I've wanted frosty bison close-ups ever since they arrived at RMA 2 1/2 years ago. And I have some, but it's often hard to get close to the animals, or the light isn't right, or it's crazy-windy........you know.
Today, the herd was near one of the 2 roads inside the enclosure - after some pre-dawn shots from my truck, they moved off and I thought "here we go again". They were nicely frosted in the -5 temps though, so I followed them up the hill. After some shooting and standing in one spot, they started moving towards me. No tails going up and I didn't feel threatened, but they kept getting closer, and they're soooo damn big! I moved backwards, and they kept coming, until I was almost running with my 600 on tripod to avoid getting cut off from my vehicle. Bison are curious and somewhat unpredictable, and it turned out they wanted to re-occupy the space they were originally grazing, then move the other direction. Towards the end of our time together, they were milling around my truck and I was shooting over the hood to have something between us.
I made this shot of a large bull from probably 25 yards. Many bison head shots look like trophy mounts to me and I like the hump rising above the head - it's what makes them bison.
My "gift" was a brief time with these majestic creatures, unconcerned with my presence and just doing bison stuff.
Merry Christmas Folks!
Posted by Stan Rose on December 24, 2009 at 4:51 PM
Wild! Great shot, Dave--Merry Christmas! Im going to have to go get me a Bison burger...
Posted by D J Kuklinski on December 24, 2009 at 5:08 PM
Very nice shot! And a Merry Christmas.
Posted by bill meikle on December 24, 2009 at 5:32 PM
I like bison, yummy! Thanks Dave, sounds like an exciting day!
Posted by Todd Caudle on December 24, 2009 at 7:03 PM
Congrats on a Christmas miracle, Dave. Great shot, hope to see more.
Discussion
12 repliesI've wanted frosty bison close-ups ever since they arrived at RMA 2 1/2 years ago. And I have some, but it's often hard to get close to the animals, or the light isn't right, or it's crazy-windy........you know.
Today, the herd was near one of the 2 roads inside the enclosure - after some pre-dawn shots from my truck, they moved off and I thought "here we go again". They were nicely frosted in the -5 temps though, so I followed them up the hill. After some shooting and standing in one spot, they started moving towards me. No tails going up and I didn't feel threatened, but they kept getting closer, and they're soooo damn big! I moved backwards, and they kept coming, until I was almost running with my 600 on tripod to avoid getting cut off from my vehicle. Bison are curious and somewhat unpredictable, and it turned out they wanted to re-occupy the space they were originally grazing, then move the other direction. Towards the end of our time together, they were milling around my truck and I was shooting over the hood to have something between us.
I made this shot of a large bull from probably 25 yards. Many bison head shots look like trophy mounts to me and I like the hump rising above the head - it's what makes them bison.
My "gift" was a brief time with these majestic creatures, unconcerned with my presence and just doing bison stuff.
Merry Christmas Folks!
RichieV
Bill Brennan