At least 32 bison have been shot and killed on a private ranch about 15 miles southeast of Hartsel, triggering an extensive investigation by three agencies.
Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said his deputies had never seen anything like it.
“There are just hundreds of acres with carcasses laying out there,” Wegener said. “There are carcasses and hides.”
Wegener said that a group of at least 10 hunters has been identified as being responsible. He said the group has been cooperative and claimed to have had permission to hunt the bison.
Shooting privately owned bison on private land is legal and requires no permit. But authorities are trying to determine whether the hunters had permission from the landowner and whether the dead bison belonged to the property owner.
Wegener said the area where the bison were shot is near — but not on — the ranch of Monte Downare.
A person who answered the phone at the Downare Ranch said Monte Downare had gone with investigators to the shooting scene. She said the sheriff’s department had asked the ranch not to comment because a criminal investigation was underway.
The Chaparral Park General Store near Hartsel advertises on its website that Monte and Tracy Downare offer guided bison hunts.
Wegener stressed that this is “not a poaching problem.”
The office of 11th Judicial District prosecutor Katie O’Brien and the Colorado state brand inspector for the area are also investigating the incident, the sheriff said.
The first information about something unusual happening came at 11:54 a.m. Wednesday when there were reports of “some activity regarding hunting going on,” Wegener said.
Deputies began searching the area by vehicle, snowshoe and snowmobile and found the dead animals.
Wegener said the hunters were questioned and released Wednesday. He said it is unknown where the hunters are from. Some left with meat from the bison.
O’Brien said that both the hunters’ and the landowner’s actions are being examined.
“I don’t know if the hunters had permission. If permission was given, I don’t know if it was his (the landowner’s) permission to give,” O’Brien said.
Rick Wahlert, brand commissioner for Colorado, said the inspector assigned to the South Park area is helping the Park County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation.
Wahlert said that neither the ranchers who sanction hunts of their bison herds nor the hunters need permits because the hunts don’t fall under the jurisdiction of either the Division of Wildlife or the Department of Agriculture’s brand inspection division.
The brand division is designed to prevent rustling or theft of livestock by movement or butchering, Wahlert said.
Sheriff Wegener said the area where the bison were shot has few trees and rolling hills and is covered with deep snow.
South Park has had bison herds for many years.
Dave Hale, operations manager of the Hartsel Springs Ranch, which has more than 100 bison, said that none of his herd was involved.
Hale said that in the past both the Hartsel Springs Ranch and the Downare Ranch have had sanctioned bison hunts. Hale said Hartsel Springs Ranch is getting out of the bison business and no longer has hunts.
Hale said he couldn’t imagine any rancher sanctioning the killing of 30 bison.
“We are stewards of the land, and in that capacity we take care of wildlife,” Hale said.
Dave Carter, executive director of the Denver-based National Bison Association, said some bison ranchers have allowed hunts over the years. But he said that if the dead bison were not part of an authorized hunt, they were the victims of “an egregious slaughter.”
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
