Christmas Day at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge with the Longhorn and Bison
A few miles north of Lawton, OK is a place where the buffalo truly roam - or bison as they are truly called. The place is the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. With numerous road and hiking paths to navigate there are plenty of places to find roaming animals with the most spectacular being the bison in my opinion. On top of the bison the refuge is also home to numerous Texas Longhorn Cattle, Whitetail Deer and Elk. Two weeks ago I had the pleasure to photograph the bison up at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve outside of Bartlesville. Today was at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and the two places couldn’t be more different. The main difference is that up north at the Tallgrass Prairie it is wide open field with waist high native grass and down south at the Wichita Mountains it’s just that - Hilly and Mountainous… Now let’s be clear…. Oklahoma doesn’t have what some states call mountains but non the less they are mountains to the people living in this great state.
As I pulled into the refuge I immediately came across a small herd of Longhorn Cattle grazing. I grabbed my camera and they were obviously eager to please as they looked right at me whenever it was time to take a shot. After a short time photographing the longhorns I started my trek down each of the paved and gravel roads looking for bison. Being that there are many more hills and mountains at the refuge the bison are more difficult to find.
Luck was on my side today as I was meandering my way around the refuge out of the corner of my eye I saw a giant bull bison grazing. I parked my car and jumped out and slowly made my way to where he was. I stayed a decent distance away and grabbed my truly Nikon D850 and attached the 70-200mm f2.8 lens and started snapping shots as I walked closer and closer. Some would call it crazy but like I said I stayed a safe distance from this amazing creature. This guy was much larger than any of the bison I encountered at the Tallgrass Prairie. Truly majestic….
He let me take all the shots I needed and I packed up and proceeding back to the Christmas celebration with my family.
This post is going to be considerably longer as I wanted to share some information not only about the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge but also a few facts you may or may not have known about bison.
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!!
—— 15 Facts About Bison ——
1. Bison are the largest mammal in North America. Male bison (called bulls) weigh up to 2,000 pounds and stand 6 feet tall, while females (called cows) weigh up to 1,000 pounds and reach a height of 4-5 feet. Bison calves weigh 30–70 pounds at birth.
2. Since the late 19th century, [the Department of the] Interior has been the primary national conservation steward of the bison. Public lands managed by Interior support 17 bison herds—or approximately 10,000 bison—in 12 states, including Alaska.
3. What’s the difference between bison and buffalo? While bison and buffalo are used interchangeably, in North America the scientific name is bison. Actually, it's Bison bison bison (genus: Bison, species: bison, subspecies: bison), but only saying it once is fine. Historians believe that the term "buffalo" grew from the French word for beef, "boeuf."
4.Yellowstone National Park is the only place in the U.S. where bison have continuously lived since prehistoric times. What makes Yellowstone's bison so special is that they're the pure descendants (free of cattle genes) of early bison that roamed our country's grasslands. As of July 2015, Yellowstone's bison population was estimated at 4,900—making it the largest bison population on public lands.
5. What's a "red dog"? It's a baby bison. Bison calves tend to be born from late March through May and are orange-red in color, earning them the nickname "red dogs." After a few months, their hair starts to change to dark brown and their characteristic shoulder hump and horns begin to grow.
6. The history of bison and Native Americans are intertwined. Bison have been integral to tribal culture, providing them with food, clothing, fuel, tools, shelter and spiritual value. Established in 1992, the Inter Tribal Buffalo Council works with the National Park Service to transfer bison from national park lands to tribal lands.
7. You can judge a bison's mood by its tail. When it hangs down and switches naturally, the bison is usually calm. If the tail is standing straight up, watch out! It may be ready to charge. No matter what a bison's tail is doing, remember that they are unpredictable and can charge at any moment. Every year, there are regrettable accidents caused by people getting too close to these massive animals. It's great to love the bison, but love them from a distance.
8. Wind Cave National Park's herd helped revive bison populations around the country. The story starts in 1905 with the formation of the American Bison Society and a breeding program at the New York City Zoo (today, the Bronx Zoo). By 1913, the American Bison Society had enough bison to restore a free-ranging bison herd. Working with Interior, they donated 14 bison to Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota. More than 100 years later, the bison from Wind Cave have helped reestablishing other herds across the United States and most recently in Mexico.
9. Bison may be big, but they're also fast. They can run up to 35 miles per hour. Plus, they're extremely agile. Bison can spin around quickly, jump high fences and are strong swimmers.
10. Pass the salad, please. Bison primarily eat grasses, weeds and leafy plants—typically foraging for 9–11 hours a day. That's where the bison's large protruding shoulder hump comes in handy during the winter. It allows them to swing their heads from side-to-side to clear snow—especially for creating foraging patches.
11. From hunter to conservationist, Teddy Roosevelt helped save bison from extinction. In 1883, Teddy Roosevelt traveled to the Dakota Territory to hunt bison. After spending a few years in the west, Roosevelt returned to New York with a new outlook on life. He paved the way for the conservation movement, and in 1905, formed the American Bison Society with William Hornaday to save the disappearing bison. Today bison live in all 50 states, including Native American lands, wildlife refuges, national parks and private lands.
12. Bison can live up to 20 years old. The average lifespan for a bison is 10–20 years, but some live to be older. Cows begin breeding at the age of 2 and only have one baby at a time. For males, the prime breeding age is 6–10 years.
13. A little dirt won't hurt. Called wallowing, bison roll in the dirt to deter biting flies and help shed fur. Male bison also wallow during mating season to leave behind their scent and display their strength.
14. The American bison's ancestors can be traced to southern Asia thousands of years ago. Bison made their way to America by crossing the ancient land bridge that once connected Asia with North America during the Pliocene Epoch, some 400,000 years ago. These ancient animals were much larger than the iconic bison we love today. Fossil records show that one prehistoric bison, Bison latiforns, had horns measuring 9 feet from tip to tip.
15. Bison are nearsighted—who knew? While bison have poor eyesight, they have excellent senses of smell and hearing. Cows and calves communicate using pig-like grunts, and during mating season, bulls can be heard bellowing across long distances.
—— The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge ——
The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge was established to protect wildlife species that were in grave danger of extinction, and to restore species that had been eliminated from the area. Bison were reintroduced, along with elk and wild turkey. More recent reintroductions include the prairie dog, the river otter, and burrowing owls.
Established in 1901, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is one of more than 556 refuges throughout the United States managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 59,020 acre refuge hosts a rare piece of the past - a remnant mixed grass prairie, an island where the natural grasslands escaped destruction because the rocks underfoot defeated the plow.
The refuge provides habitat for large native grazing animals such as American bison, Rocky Mountain elk, and white-tailed deer. Texas longhorn cattle also share the refuge rangelands as a cultural and historical legacy species. More than 50 mammal, 240 bird, 64 reptile and amphibian, 36 fish, and 806 plant species thrive on this important refuge.
JBP
