DJ White spent his early years with his grandmother, watching the native history and Westerns that filled the airwaves of the 1960s. Something about the American Bison stuck with him.
His father ran cattle on this same land through the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, and into the early ’90s. When his dad stepped back from the operation and the pastures began to grow up, DJ finally had his chance to bring bison home.
He spent the mid-1990s researching where to find them, how to raise them, and how to keep them. In October 1998, the first bison stepped onto the ground at the ranch. They haven’t left since.
DJ may have brought the first bison home, but a ranch doesn’t run on one person. Mischa handles a good share of what keeps the place going day to day, from the herd to the herbs to the folks who come out to visit.
If you’ve called the ranch and somebody answered who knew exactly what’s in the freezer that week, there’s a good chance it was her.
DJ’s father starts a cattle operation on the land that will one day become Boundary Line Bison Ranch.
DJ’s dad winds down the cattle operation. The pastures begin to grow over, but not for long.
DJ begins the research, fencing, and planning to convert the family land into a bison operation.
In October 1998, the first American Bison arrive at the ranch. Membership in the National Bison Association begins the same period.
The LLC is formed in late 2014, just after Mischa’s retirement and just before DJ’s own. The ranch becomes a formal business.
Possibly the longest continual bison operation in Alabama, still family-run, still pasture-raised, still serving the Southeast.
Our ranch sits along the south edge of the old Cherokee territorial boundary line of Alabama. That history shaped this land long before we did, and we think it’s worth honoring in the name we carry.
The American Bison has its own history here, too. They were once found across most of Alabama except the southernmost counties, and they were hunted to near-extinction by the late 1800s. A small part of what we do is help bring them back to the landscape where they once belonged.
We do not cross our bison with cattle or anything else. What you taste is what the bison has always been, not a hybrid marketed as one.
Our bison graze open pasture the way nature designed, and we finish them on grass, not grain. They also love pumpkins, squash, and the treats we collect after Halloween.
Meat, bones, hides, skulls. We try to use as much of the animal as possible. Waste has no place in this kind of work.
Schools, FFA, 4-H, and civic groups are always welcome. Seeing a bison shouldn’t require a plane ticket west.
Bring the kids, bring your FFA chapter, bring a curious friend. We welcome visitors by appointment.
Plan a Visit
Boundary Line