River Ranch Diary

Dawn did not break today. It came and went leaving a silver/gray morning light behind. A fine haze obscures the hills beyond the river.

A light covering of new snow smoothes out uneven ground. Snow falls lightly in small flakes. A long line of buffalo appears walking along a fence line, east to West, from my left to my right. They are about a half mile away and walking in a single file: cow, calf, cow, calf. The bulls are scattered throughout the file. They are not grazing, just making slow, steady progress. They are going to water, moving toward a spring that runs year ’round. Their weight will break through the thin ice that has formed overnight. They will drink and move on, forming a denser, more compact group once again to graze the pastures.

Each buffalo has a layer of snow on its back, and all together they look a little like a brown and tan, black and white, intricately designed, patchwork quilt. From a distance they become almost indistinguishable from their background, except their movement is perceptible if watched closely for a few minutes. Up close the buffalo is a large dark animal with snow on its back. It has rather small, dark, protected eyes in a massive densely furred head. The cows grunt; their last year’s calves stay near them. These calves will accompany their mothers when they go off to have this year’s calf. The youngsters from the previous year will probably go along also, as will two or three other from these small family groups, to form a kind of birthing nursery.

After these new calves are on the ground the mothers and their juvenile offspring will rejoin the main herd. It seems to me like an introductory process in which the newest baby is presented and introduced to its extended family. At this time the mother remains anxious and extremely protective of her newborn; and if she feels threatened, particularly by the presence of people, she will likely depart the herd with her calf and do her best to disappear into the hills and ravines. The newborn calf can and will follow her at her pace for miles if need be. Later on she and the calf will return to the herd.

I tend to think of this behavior as a survival strategy against the human predator. Protect the calf for survival of the specie. Against the wolf this strategy probably would not work, as it would already have the calf singled out of the herd with only its mother for protection. But I have never seen this part of nature in operation; so at this time I merely speculate. In my imagination, however, as a survival strategy against a pack of canine predators, the herd stays together in a compact group to protect the young. But again, I have never seen this part of nature in operation; so I merely speculate; although it is possible in my lifetime that I could witness this long absent part of prairie life.

Here is something I do know. On this ranch we try never to make a cow with a newborn calf feel like she has to abandon the herd. If we see a birthing nursery somewhere, we will avoid it at the greatest distance possible, leaving the animals to complete their business without our presence or interference.

We are now moving toward Spring and toward the arrival of this year’s first new calf, perhaps a month away. Thus the herd readies itself for newcomers; so do we also alter our management techniques ever so slightly to accommodate the relatively anxiety free arrival of the new calves.