Peggy Ladd’s morning on April 5 didn’t start out well.
Ladd, the owner of Klondike Bison and Bee off Klondike Road south of De Soto, was driving to her farm from her home in St. Louis and was 10 minutes away when a neighbor called to tell her some of her bison were loose and had been spotted on the road.
Six to be exact. Each of the boys weighs about 1,000 pounds, Ladd said.
She said a storm downed a large tree limb that fell on a fence on the farm, allowing the bison to escape.
Ladd got another report that the bison were spotted behind a neighbor’s barn, but by the time she arrived, they had disappeared.
She and some of her neighbors and family members searched the rural area for the bison, and Ladd repeatedly called the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to check if anyone had seen the large animals along the road or near someone’s house.
“The search area was so large,” she said.
Luckily, the bison found their “own little utopia far off the road” with lush grass and plenty of water to drink about 2 miles away, where they will remain until Ladd can get them back to her farm, she said.
Ladd said someone asked that property owner if they’d seen the bison and the owner said they’d been there for two days.
On Thursday night, April 6, Ladd posted on Facebook that the bison had been found.
“They are happy; they are content,” she said.
Ladd said she is trying to figure out how to get the animals back to her farm, where she has another approximately 30 bison.
Luckily, she said, the owner of the property where the bison currently are staying is being gracious and there is no other livestock around the property, which has a lot of land for roaming, Ladd said.
“It’s not an easy cattle drive away,” she said.
The bison would have to cross over a lot of property and there’s “infrastructure issues,” she said.
Ladd said she planned to meet with professional wranglers Friday, April 7, about building a strong, temporary corral on the other person’s property until they can be relocated.
She said it could take days or weeks to get them back to where they belong.
Ladd said she often gives the bison “treats,” so she hopes when they sees her in her usual UTV with the treat buckets, they will move closer to the corrals.
She said once they get in the corrals, she will lock them up.
Ladd said the animals are apprehensive and nervous and got spooked and ran when they were approached Thursday night with unfamiliar ATVs.
She said she will have to take her time to lure them because “they are like scared little kids” and with too much pressure, they will run or fight.
Ladd posted on Thursday that she was grateful for the help she had received during the search.
“I want to thank my wonderful friends and neighbors on Klondike, Pagel, and Springdale Roads. Everyone we encountered was supportive, and certain folks were particularly dedicated to making sure we found these boys. You know who you are.
“The best the general public can do now is to leave them alone. Give them time to decompress. And allow us to make the arrangements needed to get them home safely. Hopefully, there will be no sightings in the area, but if there is, please contact the Jefferson County Sheriff's (Office) immediately.”
Besides selling bison meat, Ladd offers one-hour private tours of her farm so people can get up-close (or as close as they want) to the bison and their babies. A tour for a vehicle load of people is $100. Those who want a tour are asked to contact Ladd to arrange one.
She said the breeding herd is pretty docile and she can hand-feed the bison alfalfa cubes, which they love.
Klondike Bison and Bee is the reinvention of Ladd’s family beef farm, which began in 1959, according to its website.
“After our parents passed, we thought long and far about what we could do with these 150 acres that had not been put into use (beyond producing small amounts of hay) since 1993,” Ladd said.
She said she began researching bison and then starting acquiring them in fall 2019. Bison meat processing began two years ago.
Ladd also raises bees on the farm.
For more information, find Klondike Bison and Bee on Facebook or visit KlondikeBison.com.