On our recent trip to Yellowstone National Park, we had the pleasure of seeing the BIG mammals that literally stop traffic on the highways throughout the park.
Bison
Bison everywhere! They stop traffic as we all gawk at their immenseness! Bison in North America are mistakenly referred to as Buffalo.
“A bison stands tall in the open field, its thick fur rippling in the breeze—a symbol of the American West.” ~ Isabela Sedano
If you are lucky, you may see a bison grazing conveniently in a turnout. No zoom lens needed here; we were 20 feet away, safely in the truck. We watched as he walked up to the other side of the road to join his mate.
Our “big” mammal, Brodie the Boykin Spaniel, fits right in compared to the bison, right?
Pets are limited on trails and walkways in most national parks. The weather was cool enough for him to wait safely in the truck while we explored. More about the Yellowstone Bison in October and November.
Elk
Along with the bison, herds of elk can be seen from the highways.
I believe this young male elk was smiling at me. A zoom lens was used here.
When we visited the Mammoth Springs area, this bull elk made his presence known by bugling his mating/warning call several times.
A Park Ranger kept us from getting too close. September is rutting season for elk, and they can be dangerous. With his mature rack of antlers, this elk stood close to 8 feet tall. Wasn’t it nice that he posed near the American flag?
If you’ve never heard their bugle, it is eerie…enjoy!
We didn’t see wolves or Grizzly bears, but seeing the bison for the first time was a thrill.
Please join me this Sunday for the theme “Fountains and Falls.” I will share more about the amazing water features in Yellowstone in this post.
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I can’t wait to go to Yellowstone one day, Terri. Maybe next year? I’d love to see the bison, also some grizzlies and wolves, please. Wonderful shots!
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Thank you, Diana! I’, gad we finally went. The West Yellowstone KOA has cabins, and of course the park has lodging. Best time to go to avoid summer peak is after Labor Day like we did (more elk) or before Memorial Day, but then you might have to deal with cold and snow. Another blogger who lives near Seattle has been in the Autumn and recommended it in her posts. I reached out and asked her some questions. If/When we go back, we would stay in the KOA lodge perhaps rather than take the trailer.
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Thanks for the tips! We’re building out a camper van to take on our travels.
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That’s so cool! A great way to travel, Diana!
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Exciting photos, Terri. Glad you had such good sightings. Bison are a thrill to see…from afar. 🙂
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Thank you, Jane! It really was a thrill, and from afar is good! 🦬
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Such beautiful animals.
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Thank you, Egidio. So blessed to see them for myself!
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Wonderful creations in the earth
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Thank you!
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Your photos are amazing, Terri. I especially enjoyed the photo of the elk standing by the American flag, and the video. 💗
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Thank you, Eugi! We were so close to that elk and could hear his call. Their bugle is so otherworldly!
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You’re welcome, Terri. It is a very eerie sound, Terri.
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The elk sound is indeed eerie. But I love his smile🤭 Beautiful landscape there, Terri. How amazing!
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Thank you, Hazel! Seeing wildlife thriving in their environment is satisfying.
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Truly. I’m happy to see that there are still places where they are free to roam and safe.
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And their numbers are growing. Bison were almost extinct!
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My pleasure, Terri
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Wonderful photos Terri. The bison are magnificent beasts, if a little ragged-looking at certain times.
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Thank you, Graham. I guess they dont let anyone brush their fur 😅
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I’m not volunteering, that’s for sure.
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😆
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Interesting about bison and buffalo Terri. See … blogging is informative and entertaining as well! Wonderful photos of these Yellowstone creatures … oh and Brodie too.
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Thank you, Linda! I like to set the record straight. 😅🦬
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We appreciate it too!
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That’s fabulous Terri. I was in awe at your fabulous photos. I blame that song for that buffalo thing.
Give me a home where the Bison roam 😁
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Haha, thanks, Brian! Blame the French trappers in the 1700s who called the bison “bouff” in French which meant beef. It warped into buffalo. Oh well!
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That’s how Americans roll with language. Hear a word and bastardise it into what they want. I am amazed they call Bison Beefalo 😂
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😆 I’ve used that word beef-alo a few times.
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I share your joy at animal sightings. The bison and elk are interesting and that call is most unusual.
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I think the elk bugle might sound like the mythical banshee of the Scottish Highlands!
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Yes, indeed, a very woebegone and mysterious sound.
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Wow Terri your Bison and Elk photos and videos are amazing 💜💜
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Thank you, Willow! It was thrilling to see them!
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Wonderful, Terri!
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Thanks, Toni!
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Amazing wildlife photos, Terri! 😍 And interesting about the bison being called buffalo in error. I went down that rabbit hole and learned a lot today. Thanks! 🙂 Perfect shot of the elk next to the flag. 👌 Brodie is the right colour and fits in well. 😀
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Many thanks, Debbie! I kept wondering what the difference was between bison and buffalo and finally found out. 😅
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I’ve seen elk, but never heard their bugle before. Those hormones must be running high!
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Elk have such an eerie sound in their bugle call. Thanks for reading and listening, Anne!
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Thank you Terri for the wonderful photos and the details on the bison. And the elk poised/posed nicely at the flag…a perfect moment well-photographed.
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Thank you, Suzette! I shared that same pic on my Facebook profile in time for 9-11. Serendipity!
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Serendipity indeed. Excellent!
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The ranch next to our ranch in South Dakota raised bison. They were continually tearing down the fence between our two ranches which led to much angst on the part of my father. That rancher was asked to come to a filming of Rawhide and do a cameo..ha. I think they filmed some sequences on his ranch.
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Bison are big! I guess they do what they want, Judy 😆
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They do. As did the man who raised him. I have a story or two about him.
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Lovely pictures. We did see a grizzly from a distance! And I bought both a stuffed grizzly and a bison from the gift shop.
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Thank you, Sadje! We saw so many black bears in Yosemite back in the day, I’m good on bears for awhile. I also bought a stuffed bison! He sits next to my stuffed eagle I bought in Idaho. 😆
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Cool. My stuffies had a terrible time in the hands of my grandkids. I don’t think I have them anymore. 😅
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Not at all what I expected from the elk bugle calls. That was great.
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Oh it worked? I forgot to test it! The first time I heard an elk was here at home about this time of year and it was terrifying 😆 Then I realized what it was.
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Bison are wonderful creatures! I found they like to walk along the roads.
Unless a kill is close both Grizzlies and wolves tend to stay away from the roads.
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You’re right, Wayne. Kind of like cows! I wasn’t about to go search for the fanged ones 🐺
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