Board approves 19 drought-related bison permits for Henry Mountains to protect range
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Summary
The board approved 19 additional resident bison permits on three hunter'choice hunts for the Henry Mountains after Division staff cited severe drought conditions and range concerns; the move is intended to reduce pressure on key forage sites.
Rusty Robinson, the Division's once-in-a-lifetime species coordinator, recommended issuing 19 additional drought-related resident permits for the Henry Mountains bison herd.
Robinson said the Henry Mountains bison plan sets a post-hunt adult objective of 325 adult bison and that the rule allows the Division to account for range and drought conditions when making temporary adjustments. The Division recommended adding 6, 6 and 7 permits to three hunter'choice hunts (total +19), increasing total permits from 78 to 97 for the season.
The Division estimated the resulting post-hunt adult population would be about 280 adult bison with the additional permits, compared to roughly 295 under the current permit level. Robinson framed the recommendation as action to prevent longer-term habitat degradation during severe drought and said the Division had observed dry conditions during recent aerial surveys.
A member of the Henry Mountains Bison Committee testified in support of the recommendation. The board voted to approve the additional permits; the motion, made by Chris Robinson and seconded by Justin Oliver, passed unanimously.
Implementation: Division staff said they will contact alternate lists and issue special offers to eligible hunters as soon as possible so the additional resident permits can be used this season.
