A Mountain side Bison/Buffalo ranch

British Columbia

6 reviews • Updated 1 month ago

WE NOW have 6 month old Bison that needs a baby sitter for night/evning shifts until November 20th if this look like some thing you might likre read on .We would like to thank all the worker that helped us through this year without their help we would not have managed to get done what was needed and wish them good luck in their future travels We welcome refugees from Ukraine and would consider a longer stay We are now booking for next year stating in April 2026 BREAKNG NEWS we are - now looking for help from the15th Oct to the 20t Nov. House cleaning getting ready for winter a in ground off grid house and a 4 hour evning / night shift baby sitting a 6 month old Bison For more information, we can be contacted via the Send Visit Request form on our profile. We are now starting to book for wwoofers, couples or singles, AVAILABLE FOR March through June 2026 We will Normally welcome wwoofers starting in April through September with a break for july/ August as it get s to hot Our ranch is situated 20 klms from Merritt at an elevation of 1,375 metres which gives us a scenic view of the Nicola Valley. We have a small herd of bison (buffalo) operating a cow/calf operation on 160 acres. We are looking for wwoofers to stay for up to 2 weeks, or longer, if things work out. Feeding the buffalo, checking, repairing and building fences where required, helping to clear fallen trees and cutting firewood are some of the areas we require help. No experience is required but if you enjoy the outdoors and are prepared for all sorts of work ,working alongside us you will learn the basic workings of our small ranch. You will enjoy the wildlife in and around our property as well as gain an understanding and appreciation of the grandeur, strength and ease of caring for buffalo. We are located 'off the grid' and generate our own power with wind and solar, however, we do have all modern conveniences. Although there is no public transportation into town from our ranch, we go into Merritt 2 to 3 times a week. My interests are Black Powder shooting - this is with muzzle loaded firearms used for targets and for hunting. We love to read when we get a chance and often play board games in the evening Isobel is active with a couple of social groups in town. We get into town once or twice a week and we can take you in and let you loose !! There is no public transportation into town from our ranch. Boots and some older clothes for working in will come in handy. We have gloves, some warm jackets for use and some rubber boots. Our ranch is at 1,375 meters above sea level so it can get hot during the daytime and cooler in the evenings. We enjoy sitting around our outdoor fire in the evenings chatting about everything and anything whilst roasting marshmallows ! We can pick you up in Merritt as there is a E Bus depot in town. Although there is no local transportation to Merritt from our ranch, we are in town several times a week to pick up groceries, banking and meeting friends and you can tag along if there's time. There are many good hikes in and around the ranch. Just watch out for the wildlife... We are non-smokers and, as we raise bison, we are a non-vegetarian family and aren't equipped for vegan or vegetarian diets. There are many wonderful areas to walk and explore the surrounding countryside. We, your hosts, are from the UK and we only speak English, so some spoken English would be helpful for communicating. You will stay with us in our in-ground home with our very friendly dog Piper is her name! Organic methods: We run the herd as close to natural as we can. no drugs, little or no handling Certifications: Canadian Bison Association and the BC Bison Association Current projects: Depending on the time of year, we do 'limb and thin' on the tree stands we have; clearing the winter's dead fall trees; fencing, always fencing :-}}}, wood splitting and stacking for winter and general maintenance. We are always working on the years fire wood -This is on going through the spring / summer where and when we find some good wood :-) Some mechanical knowledge and experience on running ranch trucks and quads is also appreciated as another pair of hands and eyes is always useful on a ranch! Extra help with feeding and keeping a check on the buffalo is always appreciated too. Please have your own medical insurance documents in place in case of illness or accident while staying with us. We may ask to see a copy. Along with a current Covid Passport or the same as ? Over the years we have learned to really appreciate the ability to live where we do and raise such magnificent animals and hope to pass on this to other that come to visit Internet access available

Learning opportunities

Raising of other farm animals

Renewable energy production

Mechanics / tools / technology

Methods or systems

Holistic management

No-till farming

Regenerative agriculture

Mentoring opportunities

Woman-operated

Veteran-operated

Host type

Production farm

64.8 Hectares | 160 Acres

Accommodation

3 WWOOFers

Bedroom

Cabin / Mobile-home

Children not accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Length of stay

1-2 weeks

Bernard

Member since 2012

Languages spoken: English Response rate: 100% Response time: typically within 1 day

December 2025

Open

Planned visit

Closed

MapLibre | Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

British Columbia

E Bus has a stop in town

Reviews

Liah

Australia • November 2025

What an incredible time! So grateful to isobel and bernard for being such giving people with lots of stories and delicious food and knowledge to share. Very restful time under the stars with 6 month old Tilly! Bisons are beautiful and brilliant.

