THE WASHINGTON OUTDOOR REPORT- week October 16

When you think of places in America where you can see big wild animals up close, you tend to think of Yellowstone, Grand Teton or Glacier National Park but there is a place much closer than that for most Washingtonians that offers world-class wildlife viewing without the crowds. That place is the Bison Range, located less than an hour’s drive west of St. Regis in Western Montana.

The range is located on the Flathead Indian Reservation where tribal members had brought several buffalo calves in the late 1800’s as bison populations plummeted towards extinction due to excessive hunting. In 1908 the U.S. Government established the National Bison Range, covering 18,766 acres, and populated it with bison from the herd established by tribal members in the area.

The Bison Range was owned and operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service until 2020, when the Range and its management was returned to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation. The one stipulation was that the Bison Range remain open for public visitation.

Today, the Bison Range experience is much like it was in year’s past. Entering the Range from the west your first stop is the Visitor Center where you will be greeted by a fully taxidermized bison along with a number of interpretive displays detailing the history of the Bison Range. At the Visitor Center you purchase a pass to enter the range. A daily pass is $10 and an annual pass is only $20. You can also purchase a tribal fishing permit here if you want to do so.

Leaving the Visitor Center, you have two roads you can travel. The first is the Buffalo Prairie Drive. Open year round (weather permitting), you’ll follow Mission Creek, driving towards the eastern end of the Bison Range. I’ve driven this route on two visits and have seen not only lots of bison up close, but also elk, white-tailed deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep and even a badger as well as numerous raptors ranging from northern harriers to red-tailed hawks and even a golden eagle. In fact, there are over 210 species of birds that can be seen at the Bison Range, making it not only a great place to see big game, but also a birder’s paradise.

The other route available to drive is the Red Sleep Drive, which takes you up to a forested hilltop that is part of the Mission Mountain Range. This road eventually dips back down, rejoining the Buffalo Prairie Drive at the east end of the Bison Range. Plan on taking at least two hours to travel the Red Sleep Drive and an hour to go to the end of the Buffalo Prairie Drive and back. In addition to the animals I saw, Stephanie Gillen, the Information and Education Program Manager at the Bison Range, says there are also black bears, mountain lions, mule deer and a variety of small game that live on the range along with the occasional passing grizzly bear and even a wolverine that has been seen here.

All of the drives take place on dirt roads and vehicles over 30-feet are not allowed on them. While traveling through the Bison Range you are asked to stay in your vehicle or next to it. This is for your safety as well as for the safety of the animals that live here. They are used to seeing cars but will be spooked by the approach of people which could trigger a “fight or flight” reaction.

There are two places you can leave your vehicle and stretch your legs. Prior to entering the Visitor Center there is an expansive day-use area with a big picnic area and a couple of short interpretive trails, one of them circling a pond and the other going along Mission Creek which includes an area for disabled fishing access. There is also another foot path on Mission Creek outside the day use area available for anglers too. Gillen says anglers who fish here have a very good chance of catching trout. Whether you hike or fish though, be aware that elk frequent these wooded areas along Mission Creek and the big animals sometimes don’t take kindly to the presence of humans.

After all, the elk, the bison, and the other animal are all wild and deserve your respect and distance. Having said that, the Bison Range offers an incredible opportunity to view or photograph wildlife up close without the traffic jams or crowds found at some of our national parks.

The Bison Range is open seven days a week during the summer months and the Visitor Center is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The hours of operation will soon be changing to a new winter schedule. You can find out more about that through the Bison Range Facebook Page (CSKT Bison Range) or through their website at https://bisonrange.org/bison-range-information-hours-of-operation/.

John Kruse – www.northwesternoutdoors.com and www.americaoutdoorsradio.com