Day Trips: Texas State Bison Herd, Caprock Canyons State Park, Quitaque

The Texas state bison herd roams around Caprock Canyons State Park outside of Quitaque like they own the place.

To say these beasts, which can top 2,000 pounds, are tame would be to underestimate their strength if they feel threatened. On the other hand, the bison in the park are used to humans and their automobiles and don't pay us much mind other than an occasional wary eye.

The Texas herd is one of five foundation herds, says Le'Ann Pigg, assistant park superintendent. The bison in the park are the descendants of the great Southern Plains herd that nearly went extinct, but Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight rescued a few calves on the JA Ranch. Two animals from the Goodnight herd were shipped to Yellowstone National Park to bolster its dwindling herd.

By 1994, the Texas Panhandle herd had dropped to 50 animals. Three years later, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department moved 32 bison to a 300-acre enclosure in the state park. Now the herd has free range of 80% of the park, or nearly 12,000 acres.

The state herd is around 300 individuals, Pigg says, which is the maximum capacity of the park. The small bison herd at San Angelo State Park is not part of the Goodnight lineage.

The park, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, expects around 40 calves this year, Pigg says, which makes April and May a good time to visit.

The Texas state bison herd wanders Caprock Canyons State Park, which has a lake, camping among the red-rock cliffs, and nearly 90 miles of trails that include the 64-mile former railroad trail. The park is a seven-hour drive from Austin toward Amarillo.

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