bison is considered a sacred animal and religious symbol. While it varies by tribe, many tribes relied on bison not just for meat, but for shelter, clothing, and as a source for tools, weapons and utensils.