Return to All Events

Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup

Custer State Park in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota is home to one of the world's largest buffalo herds. This 71,000 acre State Park with it's of lush forests, quiet and serene meadows and majestic mountains provide food and shelter for nearly 1,500 buffalo. Each fall the ground rumbles and the dust flies as cowboys, cowgirls and park crews bring in the thundering herd.

Date: September 27, 2010 update info
Time: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Event Cost: varies
Venue: Custer State Park - Black Hills, SD
Contact: South Dakota Game Fish and Parks
Phone: (605) 773-3391
Email:
Website: gfp.sd.gov/state-parks/directory/custer/events/buffalo-roundup.aspx
Event Details:

A full day of a cowboy ride to round up over 1500 bison/buffalo. The weekend also includes the Annual Art Festival, ChiliCuster State Park

Buffalo Roundup

Watch as cowboys, cowgirls and park crews saddle up and roundup Custer State Park's 1,500 head of buffalo. After the roundup, park staff sort, brand and vaccinate the animals for the November buffalo sale. This is one of the nation's largest buffalo roundups. Free. Handicap accessible.

Contact: Custer State Park, Craig Pugsley,

HC 83 Box 70, Custer, SD 57730.

E-mail: craig.pugsley@state.sd.us.

Phone: 605-255-4515.


The roundup serves ecological and environmental purposes. The first part of the roundup involves moving the entire herd into a system of corrals along the Wildlife Loop Road. While in the corrals the massive animals are sorted and categorized by Custer State Park's resource personnel. To control the size of the park's bison population, a portion of the herd is sold at the annual Buffalo Auction, the third Saturday in November. Those animals chosen to be sold are retained in the corrals, while the remainder of the herd is turned back out into the park. The revenue received from this auction remains in the park and comprises a portion of the park's annual operating budget.

The Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup is open for public viewing.

Something not quite right? .