I think I was about twelve years old when I saw my first buffalo. My mother had decided to take her Girl Scout Troop, of which my two older sisters were members, on a weekend camping trip to the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, not too far from where we lived in Lawton, OK. There were not nearly as many buffalo in the refuge as there are now; but I remember my mother pointing them out as we drove passed on the then gravel road. And that was that. Camping out was much more exciting; buffalo was interesting enough for being just another large animal to glance at and maybe watch out for as we rolled by on the way to Camp Boulder.
And so it was for many years and the many, many camping and hiking trips my family took to the Wichitas. My younger brother and I camped and hiked all over the public parts of the refuge. We always kept our eyes out for the buffalo because we knew them as potentially dangerous, which they definitely can be, but mostly as something to point out to visitors or relatives on the basic familiarization tour that families give to guests and relatives. I don’t think we ever knew anything real about the animal itself. Oh, we had heard the stories of incidents: cars being bashed, photographers being chased; but we only knew to keep our distance. That part has never changed, except that the distance I maintain can be a little less than it was.
In my life with buffalo now there is a great deal of reality and a whole lot less myth. I know that buffalo are potentially dangerous. Surprisingly, they are still mostly a wild animal, for Pete’s sake, and that is part of their greatness. Dan, Jill, Erney , and I have undergone more than a few years of a steep learning curve in the reality of the American Bison. Perhaps that is because we are with them almost every day: from the comfort of a pickup truck, or on a four-wheeler, aboard our horses, or even on foot. We see them from their birth to the time they grace our tables as roasts, steaks, and burgers hot off the grill.
We respect the Native American traditions and legends of the buffalo. We also know and appreciate the significance of the animal to the life of the native people of this land. We know about the slaughter for sport, profit, and military strategy of the buffalo during the westward expansion of this country. We know a little bit about the animal and are constantly learning more. That steep learning curve has not leveled off. The reality of the animal has hardly changed but our understanding of it has certainly evolved. Our admiration and respect for the animal, for its hardiness, its constancy, its moods and movements, its habits and playfulness constantly increases.
No longer do any of us see the animal just in passing. That is no longer possible We see it as a restorer of life to the wildlife of the Great Plains, improving the grasses and thus improving the habitat for grouse and deer, antelope and turkey, and all manner of animal and plant communities; we see it as a bringer of health to the Great Plains and its peoples.