Home on the range: American Bison
This year a photo vacation took me to the National Bison Range south of Flathead Lake, Mont. It is a 173-mile drive from Bonners Ferry, about a 3-and-a-half hour trek. Theodore Roosevelt established the National Bison Range in 1908 to provide “for a permanent national bison range.” The refuge is also home for a host of other mammals, birds and plants. The diverse habitats found here provide for the specific needs of many different animals.
Although I traveled through the two-hour drive in the refuge three times in two days, the most enjoyable time was early morning of the second day. The Red Sleep Mountain drive in the Bison Range is 19 miles long on a one-way gravel road, with switchbacks and 10 percent grades. I was fortunate to see bison on each of the scenic drives along with deer and antelope.
Although the range was established to provide a home for bison it supports Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn and bighorn sheep as well as mountain lions, black and grizzly bears, wolves and more than 200 species of birds. I was able to see many different species during my scenic tour and enjoyed hikes and many photo opportunities on Bitterroot Trail and High Point Trail.
June at the Bison Range is a feast for your senses. Young animals are born all around the park; birds have returned from their migration and are in the process of nesting. Just by listening, looking and enjoying the June air you can tell this is a special time of the year.
As I traveled through the buffalo herd in the early morning I was impressed with how they would graze peacefully from one end of a valley to another as the young calves butted heads and frolicked in the green grass. On one occasion a bull walked along the one way gravel road and stopped in the middle, waiting as if to challenge anyone who would disturb him, before wandering off and grazing on the hillside. Cows, calves and some younger bulls comprise a herd. Mature bulls spend most of the year alone or with other bulls, except during the rut.
A bison’s thick fur offers great protection against the harsh elements of the American plains. Their winter coat is so thick and well insulated that snow can cover their backs without melting.
Known for roaming great distances, bison move continuously as they eat. The females, or cows, lead family groups. Bulls remain solitary or in small groups for most of the year, but rejoin the group during mating season. Mating season continues from June-September with peak activity in July-August. The gestation period is 270-285 days with the calves born in April and May. There is usually one calf born per cow.
Bison are adapted to the extreme weather conditions, from summer heat to winter cold and blizzards. In winter, bison can dig through deep snow with their heads to reach the vegetation below. Bison mainly eat grasses and sedges.
Bison often rub, roll and wallow. Wallowing creates a saucer-like depression in the earth called a wallow. This was once a common feature of the plains; usually these wallows are dust bowls without any vegetation.
Millions of bison once thundered across North America. These massive animals, characterized by their long, shaggy brown coats, have poor eyesight but acute hearing and an excellent sense of smell. The bison is the largest North American land mammal in existence. The current bison herd at the National Bison Range is approximately 350 animals. Today approximately 500,000 bison live across North America.
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