Finding the first baby buffalo of the year, in a thousand acre pasture with last years remaining four foot grasses, is a little like finding a needle in a haystack.
The new baby was greeted by many of the other buffalo with licks and soft grunts. The mother tolerated a few at a time before pushing them off and welcoming the next bunch. This was a new experience for us and it was fantastic to witness.
A close by, Short Eared Owl, kept a watchful eye over the exciting welcoming party. *Short Eared Owls nest in the Great Plains grasses.
The mother kept nudging it along as she grazed, until it had to stop for a little nap. She allowed me close enough to get a photo, before she moved it along into the dusky night.
Help us welcome Wild Idea’s first baby buffalo of 2015!
Comments 23
Amazing photos…thanks for sharing! Welcome into the world little buff, you are the future!
Great pics!! Thanks for sharing…. can’t wait to show them to my grandson.
Welcome little one!
Those are amazing pictures. Thanks for sharing your precious little buffalo with us.!!
I have a question concerning about how your raise your bison. In the wild they form family groups. Do you raise them this way replicating their natural groups. What age do you harvest? If so do you take out a family group leaving a larger group intact. I have been researching bison and they are being treated more like cattle vs their natural wildness.
I have conferred with wild life biologist on this issue concerning bison herds and not respecting the family groupings makes the herd dysfunctional.
I have purchased your meat and it is wonderful and look for other producers prairie raised or finished on grass. Very few
I am creating a website promoting information along with native voices to promote naturally raised bison. People are demanding this in beef and it will not be long before the consumer expects the same from bison. Advertising that bison is a lean meat and then finishing the animals on grain and corn is deceiving the consumer.
Thanks!
Sue Thomas
Scottsdale Arizona
Hi Sue – Thank you for your support and your concerns. Our animals are raised in keeping with how they roamed hundreds of years ago. We do not separate families, or ween calves, or remove bulls from the herd. They are a whole unit. We harvest between the ages of two and three years of age, based on estimated size, for meat quality.
We couldn’t agree with you more on the marketing deception to the consumer.
We have a lot more information on our web-site, you may want to check out our mission page, which can be found on the following page. http://wildideabuffalo.com/mission/#/theranch
Wonderfull. The consumer is driving the change in beef production and my hope is that will extend to bison. Sadly it is advertised as the leaner meat but when it is finished in a feed lot on grain it changes the meat especially corn. I have purchased bison from conventional producers and there is no comparison. I can taste the fillers and more.
Educating the consumer is key. The demand for grass fed meat is growing and hopefully this will extend to bison. Thanks!
I was on the 777 Ranch last summer and it changed my world.
simply awesome and beautiful!!
I can’t wait to eat him too.
I enjoy your pictures and blogs SO much! What a beautiful baby bison. I recently have read a couple of Dans books. Highly recommend to anyone interested in his journey and love of these wonderful animals and the preservation of this great land and wildlife!
“and all they asked for in return was respect” so true. thanks Jill just a lovely way to start the day.
Dan’s article on Phinney Flat makes me want to start a tax fund for it…
CONGRATULATIONS!!! THANK GOODNESS WE STILL HAVE THEM~~~~~
Absolutely adorable. Thank you for taking the time to photograph and send this out. It does make me stop and think about what is really important in life. This country owes much to the buffalo and those who don’t understand that are ignorant.
for Sue Thomas: From my 10 yr. plus experience with the bison on the Cheyenne River Ranch and Wildidea Buffalo, I can assure you that the family groups remain intact. During the calving season I have often watched a small group of cows, go off into what I call a birthing pod. After the calves are born the group returns to the herd where the calves are introduced to the other members. We have always been extremely careful not to harm the socializing processes of the very homogenous herd.
Welcome baby buffalo!! Congrats!!
more beautiful than words…it feels like with each birth, the prairie is rejoicing and welcoming back her keystone partner. Congrats and thank your healing work.
*you for your healing work.
the picture are so beautiful ! Our family enjoys every delicious bite of bison that we purchase from you thanks for doing an excellent job in raising these beautiful animals!!
Jill & Dan,
All I can say is THANK YOU!
I know that what you are doing, and how you are doing it, is not easy nor the most profitable. But what you are doing for the buffalo, the Great Plains and for all of us is immeasurable in importance for the spirit that lives in us all and in the earth of which we are a part. You embody the depth of love we all seek.
Have courage, be strong and know I will always support your work.
I finally got around to opening some of my “on-file” email (the ones, on which I want to take my time) and was delighted with the new photos, which are so true and beautiful. A sign of Spring, for sure: new life and new beginnings and renewed hope.
So wonderfully amazing and cute. Glad you included the owl with info. I love living in a world where buffalo still roam.
Thanks so much for sharing. We purchase your product in CO, thru Vitamin Cottage and have read 2 of your Books…what you are doing makes my heart sing and gives me hope. Wonderful to see the “Baby Buffler”, it’s herd and an Owl standing by 🙂
CONGRATULATIONS, & THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS LITTLE MIRACLE WITH US. PLEASE KEEP US UPDATED ON HIS PROGRESS THIS YEAR.