Bison bull grazing – Nikon D200, handheld, f13, 1/500, ISO 320, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 105mm, natural light
Yesterday I had an opportunity to photograph this Bison bull grazing on Antelope Island State Park with the mountains of Promontory Point in the background with just a small bit of the Great Salt Lake showing too.
Bison bull grazing with Promontory Point in the background – Nikon D200, handheld, f13, 1/500, ISO 320, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 80mm, natural light
The Bison was so close that I had to put my D300 with the Nikkor 200-400mm VR lens attached down and grab my backup D200 with the Nikkor 18-200mm VR lens to get these images.
I’ve wanted to take images of Bison with the mountains and the Great Salt Lake in the background for a while now, maybe next time there will be snow on the ground!
Bison bull feeding with the Great Salt Lake in the background – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 271mm, natural light
I photographed this Bison bull feeding peacefully yesterday out on Antelope Island State Park with the Great Salt Lake in the background.
I mentioned “peacefully” because later in the day I watched as a man; in red pants, bothered a Bison bull by getting too close to it and then saw the Bison bull charge him and stop just short of trampling the man. The man didn’t have a car, he was riding a bicycle so he had no protection from the Bison at all. Unbelievably after the man ran away from the charging bull and the Bison settling down.. the guy approached him again.
Not smart, not smart at all. Those Bison may look tame while they are grazing but they are 1500 pounds of wild and very unpredictable animals. With sharp hooves.
Bison bull on a hill – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 500, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 200mm, natural light
I’ve wanted this image for quite some time, I had envisioned an American Bison on a hilltop with a clouds in sky for the background. Three days ago things finally fell into place, a bull on a hill top, good light, eye contact and a clouds in the background. This image is full frame and I almost had to take off the TC to fit him in at 200mm.
Sometimes it does all fall into place. I’m happy that it did.
Mia
P.S.: My mother is visiting me on her first trip to Utah, she is going to love it! I’ll be slow to view and comment on your blogs, thanks for understanding. Please feel free to share this post with your friends and family.
Bison drinking water from a puddle – Nikon D300, f11, 1/640, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 350mm, natural light
I photographed this Amrerican Bison bull a few days ago on Antelope Island State Park as he was drinking from a freshwater puddle formed by rains over the weekend. I wanted to capture photos of him as he lifted his head and show the water running down fron his bearded jaw.
So he drank and I waited. And waited. The bull must have been powerfully thirsty because he kept on drinking. And I waited some more. I believe he could have drank a bathtub full of water.
Finally his thirst must have been quenched and he lifted his massive head and stared at me with water dripping from his beard. I think this image was worth the wait.
Mia
PS: I was inside of a vehicle when I photographed this Bison, it is far safer doing that than by photographing on foot. Bison can be extremely dangerous.
Bison Bull ahead of the herd – Nikon D200, f11, 1/250, ISO 250, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 44mm, natural light
During the heat of summer the Bison on Antelope Island State Park wander down from the hillsides to the freshwater springs on a daily basis, can’t say I blame them because it has been plenty hot here.
This image was taken in June and this bull was in rut, that light green bush under him? He tore it up with his horns and when he’d stop ripping it up he would bellow. I’m not sure it is a bellow, more like a loud, rumbling grunt or groan.
I was in a vehicle when I took this photo, not out standing in the road, no way I want to be run over by a Bison Bull.
The rest of the herd was making their way down the slope and when the cows passed over the road the bull followed them.
