Bison in the Book Cliffs experienced a significant die-off event during the end of July and the beginning of August. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources announced Friday that the recent deaths reduced the adult bison population in the Bitter Creek area by almost 40%, and test results from several of the carcasses revealed it was due to pneumonia. "In 20 years of GPS collaring bison in the Book Cliffs area, this kind of die-off event has never occurred in Utah," shares DWR Once-in-a-lifetime Species Coordinator Rusty Robinson. "Bison have had incredible survival rates since we began researching and monitoring them, and this kind of event is unlike anything our state biologists have ever witnessed." The herd that experienced the die-off is relatively close to another bison population in the Little Creek/South hunting unit of the Book Cliffs. The DWR will continue to monitor bison in the Book Cliffs for indications of disease spread. For information on changes to hunting with bison permits in the Book Cliffs, visit wildlife.utah.gov/news/2026/08/21/wildlife-board-approves-additional-antlerless-elk-permits-due-to-drought-and-changes-to-bison-hunts.
Photo Cred: wildlife.utah.gov