A guide to photographing bison in Yellowstone.
Finding subjects for wildlife photography in summer is a challenge. As I look forward to arguably my favorite time of the year – the fall mating season for big mammals such as elk, moose, bighorn sheep, and so on – I first have to make it through the summer. Long days filled with harsh light provided by the sun directly overhead and heat, that unbearable heat.
Calves are given the nickname “red dogs” due to their orange-red color during the first months after birth before they turn brown like the adults. Keep in mind that even though bison appear tame and slow, they are actually very agile and fast. You’ll quickly realize how agile they are once you see them chase each other during the mating season!
Thanks to conservation efforts by Indian tribes and the federal government, the last remaining bison were saved and a comeback effort was mounted. In 1905, Teddy Roosevelt; hunter turned conservationist; and William Hornaday formed the American Bison Society, which started a bison breeding program at the New York City Zoo. This resulted in the donation of 14 bison to South Dakota’s Wind Cave National Park.
Hunting is not allowed in the park and rightly so, since hunting would change the animals’ behavior and greatly impact the wildlife experience park visitors and us wildlife photographers have. The solution came in the year 2000 in the form of the “Interagency Bison Management Plan.” Eight groups, including Native American tribes, joined together to manage Yellowstone’s bison population. The population goal is set at 4,900.
When photographing bison, pay attention to the bison’s tail: when the tail hangs down, the bison is usually calm and feels non-threatened. When the tail is up in the air, however, it can mean any of two things. As the expression goes: “sh*t or oh sh*t!” Either the bison is going to defecate or is going to charge you .
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