Buffalo roundup a must-see event

For years, the annual roundup of Custer State Park’s buffalo herd was a small affair with mostly buffalo ranchers in attendance looking to add stock to their herds. On Monday, about 15,000 people packed the hillsides near the corrals for a view of one of the West’s great spectacles: a herd of 1,200 wild buffalo being herded by cowboys on horseback. Binoculars and cameras at the ready, spectators, many of whom traveled hundreds of miles for the weekend even, were not disappointed. Custer State Park’s buffalo roundup has become one of the largest outdoor spectacles in South Dakota and the U.S. Almost literally nowhere else on earth can one see one of the last large herds of the American West’s iconic animal being rounded up at a gallop by cowboys across open grassland. The roundup is more than mere spectacle; it helps park officials to maintain a healthy number of bison that the park can support, while providing breeding stock to buffalo ranchers at a later auction. The buffalo are also checked for pregnancy, tested for diseases such as brucellosis, and vaccinated against other illnesses. Last year’s auction generated $325,000, and park officials say rising prices for buffalo nationwide could see record income at this year’s sale...more

The Westerner has been around some, but I don't believe you'll ever catch me preg checkin' a buffalo.