Badger Pocket Bison Ranch was established in 1990 by Hal & Jeannette Rees.  Located at the southern tip of the area known as Badger Pocket, the ranch is situated approximately 20 miles southeast of Ellensburg, Washington.  In 1997, Hal and Jeannette sold the ranch after moving their growing herd north.Ron and Vickie Barela bought the ranch and started their own herd with seven animals.  

This is their story

We're Ron & Vickie Barela of the Badger Pocket Bison Ranch just outside of Ellensburg, Washington.  I'm a retired Police Officer.  Vickie is a Registered Nurse.  We met during the Desert Storm military "Call-up."  (We were both in the Reserves at the time.)  both of us were 100% city folks with NO ranch/farm experience or knowledge.  We were married in September 1992, at which time I promised Vickie that when I retired from police work I'd bring her back to her home state of Washington.  (I just didn't tell her where in Washington)

During the severe winter of 1996, looking for Washington home sites, we saw a newspaper ad for a "picturesque" micro ranch in the foot of the Cascades.  Finding a "window" of clear weather between Christmas and New Years, we borrowed my brother-in-law's 4-wheel drive car and drove from Seattle through the snow to find a beautiful site.  As we walked around the place and looked through the back fence, through the mist appeared the most magnificent, snow-crusted, bearded creatures Vickie and I had ever seen.  It was love at first sight!  We started reading everything we could find about buffalo (bison), visited/toured bison ranches and joined the NBA and NWBA to learn as much as we could about these majestic creatures.

During one fateful NWBA meeting, March '97, I stood up, introduced Vickie and myself, told why we were there and that we were interested in finding a ranch suitable for bison and wanted to "follow the call."  No sooner had I finished my comments than a deep, baritone voice resounded through the hall stating, "I want to talk to you during the intermission."  We now have the 90 acre ranch formerly owned by Hal and Jeanette Rees and have our own steadily growing herd.

All in all, we've never been happier.  Not a day goes by that we don't look at our buffalo and give thanks for our wonderful new life, buffalo and friends, much to the amazement of our old friends from "Metropolis."  We proudly say buffalo life is the best life.