We bring you this Update on Thanksgiving, a day when bounty is celebrated in many American homes that have the means to do so. This holiday is a hard one to square. Underneath the pomp and circumstance, there is a history of harm – and many Native homes contemplate that harm on Thanksgiving. BFC stands as an ally to Indigenous Peoples and we encourage you to do the same by visiting the following links:
“How to Be an Ally” (Joining Efforts to Respect and Support Native Nations)
Native Americans in Philanthropy: Let’s Talk Treaties
Learn about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and download their 94 Calls to Action
–Dallas Gudgell, Tribal Programs Director
Orphan of the hunt -- the cost of unethical hunting
State-Licensed Hunt Leaves Yearling Orphaned & Distressed
The Buffalo Field Campaign’s 29th season of monitoring and advocating for wild Buffalo has begun with heartbreak. From the very first day of hunting season, state hunters have filled their tags, killing any bison that dares to cross the invisible boundary of Yellowstone National Park.
Over the weekend, one small family group tried to make its way toward a nearby residential area, where locals welcome bison into their yards. Many homes display “Buffalo Safe Zone” signs, a clear message that they wish to leave the animals in peace. But this Buffalo family never reached safety. In plain view of the community near the main road, hunters opened fire: one mature female fell, then an immature bull. A yearling watched her family collapse around her—until her mother was shot as well. Too small to be considered “worth” a tag, the calf fled into the forest, forced to struggle to survive without her herd. All so a few unethical hunters can take trophies and pose for selfies with their fresh kill.
The Last Calf Standing. As we monitored her the morning after her family was taken, the yearling’s behavior was erratic. When she first saw our car, she began running alongside it, then stopped, seeming confused. Later we observed her wandering back and forth across the road in clear distress.
Blood marks the site of one of the kills. Carcasses and unused parts must be left at least 100 yards from trails and roads. Our patrols immediately report any illegal field dressing practices to the game warden.
Bison are herd animals, guided by a matriarch and supported by females, bulls, and calves. For a yearling with no experience, losing her family in an instant is not only devastating—it is cruel. As we monitored her, we saw her going back and forth in circles in a small field near the kill site, afraid to go back to where she last saw her mother, and also of venturing anywhere new. The best outcome is that another herd will pass through and take her in. With winter closing in, time for her is running out.
If more Buffalo were allowed to roam freely across the landscape, her chances of survival would be far greater as bison are known to adopt orphans. If she survives her ordeal, we will continue to share updates on the challenges—and hopefully the triumphs—this brave yearling faces.
--Mackenzie Bergthaler
Volunteer Coordinator/Patrol Leader
Volunteer Coordinator Mackenzie Bergthaler leads a patrol into the field
“Road Sweeps”, i.e. monitoring roads for signs of bison crossing and hunting activity, are a main part of daily patrols
How You Can Help
BFC depends on your support to keep our patrol cars on the road, our volunteers fed, and our cameras and equipment in good working order.
This giving season, we’ve partnered with EarthGives.org to make donating easy. Visit our EarthGives page to make your contribution today.
Host a Peer-to-Peer Social Media Fundraiser
And if the story of the orphaned yearling makes you want to do even more to protect wild Buffalo, consider hosting a peer-to-peer social media fundraiser this weekend. It’s easy, and only takes 10 minutes:
Visit our EarthGives landing page and click on the green button “Create a Fundraiser”. You’ll be prompted to make an account, choose your fundraiser’s name and unique URL, add a hero image, and write a few words about why BFC and wild Buffalo are important to you.
Once you’ve saved your fundraising page, share it directly with your own community on any social media platform you use, tagging @buffalofieldcampaign and @EarthGives.
Imagine if just ten people see your post and each pass it on to another ten…you’re bringing 100 new supporters to our campaign, broadening our community of Buffalo defenders, and engaging in an act of reciprocity for this keystone species.
Onward – for the Buffalo.
Campaign Coordinator Mike Mease gives the media team a quick camera tutorial
Campaign Coordinator Mike Mease gives the media team a quick camera tutorial
Georg, Nell Kevin and Mackenzie [caption: Our on-site coordinators share a laugh after dinner in the main cabin, November 2025. From Left to Right: Georg Bergthaler (Kitchen Coordinator), Nell Geisslinger (Media Team), Kevin O’Briant (Media Team) and Mackenzie Bergthaler (Volunteer Coordinator).
