Round ‘em up

The whips cracked, the crowd cheered and the buffalo cooperated—save for one or two who felt the need to direct their ire at a horse—as the 61st annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup took place on a sun-splashed Sept. 25 morning.
Thousands of visitors watched as Custer State Park and South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks staff were joined by a bevy of volunteers to push approximately 1,500 buffalo to the park corrals where they are tested, branded and sorted.
“I thought it was amazing. It’s my first time seeing it and my first time seeing these guys and gals work,” said Patrick Hybertson of Watertown. “I enjoyed every minute of it.”
Hybertson is a South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks employee who was volunteering to help at the Roundup, spending his morning talking to guests and answering questions.
“I don’t get out West River often. To see the beauty of Custer State Park...I’m used to being East River. I’m corn and beans,” he said with a laugh.
Hybertson said he had talked to people from all over the country throughout the course of the morning, and had also talked to people from outside the United States.
Someone he may have talked to was Todd Wermerson of McGregor, Minn., who had arrived at the park to get in line at 3:30 a.m.
“They didn’t let us in until 6:15 a.m.,” he said with a laugh.
It was his first Roundup, and he said he had been planning to come to it for 10 to 15 years before finally deciding this was the year.
“I thought it was great,” he said. “We enjoyed it.”
John and Sharon Winter of Middletown, Del., made the trek all the way to Custer County specifically to see the Roundup in person. They had watched it live streamed in previous years, but wanted to see it in person. They were in the middle of a three-and-a-half month trip, which they scheduled around the Roundup. It was also John’s 73rd birthday.
“It was awesome. An incredible experience,” John said.
Sharon called it a bucket list experience for them, saying they had been through the area five years ago but were in town a week before the Roundup and after learning about it wanted to come back to see it live.
They plan to come back, and bring some family next time.
“You really have to see it in person to appreciate it all,” Sharon said. “It was wonderful.”
Judy and Craig Dykstra were on hand from Tea, and also came to Custer County specifically for the Roundup. They had been to it before, and enjoyed it so much they wanted to see it again.
“It’s the Western way,” Craig said.
Carol Fajen of Carson, Iowa, and Linda Morris of Omaha, Neb., were both at the Roundup as part of a bus tour. They had heard of the Roundup but had not seen it in person.
The said they “saw more people than buffalo” from their vantage point, but did enjoy the festivities. They were about to head down to the arts festival upon the conclusion of the Roundup.
As always, the park will sell off some of the heard in about six weeks time at the annual Buffalo Auction, which is set for  Nov. 7. At that time, around 600 buffalo will be sold to assist in herd and park management.