2023 Bison Auction at Land Between the Lakes

A public auction to reduce the size of Land Between the Lakes’ bison herds will be held on Saturday, February 11, 2023. The sale begins at 9am Central Standard Time at the South Bison Range corral. Bidder registration, final sale list, and viewing begin at 8am CST. The Forest Service has scheduled approximately 32 bison to be sold individually to include:1 cow born 2015, tested for pregnancy9 large young bulls born 20204 cows born 2020, tested for pregnancy6 yearling heifers born in 20217 yearling bulls born 2021a 4 to 5 bull and heifer calves born in 2022Preliminary details regarding the…
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South Bison Range Storm Damage

South Bison Range Storm Damage

Rainfall knocked down fences at the South Bison Range in various locations as water overflowed the stream banks and roadside ditches on both sides of the Trace. Note the row of about 10 hay rolls floating in at least 6’ of water. They stopped there so “neatly” because the fence is under the water holding on to them!  Originally the hay rolls were “neatly” lined up between the two pastures. The flooding water carried them across the field and over and through the fences as shown in these other photos. We still have not been able to fix all of the northern…
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Tree Planting at the Elk and Bison Prairie

Tree Planting at the Elk and Bison Prairie

Submitted by Yvonne Helton, Silviculturist We recently planted approximately 1500 shortleaf pine and 70 Bur Oak seedlings within the perimeter of the Elk & Bison Prairie. We chose areas where pine mortality occurred and staff burned off debris piles. So why did we plant Shortleaf Pine?  We value fire tolerant traits such as its ability to re-sprout and natural resistance to fire scar rot.  Shortleaf Pine also produces frequent cone crops. These attributes suit the Elk & Bison Prairie perfectly. Shortleaf Pine may also create a more diverse habitat.  We observed declines of Virginia Pine in the Elk & Bison…
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Baby Bison Begin to Arrive!

Baby Bison Begin to Arrive!

  Submitted by Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between The Lakes It’s that time of year again. Bison at the Elk and Bison Prairie and the South Bison Range are starting to have their calves! Three calves were born at the Elk and Bison Prairie over the weekend. One calf was born at the South Bison Range, across from the Homeplace 1850's Working Farm and Living History Museum. A second calf was born there today (Tuesday, April 14, 2015). These calves are the first of many to come. Most bison calves on Land Between The Lakes will be born during the months…
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New Bison Mount at Golden Pond Visitor Center

New Bison Mount at Golden Pond Visitor Center

Submitted by Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between The Lakes A new bison mount was installed in the Golden Pond Visitor Center. Visitors can get a closer look at one of these big, beautiful animals. "This was a 21 year old bison bull who lived here at Land Between The Lakes. You can see all the wear on his big, well used horns. He was aging and declining in health. After seeing him, we hope to encourage people to see and appreciate the herds for themselves," says Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between The Lakes. His high placement in the visitor center…
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A Day in the Life…Elk & Bison Prairie

A Day in the Life…Elk & Bison Prairie

Submitted by Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between The Lakes This is one day in the life of the critters who call the Elk & Bison Prairie home at Land Between The Lakes. They are becoming more active now that the weather is cooling off. Our Bugle Corps members volunteer to help watch the herds and make sure all is well. Ray Stainfield, a long time Bugle Corps member, has a knack for getting some great shots. Thanks Ray! For more information about Volunteering at Land Between The Lakes, visit www.friendsoflbl.org or call 270-924-2007. Last Thursday this group of…
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Asters Are Blooming!

Asters Are Blooming!

Submitted by Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between The Lakes The asters are blooming, the asters are blooming!! When you stop by the Elk & Bison Prairie to see the majestic animals, take some time to look at nature's smaller wonders. These little Aromatic Asters (Aster oblongifolius) are providing late season sustenance to lots of little flying insects. Go pollinators! Description and Adaptation Aromatic aster is a native perennial wildflower that grows from 1–3 feet tall. The aster’s rigid stems branch out from the base and give off a balsam-like scent when crushed. The flowers are composite with purple…
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The Elk & Bison Prairie Story

The Elk & Bison Prairie Story

As adapted from a 1996 Elk & Bison Prairie brochure Many generations of animals and people inhabited this region long before the forming of Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area in 1963. The Elk & Bison Prairie captures the world as it appeared to 18th century hunters. At the time, more than 300 years ago, vast herds of bison and elk blanketed the landscape, creating broad paths in the land as they migrated. Today, we travel many of those same paths—Interstate 24, for example, follows the path of an ancient bison trail. When native peoples used this land as…
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Bloody Bison

Bloody Bison

By Curtis Fowler, Elk & Bison Prairie Manager If you visited or will be visiting the Elk & Bison Prairie today or the next few days, you may get a glimpse of a bison that damaged its right horn cap sometime between last night and this morning when we checked the herd. This type of injury is fairly minor. It does produce a lot of blood as you can see by the photo. This is a female yearling.  She must have bumped something harder than her horn. This “bump” broke the seal on her horn between her hard outer shell…
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First Elk Calf of the Season

First Elk Calf of the Season

Story submitted by Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area-- As spring turns into summer, bison at the Elk & Bison Prairie have been producing calves almost every week since early April. Memorial Day weekend marks the time that elk normally start producing their calves at the Elk & Bison Prairie. The first calf was seen on June 8; however, there are likely a few others hiding in the bushes. Bugle Corps staff have spotted 4 elk calves so far over the past week. This week, we located one of the newest calves and tagged it…
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