Experience the Legendary Bison Roundup at South Dakota's Custer State Park

On a fall trip to South Dakota, feel the thunder of bison on the move at Custer State Park's annual buffalo roundup and arts festival.

By

Mary Beaumont

Published on August 1, 2023

It is the quiet before the thunder. Morning sun has further gilded the golden grasslands of Custer State Park, spread over more than 70,000 acres in western South Dakota. Cowboys and cowgirls mill on their mounts, dotting ridgelines above a sprawling valley. Riders chat; horses whinny. Most eyes fix on the sight below—hundreds of cocoa-hued bison, grunting, wandering and waiting.

Then, a hoot. A whipcrack. More shouts. Riders begin to move in an annual choreography to gather the herd from the open range, check its health and chart its future.

Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup South Dakota — Ackmerman + Gruber

The annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup and Arts Festival attracts more than 20,000 spectators, who edge the vistas the last Friday of each September to watch riders corral the beasts. But this isn't herding cattle. (And, if we're getting technical, they aren't buffalo.) The bison is North America's largest mammal. Bulls can weigh up to a ton and reach 6 feet tall. And they can move, running 35 mph with the ability to turn on a dime.

Around 1,300 head of bison call the park home. But they don't just live here. They are the lifeblood, the heartbeat of this place. Once 30 million strong and the cornerstone of life for Native Americans, who used them for food, fuel, shelter and spiritual celebration, bison were driven to the brink of extinction by settlers.

Custer bison descend from the private herd of a South Dakota rancher namedJames "Scotty" Philip, whose wife was part Cheyenne. Philip and his family worked at the turn of the 20th century to rescue the dwindling species and eventually sold a few dozen animals to the state of South Dakota.

Custer State Park south Dakota buffalo roundup — Ackerman + Gruber

More than a century later, the herd thrives, freely and at home on this range in the Black Hills, a sacred landscape to the Lakota, Cheyenne and other peoples. However, the park holds only so much grass, disrupting the bison's instinct to roam. With bulls consuming dozens of pounds a day, it's critical to manage the population so that all have enough to eat.

Riders work in teams to guide the animals, collecting wayward groups and stragglers. The crews are alert and watchful, striving for balance. Pushing, but not driving. Finding flow, not forcing it. Hundreds of hooves pound the ground in a musical rumble. The bison move as one, like flocks, like fishes. Dust rises, billows, drifts.

After several miles and several hours, the herd is contained, and visitors can gather at the corrals outside the new-in-2022 Custer State Park Bison Center to watch crews work. Calves get shots, ear tags and brands. Cows are checked for pregnancy. A few hundred head depart for auction. After a few days, the remaining animals are released.

Custer State Park fall buffalo bison roundup — Ackerman + Gruber

The sun now bright overhead, the dust continues its unhurried return to the earth. But the history here still thrums, long after the thunder has quieted.

Buffalo bison roundup Custer State Park South Dakota — Ackerman + Gruber

Game Plan

Before you go, decide on the North or South viewing area—they're both great, but not close together. Arrive early to stake out a good spot. Parking lots open at 6:15 a.m., and the roundup starts around 9:30.