TOPEKA (KSNT) - Bison may not be as abundant as they once were, but can they still be hunted in the Sunflower State?
27 News reached out to two state agencies and a big game hunting business to learn more about whether or not bison can be hunted in the Sunflower State. Hunters who want to bring down one of the big animals can do so, but under a limited basis.
A quick check of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) website will show there is no mention of bison for the state's big game hunting seasons. Laura Clawson, a spokeswoman for the KDWP, confirms no official hunting season exists for the animals as they are considered livestock and not a game species.
Bison can often be found in private herds around the state such as at the Flint Hills Bison Company in the Manhattan area. The KDWP will occasionally hold auctions for bison from the Maxwell Wildlife Refuge which people can acquire for their private herds.
"There are no wild bison in Kansas, so all bison are privately owned as private herds," said Heather Lansdowne, Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) spokeswoman. "If any hunting is taking place, that would be on private property so we wouldn’t have any oversight or official awareness of it taking place."
People looking to hunt for a bison will have to do a little extra research and find a private range. Joe Isch with Kansas Trophy Outfitters said he stocks his land near Lyndon with big game like elk, whitetail deer and rams.
"We've got 350 acres of high fence at our place," Isch said. "Whatever animals we put in there are ours."
Isch said his hunting range currently doesn't stock bison as they were difficult to manage and had little fear of people. He got rid of the last of the 2,000-pound animals in early 2024.
"We had about eight or so of them it would've been the last winter," Isch said. "Most of our bulls were around eight-years-old. They were pretty big gnarly bulls and they got a little too rough on everything."
Isch said hunters look for places to claim a bison as they can provide big trophies and contain an abundance of lean and healthy meat. Some restaurants in Kansas use bison meat in their menus for its reported healthy qualities such as at the Clover Cliff Ranch in Chase County.
"They're pretty incredible animals with how fast they are and how big they are," Isch said.
Bison have special significance in Kansas as they were made the state animal in 1955, according to the Kansas Historical Society. The species was also named the national mammal of the U.S. in 2016, marking them as a symbol of American identity, according to the Department of the Interior (DOI).
The National Park Service (NPS) said bison were once numerous across much of the Great Plains, living in the prairie regions and helping to give Native American tribes sustenance. Hunters played a large role in pushing the species to the brink of extinction with overhunting.
Ranchers made efforts in the late 1800's to save the remaining bison and establish conservation herds, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Bison have since bounced back with many living in commercial herds and are no longer threatened with extinction but are still facing challenges such as the loss of genetic diversity.
For more Kansas Outdoors, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.
Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf
