I suspect there is a little of each of us in this bison.
Open spaces as far as the eye can see in each direction and this bison sits right at the edge of the road.
We were surprised to find him sitting right beside the edge of the road just inches from potential traffic. I decided to stop and take a photo, secretly hoping a car would come from the other direction.
Amusingly a car drove right in front of his face and he didn’t flinch. I had to admire the audacity even if I questioned its purpose! From my non-bison perspective there seemed to be a lot of great spots to lie down that were far better than that one.
As we were driving away, I noticed a large truck heading in our direction. I watched in the rear view mirror. The bison bravely stayed in its spot. However, as soon as the truck passed, it ran off in obvious distress. Apparently the bison had reached the end of its bluster.
The amusing thing is that it had survived the experience and only bolted after the truck was gone. I wonder if there is a moral to the story?
Krahnpix 
I encountered a pair of burros once – standing fast on the yellow lines on a curve in the highway. Honking didn’t move them, the rush of oncoming traffic didn’t either. They stayed for about 15 minutes that way and then decided to walk away – odd. I love these shots – you get a sense of expression from the big guy.
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It’s funny how some creatures can get completely inoculated to the sounds of traffic and even horns. I liked this big guy.
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There are similar animals known as Yaks in the higher altitudes of northern India, but they are more black in colour and the build is about the same.Very nice pictures, I must confess.Regards, Ganesh.
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I have heard of Yaks but never seen them. Thanks for your comments.
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Reblogged this on Residual thoughts.
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Thanks.
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Once when I was hiking in the Wichita Mountains I almost stepped on a Bison who was sleeping under a dead cedar tree. The bison and tree were the same color and I didn’t see him until I was right next to him. He awoke, stared me down as if to charge. (I climbed on a rock in terror)
Maybe he saw me all along and was just testing himself, pretenting to be asleep. I guess I’ll never know.
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That experience would definitely get the adrenaline going. They do have a special way of giving dirty looks. Though I do like your theory of him pretending to sleep!
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Great pictures, especially #2! What an impressive animal, I really hope I get to see a bison one day.. I think maybe he was testing himself, to see how long he could hold out despite his fear of vehicles 😉 At least, he wasn’t laying in the road
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That second one is the thotful pose. I think that’s why I like it. I like your idea of testing himself! I hope you get to see a bison someday – they are a unique animal.
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I’d say he had the stamina of a cat. You know..the “I’ll just pretend it isn’t bothering me until no one is looking…” mentality. But obviously he’s not a kamikaze bison. Not that day anyway. Great photos as always.
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Bison compared to a cat – I like it! And it makes sense. I appreciate your comments.
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I appreciate the chance to see so much wildlife through your photos that I may never see firsthand.
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I am thinking of something clever to say about the Bison not being able to handle a big wash, but I can’t seem to find the right words.
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It’s still a good thot.
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What an experience! Fantastic photos of this magnificent animal.
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Yellowstone had so many bison it actually made it harder to come up with a photo that seemed better than ordinary. It really is a magnificent animal – big just like you like them.
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It just wanted to see how close it could get to the white line. Good capture!
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Thanks. That’s another great response. I guess it found it!
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You know he did it on a dare from some of the other bison. Maybe that road is the Boo Radley house in their neck of the woods. You just didn’t see his buddies farther back from the road. “Dude, he’s totally doin’ it! I can’t believe it. Oh man!” They high-fived hooves and rolled over, sides shaking with raucous bison laughter (I’d really like to hear that!).
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I would love to see and hear it! I must say that’s an infinitely most creative response than I expected from this post. I’m still trying to figure out what a bison laugh would sound like after hearing only some disconcerting grunts coming from them.
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Maybe he wanted to cross earlier, but his horns weren’t working. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. The bison is really impressive looking–he looks like he could do some real damage to a vehicle if someone was unfortunate enough to hit him. I guess I never realized how large their heads are (since I have never seen one in person). The head is enormous. Nice job in capturing his portrait–I especially love that second shot.
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I have heard stories of those horns and that big solid head working quite well in damaging vehicles – not exactly a fair fight it turns out. I recall years ago encountering a large bull walking toward us on the middle of the road and he wasn’t too fussed about the niceties of traffic flow! We decided to give him most of the road.
Those heads seem all out of proportion to the rest of the body. I suppose that’s part of their odd appeal. Glad you enjoyed the photos. I was initially disappointed that I couldn’t crop out the road until I remembered the whole story.
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Hmmm – I wonder if I have ever ‘laid down in traffic’ and then complained about the noise? Good thought for this weekend, when we all have a chance to put life into some sort of clearer perspective in our desire to give thanks… Great shots, btw.
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Thanks. Now that you bring it up, I am entirely sure I must have done exactly that. I suppose the trick is not to begrudge the past but try to be aware of the potential in the present. That is a good thot to help with a better perspective on Thanksgiving. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend.
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Beautiful photos!
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Thanks so much.
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I’d say the moral of the story is from your perspective – never forget the potential of the rear view mirror to add something to your story! Very nice photos. 🙂
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That’s what I like about throwing out questions on the blog. I get an assortment of answers I would never have thot of including yours which was creative and so true. Glad you liked the photos.
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Perhaps it took that long for the thought of leaving to get through that thick skull? Great and wonderful pics as always.
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That’s as good a theory as any. Glad you liked them.
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Just Great!
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Thanks so much.
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Amazing! I have never seen a bison in person. And I can’t imagine what he was doing so close to the road.
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It’s always interesting to find out the different animals that people see in different parts of the continent. The bison is an unusual one and fun to photograph. I appreciate your comment.
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What a beauty! Guess the truck was just too darn big.
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It’s a fine specimen. Everyone reaches that point sometime.
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Truly and totally amazing.
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Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the comment.
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I guess he wanted to look brave despite the fear. Maybe he was testing himself.
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Taking the bison’s perspective is a positive approach. Thanks for that!
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wow. no, WOW.
The moral of the story…know when it’s time to leave. Good for bison and house guests alike.
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Thanks so much. That’s a good moral. One variation I’ve heard on that – after three days fish and company stink:)
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Oh, he is so very lovely…
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Thanks. He does provide a different kind of beauty.
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