Category: Bison

Bison Babes

4/21/2024

I don't know why it was so important for me to visit the bison babies, but it was. A lot of nature interests me, and if bison are available almost in my backyard, then I want to see them.

A few months ago, I'd been bison photo hunting and a photographer I didn't know looked behind me...and gave me a warning—which I heeded. In my opinion, the bison below looks a lot more cheerful, happy and peaceful than the one behind me had appeared. I was fortunate! (The photo below was taken from inside a vehicle with a roll bar, and while using a long lens. Luckily the roll bar wasn't needed.)

So when I went in search of baby bison, I remembered my rule of thumb: If a wild animal is dangerous, it's deadly when it has little ones. Or: Make the baby cry—you might die.

This trip, on the only time I stepped out of the car for a photo—I didn't trek beyond the road or even more than a few feet from the vehicle. I also had a spotter to warn me if any bison appeared agitated or closer. Brave I am not. Especially when it is a 1000-pound plus animal behind me almost within spitting distance. Or even a wriggly one that weighs only a few pounds near my feet. Fangs and horns pointed my way override photo ops.

But I am fascinated by the beauty of the bison.

I would have been to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve North of Pawhuska, OK, earlier this year had I not been delayed. And sometimes delays are a good thing because more of the 30 to 70 pound babies were available to see. My earlier anticipation had almost caused me to arrive before most of the babies did. As many as 500 newborns could be on the prairie this year.

When I travelled the road, the herd was close enough that I wondered if the mothers did want to show off their little ones.

And I wondered if a few of the little ones were just as curious about me as I was about them.

Even if they weren't, it was fun watching them play.

And seeing a mother corral her baby under her chin was a surprise.

We're so fortunate the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is watching over the bison.

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Beautiful Beastly Bison

12/26/2021

For six months, almost every time I needed a break from writing, I'd want to go look at the nearby wildlife, and sometimes it was the bison. Often—it was the bison.

Living in an area where the herds were once plentiful, and efforts have been made to replace them, it's not that difficult for me to search out the thousand-pound beasts. Or drive right though a bison pasture.

I was surprised at how often their faces are dirty from wallowing in the mud, but in the summer, I believe it's one of their favorite past-times. Almost like a person might spray on insect repellant, the animals roll in the mud when it's available.

I'm fortunate so many people in the area like to preserve the heritage. Or maybe they just like bison—because the feed bill in the wintertime has to be hefty.

Photos: My own collection

Bison...At Home on the Range

7/17/2021

Bison are fairly common here. But they’re usually, willingly, in pens. I’ve heard that if a 1000 pound bison doesn’t really want to be enclosed…it’s difficult to argue.

Surprisingly, though, I’d never realized the difference between seeing a few of them in a pen, and seeing a herd of them in the wild. Besides the lack of fencing, the ground wasn’t littered with troughs—or barren because of over-grazing, They looked more peaceful, and unspoiled.

I imagine myself seeing a sight viewed centuries in the past.

Even the babies seemed more contented in the habitat.

But no matter how peaceful and serene everything appears...this is their home, and I'm a visitor. I wasn't invited by them, and I'm to take care. Or, as the sign says:

One spring, in a contained pasture, I did wake one up accidentally as I drove slowly along the road. It's best to let them sleep.

Photos taken near Pawhuska, OK at the Tallgrass Prairie Wildlife Preserve.

Bison Babes

Beautiful Beastly Bison

Bison...At Home on the Range

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