There were 4,900 bison in Yellowstone at the end of 2014. A political agreement with the state of Montana set a population goal of 3,000.
Four Native American tribes have treaty rights to hunt bison that cross the border out of Yellowstone National Park into Montana. The state also grants some individual hunting permits. The National Park Service has also initiated selective culling and slaughter of bison in capture facilities -- a very controversial issue for the parks service.
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