Buffalo, often referred to as bison, are America’s top mammal. They once roamed this country almost from sea to sea and from our northern border to our southern border. South Carolina had a species of bison that lived in the forest. Killing off the bison was a method used by this country in an attempt to also kill off the various tribes of Native American Indians. Luckily, a few intelligent ranchers who lived on the western great plains, saw and understood what was happening, rounded up some bison and kept them safe, thus protecting the species from total eradication and extinction.
I have seen bison in zoos, such as the few that are on display at Charlestown Landing in Charleston, SC. They have always appeared to be large, slow, lumbering creatures . . . never very impressive . . . until now!
Now I have had an opportunity to see these amazing creatures up close, in large numbers, moving in an organized herd and also singly, as solitary beasts roaming large and free, and my opinion of the creature has completely changed. They are truly majestic beasts and I now see how they so often stand to represent this country.
My personal favorite. This large adult male was in the herd at Custer State Park, Wyoming. He, and 188 other bison had decided to cross the road between two pastures and a stand of Pine Trees. It took them over an hour to finally let us humans continue down the road. At one point, I could have reached out my car window and patted this bull on the shoulder!There is a big difference in seeing one of these creatures in a paddock in a zoo versus seeing one in the wild. Somehow, I personally never truly appreciated just how big one of these animals really are.Jokingly, the Parks now sell signs and tee-shirts in the stores that state “Please do not pet the fuzzy cows!”, but people still think bison are placid, cow-like creatures. Sadly, two tourists have been gored by bison at Yellowstone now in the past two weeks while trying to get too close,This bull is massive, easily over 2,000 pounds of muscle, bone and fur, along with a very unpredictable temperament. Those horns only look small because the rest of the animal is so big!!This bison has a rider, as do many of them. Look on his back and you will see his small friend.This Cow Bird is helping groom the bison of fleas, ticks and other insects that take up residence in the thick fur of the buffalo.I met this bull quite by chance. I had pulled off the road to walk back and take a picture of a series of hot springs near the Lake at Yellowstone. I was not even aware he was there until he stepped out of the trees approximately 25 feet from me. He stopped . . . I stopped . . . and I backed away very carefully, all the while being watched closely by him. He opted to leave me alone and wandered to a wallow close by instead of tap dancing on me!This is how I took the previous photo, by carefully observing the actions of the buffalo from the far side of my car. The buffalo was not feeling threatened, and I was able to safely enjoy watching him.They do kind of look like “fluffy cows”! You cannot have big bison without first having little bison. Herds are all carefully managed within the various parks to ensure the species stays healthy and within a manageable size. I did not know that when meat was being rationed during World War Two, the herd of bison at Custer State Park was used to provide meat to people around the United States.Bison calves stay very close to their mothers . . . and getting between a mother and her offspring would probably not be a good thing.I found this young bull while driving to Custer State Park. He was the only bison in a huge section of rolling grassland, I caught a glimpse of him at the bottom of a rising hill. Thinking I would be safe if I approached him from up-hill and up-wind, I parked and walked to the top of the ridge line. As soon as he saw me . . . we made eye contact . . . and he started up the hill . . . . . . only to approach a few yards closer and then rudely do this!!! LOL Like I said, bison behavior is quite unpredictable!
I spent today at Fossil Butte National Monument, Wyoming. The weather was beautiful, partly cloudy, breezy and in the low 90’s. Perfect for doing some off-roading and then hiking up the butte to look for fossils (NO LUCK!) Tomorrow, I head west by northwest, into southern Idaho and Craters of the Moon. With luck I will get another update out to you in the evening. Until then . . . be safe and PLEASE . . . Do Not pet the fluffy cows!!
What the Walrus said . . . 