Home, Home on the Range

The American Bison once roamed most of North America going as far south as the US border. Then we showed up and well, you’ve heard the story. Most think of Bison as a Yellowstone or Black Hills critter but there are other wild herds still roaming the landscape. You have the National Bison Range in MT and the very impressive herd at Philmont Scout Ranch, NM. Yep, there are about 500 wild Bison in New Mexico where these photos were taken. Is there a difference? Visually, the habitat tells you you’re not up north, that cactus. Biologically, the herd’s genes contain strains you don’t find in other herds. Photographically, there again visually, other than the cactus, no. But when it comes to approaching them, oh yeah!

It is totally up to the Bison whether they are going to stick around for you to get out and photograph them. You can drive the highway at times, usually when the light sucks, and they are right by the range fence without a care in the world. you can photograph them with a 20mm lens and just get head. You head out to meet them on their range, and they tend to not want to play. Their range on Philmont is huge and they seem to take great joy running to the other side of the ridge, a mile away, stop, turn and look back at you. We can’t move that fast through the cactus. Each fall we spend one evening with them with 50/50 success. This year, the herd would have nothing to do with us but we did find four lone bulls who gave us a little bit of their time. What is so cool about the experience is, we can be right out amongst them on the range and it’s just us. The only rule is being a good guest in their home and if they want to come right up to us like they did last year, that’s allowed. The other thing that is so cool is the cactus telling you you’re in the south. I hope at some point to be able to spend a week amongst them as they are such cool critters. Because here at Philmont they are home, home on the range!