09/03/2026
In 1989, media entrepreneur Ted Turner purchased 113,613 acres in southwestern Montana, taking ownership of what would become one of the most ambitious private conservation projects in the United States.
The property, known as the Flying D Ranch, lies between the Gallatin and Madison rivers south of Bozeman. For decades, it had operated as a traditional cattle ranch, with large herds of livestock and hundreds of miles of internal fencing dividing the landscape.
Turner chose a very different direction.
He gradually removed the cattle, took down much of the internal barbed-wire fencing, and began restoring American bison to the land. Over time, the herd grew dramatically. Today, roughly 4,500 bison are reported to live on the ranch, making it one of the largest privately managed bison herds in North America.
Thousands of acres of former cropland have also been returned to grazing habitat, while a conservation easement helps protect the property from future development.
The experiment came with lessons. Turner later acknowledged that removing too much fencing created management problems, because the bison concentrated heavily in some areas while barely grazing others. Conservation, he discovered, required more than simply removing human boundaries—it required careful management of the landscape.
Decades later, the Flying D has become important habitat for an extraordinary range of wildlife. Recent surveys have documented animals including grizzly bears, wolves, mountain lions, moose, elk, pronghorn and bison, with a resident wolf pack using portions of the property.
What began as a working cattle ranch has gradually become a vast landscape where native wildlife once again plays a major role.
More than 100,000 acres. Thousands of bison. And a conservation experiment that is still evolving more than three decades later.
Sources: Turner Institute | SpaceDaily | NewsBreak | Western Producer | Montana Outdoor
— ZENVORA STUDIO
