Buffalo Dan's Bison

This evening as I was returning to the ranch I noticed that one of the motion activated trail camera Jess and I had attached to a tree near the ranch entrance was turned 90 degrees away from its normal orientation.  Normally the camera faces our vehicle gate and photographs anything active at the gate.  Seeing the fresh bison tracks in the area and how they had demolished a few nearby saplings, I thought I'd take a look at what the camera had captured.  The first incident appears to have started yesterday evening.  Initially the camera just gets a face full of bison fur. All seems quite, but then, a few minutes later, BAM! Things remain as they were until the next morning when the bison returned. This time it's a full-out interrogation with what I  suspect to be heavy nose breathing.  The camera window remains steamed up for a while, but the fun isn't over. More jostling and steamy breathing occur... ...and more... ...until its final

I was told recently by someone at work that owning bison was badass.  I'm not sure how badass I can actually call it because sometimes it's difficult to tell who's actually in charge. Though I can't say for sure whether owning bison is badass, I can definitely say that our new custom Delta Cattleman trailer is pretty badass.   At 23' with an extra 6" added to the top, this trailer is ready for a lifetime of use.  The following photos highlight some of the pros of the trailer in regards to bison hauling.  If in the course of ownership I discover any downsides to the trailer, I'll add them to the end of this post. All of the critical welds were well done on this trailer. The roof on this trailer normally comes with a canvas cover, but we opted for an upgrade to a steel roof.  This is to help avoid the possibility of extra sensory stimulation caused by flapping canvas.  While the steel slats on the sides allow greater airflow over the animals in ho

A black bear checking out our beehives last October.  The bear never did go past the electric fence. When we first bought our property, locals would tell us that there were black bears in the area.  Initially, I took what people told me with a grain of salt, as I couldn't find anyone who had personally witnessed a bear.  However, after I found the above picture on one of my trail cameras and found bear tracks in the sand just last weekend (below), I guess I have to admit that we do have at least one bear in the area.  Some people seem afraid, but it's my understanding that most black bears will leave you alone as long as you don't surprise them, try feeding them, or mess with their cubs.  I'm not worried about any bears bothering the bison as the bison already weigh more and are probably more dangerous than most black bears.   A black bear track in the sand on the edge of our lower pasture. 

The bison getting up after a night on the high pasture. Our ranch can roughly be divided into a lower-elevation pasture and a higher elevation pasture or, as I like to call them: the "high pasture" and the "lower pasture." From a bison's perspective, both have advantages and disadvantages. The higher pasture gives one a good view of the surrounding area, but, unless it's been raining heavily, there no water.  The lower pasture doesn't allow you to see danger coming from as great a distance, but there is always water down there and the grass grows a little faster.   The bison grazing on the lower pasture. Some days the bison will spend most of their time in one or the other pasture, but I've always seen them spend the nights in the higher pasture. Not sure what this is about, but sometimes they like to chase each other. More running. Now it's time for some water. The fence runs over the edge of the pond. A closer

Being on night shift again means I spend my time at the ranch working at night. Given how long the nights are in January, that leaves little opportunity for photographs.  The above photograph is the best I could get. Right now my main goals are to finish the next 1,300 foot section of woven wire fencing and complete the installation of my remote monitoring station.  During the past break I was able to drive 40 of the 10' metal t-posts along 1,000 feet of the fence-line and partially auger a few 8" diameter holes.  I was also able to erect the 15' wooden post that will hold the nerve-center of the surveillance system.  It will include an autonomous solar power source, a server, and a bank of video cameras.  I would say that I am just about 90% done with the surveillance system.