DOWNER, Minn. - A herd of 75 bison is roaming free near this small farming town about 15 miles east of Moorhead after busting through a barb-wire fence early Monday morning.
The herd, owned and managed by Harlan Manston, 74, escaped from a 150-acre pasture about 2 a.m. and strayed just north of Downer to a gravel pit on the east side of Minnesota Highway 9.
Two Clay County Sheriff's Department vehicles patrolled the Interstate 94 Downer exit on Monday night to make sure the herd didn't stray onto the highway, patrolman Tim Griffin said.
The herd didn't cause any problems Monday, he said.
"I don't think it's necessarily a big concern," Griffin said. "It's a concern that they don't get out on the road. It would be a heck of an accident."
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Linda Schindler, who lives two miles south of Manston, said 75 missing bison is reason for concern.
"I know they can be very difficult," said Schindler, who didn't learn of the missing herd until late Monday night. "Of course, there's always the fear of hitting them. They got out during Potato Days about three years ago. They had a heck of a time catching them."
Armed with trucks and four-wheelers, Manston and nine others spent Monday trying to usher the herd back to their pasture. He called off wrangling efforts by nightfall. The group will continue at 9 a.m. today with six four-wheelers and more trucks.
"Who knows, they may come right back in the morning," said Manston, who has lived just outside of Downer most of his life. "I think they were more bored than anything."
Manston said there has been no talk of the Sheriff's Department using rifles or tranquilizers on the bison.
"They don't have enough shells," he said. "If you had two of them, using tranquilizer guns would be good. You can't tranquilize 75 of them."
Manston said the herd is mostly comprised of 850- to 900-pound cows, but includes five breeding bulls that weigh nearly a ton.
Several of his bison escaped in late 2004. Manston said the pasture was soaked with mud, which kept him from repairing faulty fencing.
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"If they left, we would get them back," said Manston, who regularly walks among his herd. "Neighbors will call if they see them."
Griffin said he isn't sure how the Sheriff's Department can help Mantson.
"These are not tame animals. These are wild animals," Griffin said. "Wherever they want to go, they'll go."
Readers can reach Forum reporter Joe Whetham at (701) 241-5557
