I stopped going to national parks because I finally realized that everyone in North America with a room-temperature IQ makes a point of visiting them and doing stupid things that put their lives at risk.
We live near Cody, Wyoming and we’ve been running bison on the ranch for about six years. Used to be we had cattle and we’d lose a cow or a calf very now and then to some idiot dog that would love to chase cattle.
Now we ride the ranch and occasionally come across some stupid dog that thought bison were just the same as cattle. There’s usually not much left as the bison LOVE to jump up and down on the dogs and that’s like getting run over and over by an asphalt roller.
Simple rules to live by with bison:
#1. Do not approach the bulls when they’re in rut.
2. Do not approach the calves when mom’s around.
3. Cut them from the edge of the herd one at a time and NEVER let yourself get surrounded by them.
4. When possible quietly move them in small groups so they don’t get panicked.
5. Don’t think of bison as individuals. They are part of the herd and the herd will act as one to respond to a threat. They collectively go from zero-to-berserker in 0.001 seconds flat.
6. If you ever see a wild bison by itself it isn’t.
Be sure to try bison meat the first chance you get! You’ll love it!