Bison Score Early Season Gore in Yellowstone National Park

Prime tourist season is still in its infant stages for 2025. And we hope this doesn't set the tone for frequent encounters as crowds increase.

Yellowstone National Park authorities tell us that on Sunday, May 4, a 47-year-old man from Cape Coral, Florida, was injured by a bison in Yellowstone National Park. The incident occurred mid-afternoon in the Lake Village area of the park. The man was gored by the bison after he approached it too closely.

The individual sustained minor injuries and was treated by emergency medical personnel. The incident is currently under investigation, and no further details were available.

This is the first reported incident of a person injured by a bison in 2025. While we hear countless stories of tourists going off the trails and getting too close to or into geysers and thermal pools, or putting baby animals in their vehicles because they thought that the animals were lost or orphaned, surprisingly, there were just two reported incidents in 2024 and one in 2023 of tourists being injured by bison.

Still, that's for four too many from 2023 - present. Bison will defend their space when threatened and have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal. They are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans.

STUNNING INCREASE IN PRIVATE POND LICENSE FEES!

Applying for private pond licenses has become a big thing in Montana. And no wonder, given how cheap the license has been. But all of a sudden has that ever changed!

Landowners looking to build a private pond or renew their pond license will see an increase in fees after new legislation just signed by Governor Greg Gianforte.
House Bill 74, raises the cost of the application fee from $10 to $600, the renewal fee from $10 to $250 and requires a transfer fee of $250.

The new licenses are good for 10 years, and the term of the license remains even if the license is transferred.

Since 1945 - YES, 1945! - when Montana FWP started administering private pond licenses, the application fee has been $10. This fee didn’t cover the costs incurred by FWP for environmental assessments and program administration. The new fees will partially offset those expenses, which average $1,700 per license over a 10-year period.