Bison - Sounds Wild
Plains Bison 2017

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Plains Bison in Alaska

On a cold October day, a bison hunter is crossing an open field of brown stubble near Delta Junction in Interior Alaska. He's alert, and he's focused on a line of trees ahead. He doesn't realize it, but a group of two dozen plains bison is quietly crossing the field behind him. He catches sight of them as they drop over an embankment, but it's too late to take a shot. He told me later how impressed he was with how quiet and elusive those huge animals proved to be.

Plains bison were introduced to Alaska in 1928, when 23 animals from Montana were brought to Delta Junction. Three died within a few months, so all of the plains bison in Alaska today are descendants of 20 animals. As the herd in The Delta Junction area grew, a few dozen animals were released into other areas of Alaska, establishing a total of four herds of plains bison totaling about 1,000 animals in 2017

The Delta herd in the central Tanana Valley near Delta Junction has about 360 bison. The Chitina River herd inhabits the area around the Chitina River from the confluence of the Tana River and the Chitina Glacier. It's the smallest herd with about 50 animals.

The Copper River Herd, about 100 miles east of the Chitina, near the Alaska/Canada border is slightly larger, with about 60 animals.

The largest plains bison herd in Alaska is the Farewell herd. The Farewell herd inhabits the Farewell area of the drainages flowing into the Kuskokwim River south of McGrath. It's been growing steadily for the past decade, and the most recent survey in 2017 counted 500 animals.