Tagging a bison - photo

[BuffaloJohn]

One last story - bison have a pecking order - herd bull on top, then the females, then the younger bulls. When out in the field with them, you need to be able to read the herd so you can stay safe. It's not so much that they will charge you, but that if things get stirred up, you need to keep yourself out of the way. If an animal feels it needs to verify the pecking order, that can be a concern as you can imagine. Bison don't fight unless there is no other choice. Their first instinct is to run and as the fastest North American land animal, they could run and run - two hours at speed - a bull's windpipe is 4" to 5" in diameter and is a blower...

So, how does the two legged human work out in the pecking order. Well, if you try to fight, you will lose, they can move faster than you can think. But, if you provide the food and water and you act like you are confident in the middle of the herd, they will respect that. That means not challenging them unless you are willing to back it up. In the very dry part of the summer, I would take the big bales (8'x3'x4') on the tractor out into the field and cut the stings and then spread it out so many could feed. But, sometimes they got excited and wanted to eat while the bale is still tied up, which won't do. The herd bull wants to pound the bale, the younger bulls think that is how to behave, mayhem ensues. What to do? Well, this is where you have to find the stones, if you will, and stand your ground and cut the strings. That means at times, you put both hands up high like they are giant horns and face the dominant animal and take one step toward it ... and hold your position until the animal backs down. Now, before doing this, of course, you have figured out your escape path. But, if there isn't a fight going on and you have the courage, it works. You might have to repeat toward other animals, but soon they back off enough and you get your job done and then you let them have at the food...

Well, enough of that - bison are magnificent beasts and quite tasty too...