The event is limited to 50 people. A new addition to the roundup activities is the Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Hot Springs. Cowboy tunes and poetry, followed by an evening jam session, will be held Thursday and Friday, Oct. 1-2. While the arts and crafts festival draws large crowds each year, the weekend's highlight is still the roundup. Nearly 1,500 American bison will stampede through the park Monday morning, as wranglers herd them into the park's corral complex.
Visitors can watch the action from a safe distance and visit the corrals following the event.
Noem said Custer State Park has one of the largest publicly-owned bison herds in the nation. About 325 bison will be sold at public auction on Saturday, Nov. 21. Proceeds from the auction are used to help fund the park's annual operating budget. It's a chance to see one of nature's largest animals up close and personal. To get to the corrals, Noem said visitors take the park's Wildlife Loop Road, just east of the State Game Lodge.