Fairly early in the morning three days ago on Antelope Island I had just turned off the main road onto the Frary Peak Trailhead road when I spotted fairly large herd of bison cows and calves on the side of the mountain. So I drove most of the way up the very steep road to the trailhead for a better, more elevated look at the herd, rather than taking closup photos of individual bison.
As I expected, the bison were on their way to freshwater springs near the mudflats on the east side of the island for a morning drink. Here we see the main body of the herd at bottom with trailing individuals coming down the hill between the ancient Farmington Complex rocks at left center to join the rest of the herd.
A small portion of Farmington Bay can be seen below the Wasatch Mountains in the upper background. There isn’t much water in the bay these days but there’s more than there has been in recent years.
The photo has a counterclockwise tilt but I didn’t rotate it to level because that would cause me to cut off the tips of the Wasatch Mountains.
At first the herd was moving slowly but deliberately downhill and to my right. I knew they’d have to cross the road, running diagonally at center, so I…
drove down the steep trailhead road for a closer look. From this vantage point I was using three different cameras and lenses in order to get whichever perspective I chose.
In this slightly closer look at the herd from a different angle, the bison had come down from the mountain from the right side of the rocks at upper right. But traditionally they come down from the other side of the rocks, from over the hill just below the blue sky in this photo. If you look closely you can see some of their old trails coming from that direction.
Let’s go back in time for a moment.
In this nearly 15 year old photo we see the deep tracks and ruts made by bison herds coming down the same mountainside as they were approaching the fresh water springs. It may look like there’s a dirt road running diagonally in the photo but it’s a wide and deeply worn bison trail with feeder trails coming from up above. I just thought I’d throw this photo in for comparison.
OK, back to three days ago.
I was parked near the bathroom of the trailhead road and watching the herd, which was now beginning to run (it was nearly a stampede) toward the road they had to cross to get to the springs. That’s when this fellow drove up and chose to get out of his car so he could photograph/video the herd with his cell phone. The bison were running at the bottom of a shallow ravine so he felt he had to get this close to get the photos/video he wanted.
It’s closer than I’d ever want to be to a near-stampeding herd of bison but then I can’t run anywhere near as fast as I used to. This guy looks like he could turn on his afterburners if he had to. My afterburners no longer light.
It gave me a rather unusual perspective, where I could actually see what he was seeing on his phone screen. The running herd is the darkest diagonal line near the center of his screen.
At that point I drove down to the main road, trying to anticipate where the bison would cross it.
For good or for bad, I chose to use my longest lens as the bison approached the road. Here we see a cow and her calf as they were running flat out toward the road, which is just out of frame to the right. With my big lens they were a little too close so I could barely keep them in frame. If I had a do-over, I’d probably use my intermediate lens in this situation.
The annual bison roundup on Antelope Island is this Saturday so if you’re a bison/cowboy/horse fan and you’re local, you might want to join in the fun. It’s an incredible spectacle.
As for me, I have exactly zero tolerance for crowds so I’ll be staying home or going elsewhere.
Ron
Thanks for your interesting post! I love the last photo of the Mama and her calf!!
What a joy to see so many Bison! Thank you for sharing them with us and I especially appreciate the last shot of mama and her calf.
And afterburners or no, I would never get out of my vehicle around free-roaming Bison (nor around most other Bovines, for that matter).
Thanks, Marty. I’m quite comfortable around most domestic Bovines. Huge wild ones are another matter.
I would be enthralled. From the car. No way, no how, no chance would I get out of it.
Afterburners? Pfft. The bison’s are much better than mine ever were.
Thank you for documenting these series. Safely.
EC, I share your sentiments about bison and afterburners.
Yep, you know their patterns too. I feel so privileged to have the herd where you can get close and get to know individuals and behaviors. I agree with you I don’t get out of my car when the bison are close. In the past I would even abort a hike if the herd is scattered around the trail I was planning on hiking. I am not hiking or riding at all these days. Even in my prime I would never think I could run as fast as a bison. I don’t like to go to the roundups, too many people and I feel stressed for the bison. The one time I went to the roundup I watched one of the riders more than the bison. The horse rider had so much difficulty with their horse, the horse was over excited with the situation. Last time I was out photographing the bison I still saw a couple young calves with red coloration. Seems they had a lot of late births this year. I wonder how big the herd is this year and how many they will sell or auction off this year. Its not a bad thing, the herd size needs to be kept down. The bison go to many indigenous people and lands where they are reestablishing herds and ecosystems. The vaccinations keep the herd healthy. I hope they keep the families together more. As I have aged, one of my favorite times for bike rides and hikes is the week after the bison are rounded up and in the corals for vaccinations and auctions. I just feel a freedom to the island without looking over my back. The bison and I seem to like the same paths.
April, bison are so omnipresent on the island it might be easy for some folks to just take them for granted as nothing particularly special. You and I will never fall in that category.
Agree with Rick … mama and baby. Love the angle of their tails.
Kathleen, they hold their tails out and back like that when they’re running.
I’d love to see this herd. The closest I’ve ever managed would be the fenced-in very small herd in Golden Gate Park. That was decades ago. I’m not sure they’re still there.
Then come to Antelope Island if you can, Catherine. On the island you can get as close to bison as you want to. Some folks get way TOO close.
Nice post Ron. Really like that second photo. Everything about it is so graceful and peaceful.
Yep, my afterburners don’t light anymore. Like you, I just adopt sensible strategies to accommodate that.
Thanks, Michael. Back in the day, my afterburners were hell-a-fire but I don’t think they even exist anymore.
Wow, what a sight! And the history… Thanks, Ron.
Glad you enjoyed it, Ellen. Thanks.
That human reminds me of some of what the park rangers call tourons. I am glad that herd is growing.
Arwen, every year the herd grows from about 500 bison to about 700 bison. One of the purposes of the bison roundup is to auction off about 200 of them in an effort to keep the herd to a manageable size.
Beautiful! Luv them from a safe distance…… 😉 See the “red dogs” are not longer red and getting ready for winter.
We have deer trails here some of which show up better when there’s a bit of snow on them as they aren’t always that visible otherwise…… 🙂
Seems to be that guy’s lucky day that they didn’t decide to take him out….
Judy, they haven’t been red for a while. This year I didn’t get any photos of the calves when they were still red.
I’m glad the bison chose to ignore him. The last thing I want is to witness something like that. And have to deal with the aftermath.
Ron goes for accuracy in reporting and ditches buffalo for bison. Excellent photos and story as always. That young guy looks like he might be able to make it to his car if the herd came his way, but good thinking on your part Ron, you might not make it. 🙂
Everett, I wasn’t even tempted to get out of my pickup. When it comes to bison, I have a yellow streak.
Wonderful story Ron. I like the final pic the most…just a sucker for a momma and baby pic.
Rick
Thanks, Rick. Who isn’t… 🙂