Raising Bison, Why Bison?
Why not bison?
Starting a herd?
Raising bison is easy – if you know the tricks.
The tricks are easy to learn if you understand that working ‘with’ them is all it takes.
That is where Frasier Bison hopes to serve and make a difference for both people and buffalo. Our tagline has been ‘helping buffalo with people’ – since 1995.
Our pen designs are unique to the land on which they are set, and favor the natural behavioral tendencies of the bison in a handling ‘system’ that includes the natural features, model operations, and feasible function. We pride ourselves on high functioning ‘adaptations’ of existing handling facilities transformed into least-cost bison handling ‘systems’.
Just know your bison basics and you will love having them.
Their space bubble is larger than cattle. (‘space-bubble’ is the distance within which they change from comfortable to uncomfortable in your presence). Respect is a two-way street and we always like to say that bison are easy to work – if – you do it with a little manners.
While out checking the herd, this calf came looking for a cube.
Handle them according to their surroundings.
Gathering from a pasture is simple, we use cubes. This can be done with a bucket or a feed hopper on a truck. They soon learn, you are not their enemy. It doesn’t matter if you have 5 head or 5,000.
This herd had not been successfully gathered in 12 years, according to reports. A couple days showing them the feed truck and all of them follow in and are penned and sorted without incident by a two man crew.
They breed and birth naturally without the need for human assistance. Problems are rare and they have been doing it without us for thousands of years.
Climate tough, they are native after all.
Check out handling facilities .
Years ago we incorporated the help of Texas Ecologix to help us , help ranchers, help bison. In places we have traveled we found if we made a few changes in the landscape. It greatly benefited the bison and there by the rancher. On our own place we saved a lot, just making our place more naturally eco-system oriented and let nature do its thing – for us.
It’s been noted since people first sought to save these animals, how much gentler they are to the land. Charles Goodnight and CJ Jones, often commented how gentle on the grasses and how hardy these bison are in drought situations.
It is very rewarding helping folks build habitats for bison, and then watching the health of both improve. Regarding your land first – your bison second – and yourself third, always puts you first.