Daniel

Germany • October 2024

We spend two weeks at Bernie’s and Isobels place and really enjoyed our stay! Our accommodation was a mobile home a little bit away from the house. For that reason we had much space and privacy. There is no running water in the mobile home, but that wasn’t a big deal for us. We loved the great conversations, british humour, the campfires and to play Mexican train together. Furthermore we had absolutely delicious food. Bernie prepared a decent cooked breakfast for us every morning and Isobel made fantastic meals for lunch and dinner. Our main work was logging trees and split firewood for the winter. The amount of work was always appropriate and never too much. When temperatures were too high we finished earlier. During our stay we had the chance to visit the rodeo in town and had much fun with the other wwoofers/workaways. Thank you for having us and for the nice time together!

Akane

Canada • September 2023

Bernard, Isobel,and Piper (friendly dog) are so nice and welcoming. They have really interesting stories to talk:) I was there for 10 days, cleaning house and helping split wood for the winter. Bison came to front of the house, pretty much every day! They took me to town several times, to watch ice hockey game, shopping, and more. I really enjoy time at there, relaxing and chatting with nice view! I would like to come back for other seasons. Thank you, Bernard and Isobel!!

Former WWOOFer

June 2022

**Reviews copied from other online profiles, as new to WWOOF Thank you for the great stay. Bernard and Isobel were so kind and friendly. I stayed for almost three weeks there. Main works were collecting woods for the winter, planting the seeds of carrots and cauliflowers, and spreading the feeds for visions! It’s not difficult, and enjoyable. They accepted me as a members of the family. When they watched a TV program, they always called me. They always gave me many advices to improve my life and English skills. Even though I didn’t speak English well, I could enjoy very well, thanks to them. When I improve my English skill, I want to come back again! Take care yourself. Riku

Former WWOOFer

September 2019

**Reviews copied from other online profiles, as new to WWOOF Isobel and Bernie, Thank you so much for the wonderful stay. You are both so lovely, caring, happy and positive. We stayed with Isobel and Bernie for two weeks. The jobs weren’t hard and were achievable. We cut/split wood to fill the wood shed and some wood outside the shed. We cut logs to 6ft with chainsaws and put them in stacks for next year, did some lawn mowing and general yard tidying. Did small cleaning jobs around the house, cleaning windows, helped cook and prepare meals, helped with dishes etc. We stayed in the spare bedroom, such a beautiful home. We felt very much at home, it was a really nice feeling after travelling for the month before. The food was always amazing and always so much of it! We loved their gorgeous dog piper, she would always come into the room and snuggle with us on the bed :/ Isobel and Bernie love their Bison, the Bison come to the yard fence each evening for a visit and some vegetable leftovers and treats :) beautiful animals was amazing to see them so close up. Thanks again for everything was so lovely to meet you both. Adam & Leoni

Former WWOOFer

February 2019

**Reviews copied from other online profiles, as new to WWOOF Having the opportunity to volunteer at the ranch was an incredible experience. It is a magical place and Isobel and Bernie are some of the best people we've ever met. The ranch has what Bernie calls "A view to die for" overlooking the valley and being able to see it everyday was a privilege. The second we got of the bus and met Isobel we felt right at home. She is very sweet and really did take too much care of us. We were never short of food (Thank you for the amazing cooking) and blankets. Bernie always had cool stories to tell and knowledge to give. And the bison are amazing creatures. We fell in love with them since we saw them running through the trees on our first day. To have shared a home with them was a surreal experience but definitely one of the best we've had. The work was always interesting. We never felt tired or bored because it was what needed to be done and you can't get tired of working in such a spectacular place, in the forest watching bison pass by. Our work included but was not limited to: -Cutting wood -Carrying wood -Stacking wood -Removing branches from the the forest floor -Burning the branches -Stacking hay -Giving hay to the bison -Helping Bernie fix machinery -Tyding around the house Our recreational activities included: -Quading around the ranch -Going on walks -Playing cards with other woofers Our accommodation was a cabin not far from the main house. Bidari