Usually you only see small groups of these scattered throughout the 39,560 acres of the preserve, but Saturday there was a massive group covering square miles of the place!

What an incredible site !  Maybe the grass is sweetest or greenest in that area ?

DroneJunkieQc Posted at 5-5 04:51
What an incredible site !  Maybe the grass is sweetest or greenest in that area ?

Yea. Normally all I see are small groups, not hundreds of them!

Good job

ckat007 Posted at 5-5 11:30
Good job

Thanks, 007 Captain Ckat!

Impressive sight well presented. Better approach them with a drone than personally.

I'm glad to see, that there are places, where they still can have a free place to live in. Imaging back in time, where there was around 30 millions, spread out across US. And today, around half a Million, left. Thanks for sharing ;-)

Now thats a lot of bison.  

Good capture Tentoes & a great record to have in your collection.

Super filming Tentoes, looks like many young ones, so I can see why the parents would be protective.

Tentoes Posted at 5-5 15:51
Thanks, 007 Captain Ckat!

You're welcome Ten!

Great capture Tentoes.    Perfect timing to see some many that close together.  

Tentoes Posted at 5-5 09:29
Yea. Normally all I see are small groups, not hundreds of them!

You were blessed

Depp Posted at 5-5 21:43
Impressive sight well presented. Better approach them with a drone than personally.

Thanks, Depp!

Yes, the recommendation is to keep pretty far away. They respect size and speed, so they usually leave cars alone as long as you stay on the road and don't pester them.

ebea Posted at 5-5 22:53
I'm glad to see, that there are places, where they still can have a free place to live in. Imaging back in time, where there was around 30 millions, spread out across US. And today, around half a Million, left. Thanks for sharing ;-)

There are parks and preserves where you can still see them like this. Here, they aren't really wild, but are "worked" annually so some disease doesn't come along and spread through the herd.

Some raise them as cattle. If you're curious, go to youtube and look for "Cross Timber Bison."

DAFlys Posted at 5-5 23:19
Now thats a lot of bison.

I've never seen that many together like that before!

sky wombat Posted at 5-6 02:37
Good capture Tentoes & a great record to have in your collection.

Thanks, Sky!

ChrisJG Posted at 5-6 02:50
Super filming Tentoes, looks like many young ones, so I can see why the parents would be protective.

Thanks, Chris!

They're protective of the young and the bulls can be territorial. I kept my eyes on them while I was out of the car.

I worried a little when that one started running. It was about a hundred yards away (I don't really know how far.) But it stopped and went back to grazing. They're kindof used to people watching and photographing them.

DowntownRDB Posted at 5-6 03:46
Great capture Tentoes.    Perfect timing to see some many that close together.

Thanks, Downtown!

I wonder if they'd just been "worked" and had not disbursed throughout the preserve yet.

DroneJunkieQc Posted at 5-6 04:11
You were blessed

Indeed!

I did not shoot what I went there to shoot. Got distracted by that spectacle!

What a sight to see!  They look harmless enough from a distance, but such a weighty beast is best kept at a distance.  Great scenes TT.

Tentoes Posted at 5-6 04:25
I've never seen that many together like that before!

You dont see that many in films.  Are they totally wild or is there a rancher somewhere that looks after/owns them?

Tentoes Posted at 5-6 04:25
There are parks and preserves where you can still see them like this. Here, they aren't really wild, but are "worked" annually so some disease doesn't come along and spread through the herd.

Some raise them as cattle. If you're curious, go to youtube and look for "Cross Timber Bison."

I have (as with others animals), followed the Bisons numbers, and what people do, to give them places so they can survive!

Very nice sights!

Tentoes Posted at 5-6 04:33
Thanks, Downtown!

I wonder if they'd just been "worked" and had not disbursed throughout the preserve yet.

You're very welcome Tentoes.  

Not sure why but does seem a bit odd to see so many together like that.  

Blériot53 Posted at 5-6 22:16
What a sight to see!  They look harmless enough from a distance, but such a weighty beast is best kept at a distance.  Great scenes TT.

Indeed! I'm used to seeing small groups near the road, but THAT was a sight to behold!

DAFlys Posted at 5-6 22:50
You dont see that many in films.  Are they totally wild or is there a rancher somewhere that looks after/owns them?

The nature conservancy bought all this 38,650 acres from a cattle rancher and brought some here. The herd has grown since. They round them up annually for vaccinations, worming and such much like cattle, though they don't wear ear tags. They are fenced into the preserve, and out of a few places, but 57 square miles is still a lot of space for them to roam.

This is one of my favorite places to go in North Eastern Oklahoma and many of my videos are shot here.

There are ranches that raise them for sale. They can be treated much like cattle and will get used to people they see all the time and can become quite friendly. They're pretty smart and can figure things out, so you have to keep ahead of them. If they get bored, they can be aggressive, so ranchers do things like hang a barrel from a tree for them to play with, particularly the big bulls.

One day, the preserve will have more than they can keep, so they sell some off now and then. They also bring some in as breeding stock from other places just to keep the herd healthy. Bison is nice meat.

ebea Posted at 5-6 23:28
I have (as with others animals), followed the Bisons numbers, and what people do, to give them places so they can survive!

They are magnificent, if not a little scary animals.

Montfrooij Posted at 5-7 00:18
Very nice sights!

Thanks, Montfrooij!

DowntownRDB Posted at 5-7 03:24
You're very welcome Tentoes.  

Not sure why but does seem a bit odd to see so many together like that.

They used to cover the land on both sides of the Mississippi!

They are shooting a movie in the area. I wonder if they rounded them up so they could get some footage of the whole bunch together.

Tentoes Posted at 5-7 04:24
The nature conservancy bought all this 38,650 acres from a cattle rancher and brought some here. The herd has grown since. They round them up annually for vaccinations, worming and such much like cattle, though they don't wear ear tags. They are fenced into the preserve, and out of a few places, but 57 square miles is still a lot of space for them to roam.

This is one of my favorite places to go in North Eastern Oklahoma and many of my videos are shot here.

I don’t think I’ve ever had bison, us it a good beef replacement?

Tentoes Posted at 5-7 04:27
Thanks, Montfrooij!

You're welcome!

Tentoes Posted at 5-7 04:07
Indeed! I'm used to seeing small groups near the road, but THAT was a sight to behold!

Tentoes Posted at 5-7 04:27
They are magnificent, if not a little scary animals.

Yes, they are "great" animals. Thats why I'm glad, that there are places still, for a little bit of those left here.
It's alarming, to know, that the population sizes of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles have  had an average drop of 68% since 1970 (numbers from WWF, 2020). All caused by "us" Human beings, and the way we live, and rule!

DAFlys Posted at 5-7 04:37
I don’t think I’ve ever had bison, us it a good beef replacement?

Like a lean beef.

Tentoes Posted at 5-7 09:28
Like a lean beef.

In Europe they would call that horse.  

Tentoes Posted at 5-7 04:28
They used to cover the land on both sides of the Mississippi!

They are shooting a movie in the area. I wonder if they rounded them up so they could get some footage of the whole bunch together.

Ahhh, movie footage would be a good reason to round them up in one area.