Home again

The National Bison Association winter conference in Denver was great, but having my return delayed several days by heavy snowfall in Virginia sucked.  Last night I was finally able to drive down to the ranch and it feels good to be back.  Everything is wet and muddy down here, which makes work nearly impossible, so I'll probably head back home tomorrow.



I mentioned in a previous post that I'd upload some video from the bison auction (above).  There isn't really much to say about it except that it was very well managed by the handlers.  I've seen livestock auctions in which the animals are rushed into the show area being prodded and yelled at with the metal gate slamming behind them.  In such auctions the animals are usually defecating from the stress and often charging at anything that moves.  I saw none of that at the NBA auction.  When a bison is alarmed or upset it will raise its tail in the air, paw at the ground, and round its back.  The bison in the above video did none of these things.  In fact, out of all the bison at the auction that day, only one started showing signs of alarm.  Something must have caught his attention and made him decide things weren't right, but the tension was short lived and they had him back in an outdoor pen a minute or two later.  I've included a short segment of this bull's display in hopes of educating people on what an angry bison can look like.


The bison in this video is very clearly communicating warning signs to his surroundings that he's feeling threatened and may charge, and yet I've seen videos on YouTube of a man charged after approaching to within a few feet of a bison giving the same warnings.  Bison should never be approached at anytime by anyone other than an authorized bison handler.  Though many bison are nice enough to warn you that you're too close, some bison don't and will charge with little or no warning, so it's best to just leave them alone and enjoy them from a safe distance.

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