The North Dakota Bison – Tips for Wildlife Photography
The North Dakota Bison, which is more popularly known as the American Bison, is probably the most well-known animal representation of the West. It is the largest land animal in North America, weigh more than a ton and standing two meters in height.
Diet
American bison are herbivores and mainly eat grass. If necessary, however, they are also able to eat snow. They only need to drink water once a day.
Behavior and Lifestyle
The American bison has an excellent sense of hearing and smelling – it can even detect smells as far as three kilometers away. It also has a strong sense of curiosity and charges when it’s cornered. Considering the fact that they can run as fast as 30m per hour, it’s really best not to get too close to them.
These mammals prefer to graze during mornings and evenings. Grooming is essential to them although they do like to wallow in mud or even dust. Mating season takes place from August to September while gestation periods last for about 9 to 9 ½ months. The distinct humps of bison appear when calves are approximately two months old. They require nursing for a year and develop into full maturity at three years.
Tips for Observing the North Dakota Bison
Stay a safe distance away.
As mentioned earlier on, these animals don’t like to feel cornered and they are most likely to charge if you invade their personal space. It’s especially important to keep your distance during the mating season as their rutting rituals involve challenging each other – and that’s something you don’t want to get in the middle of.
If there are herds of other large animals, there are sure to be bison nearby.
The North Dakota bison prefer to live alongside cows and even bulls. If you see any of these animals, there’s most likely to be a bison nearby so get ready!
If you want to see them wallowing, visit them during the months of summer.
It is at this time that buffaloes have a great need for wallowing because immersing themselves in dust bowls or mud marshes help them keep mosquitoes away.
Status Today
In the 19th century, the population of the North Dakota Bison reached well over thirty to seventy million and most of them had freely roamed the land. Nowadays, however, it is considered a low risk, albeit conservation-dependent, species in the world and even a ‘threatened’ species in Canada.
Visit North Dakota state parks like Lewis & Clark and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to photograph the North Dakota bison in their natural habitat.
 |