I don’t post bison photos often but this big bull tickled my funny bone.
Bison tend to do a lot of scratching but this time of year their need for it increases because of higher temperatures, the return of the biting flies and the need to facilitate the shedding of that thick winter coat.
The problem on Antelope Island is the fact that trees are almost nonexistent so there’s very few natural vertical projections for them to scratch against. There’s the occasional large boulder of the right size and shape but that’s about it. The bison naturally gravitate toward road signs and informational signs in the state park for a little scratching relief but when a brutish 2000 lb animal starts abusing one of those signs it quickly becomes toast so the base of most of them has been covered with moderately sized rocks to keep the bison at bay (bison don’t like to walk on rocks).
So when one of these behemoths encounters a sturdy vertical projection that it has access to it’s common for scratching to be taken to extremes.
That’s exactly what happened when this huge bull found a steel pipe hitching post for horses sticking out of the ground. It was sturdy, about the right height, there were no awkward rocks at its base and this guy apparently had multiple itches that needed attending to so he spent a long time at the post scratching. Many of his postures suggested to me that he was in bison heaven during the scratching process. I took over 200 photos of him at the post and I remember laughing out loud often as I watched him through my lens.
Still pictures may not do justice to the humor I experienced as I watched his gyrations – maybe you had to be there…
Think about it. How often does one see a bison with its head raised this high? I don’t believe I ever have. I didn’t even know they could DO that!
He went through some pretty interesting contortions in order to reach spots that needed particular attention (that’s an ID tag behind his horn).
These animals lose their winter hair in large clumps and then regularly dust bathe in wallows which accounts for his scraggly appearance.
This is my favorite photo of the bunch. With his coquettishly thrown head, (unusually) erect tail and fluffy pantaloons on his upper front legs he reminds me of a small toy dog at the Westminster Dog Show posing and performing for the judges.
Whenever I’m having a bad day in the future I think I’ll come back to this photo just to make me smile.
I wish the photos gave you an accurate indication of just how serious this guy was about scratching. He’d work on one side for a while and then turn around and do the other. He alternated sides 6-8 times and I don’t even know how long he kept it up because he was already scratching at the post when I found him (I photographed him at the post for 9 minutes).
This time of year clumps of bison hair festoon the island. You find them on sage and rabbitbrush, on the ground, and stuck to structures the bison have used for scratching. Many bird species repurpose them as soft, insulating nesting material.
I photographed this Common Raven on the island 11 days ago as it carried off a clump of bison hair, apparently to its nest.
And a few years ago this Loggerhead Shrike was also using bison fur for its nest.
Humans could learn some valuable lessons about recycling from critters.
Ron
Looks like pure bliss in the second photo but enjoyed the contortions in the whole series.
Love the bison photos! The ones you’ve included give a pretty good picture of what you were watching, and they definitely made me laugh. The bison’s positions and facial expressions are priceless. I also like these because they help explain the animal rubs at Hueco tanks, which are all prehistoric and which are all rocks – with shiny surfaces that can be explained only by animal rubbing. I’ve also seen what the elk and bison do to the trees in Yellowstone, so this series nicely completes my mental picture of how the trees and rocks got that way. Thanks for ending my day with a smile.
Great series Ron.
Thank you, Jean.
Ron–if you see that bison again, please tell him for me that a long handled kitchen spoon or a loofa sponge on a handle, even a nice, new toilet bowl scrubber, all make really effective back scratchers…maybe you could help him hold it… 🙂
“maybe you could help him hold it”
Fat chance, Patty. I’m a coward when it comes to bison, especially those ornery old bulls.
Wonderful shots! Makes one want to help him out in some way! The second photo reminded me of my standard poodle when I hit just the right spot while scratching his head Aaaahhhhh!
Thanks, Jane.
These photos prove something I’ve long suspected–buffalos/bison don’t have ears….
Those ears sure can be hard to see, Patty.
Definitely NOT cute”…but, indignant and dangerous…
AAAAAAHHHHHHH–such relief !! And I’m glad you got the treat of laughs……….makes life even sweeter !
Yep, it was a fun 9 minutes, Kris.
Ah yes, I can identify with the feeling he must have had!! I use the side of a doorway for my scratching post, and I’ve watched pictures of bears using trees or stumps as their scratching posts. Every time I go to the doorway I can’t help but chuckle thinking about those pictures, but also glad someone isn’t taking a shot of me! VBG
Great images, and I like the last one as well, good shot of the eye and the look he is giving you!
C’mon, Dick – have someone take a photo of you scratching at the doorway and then send it to me. I’d post it! 🙂
I think you have to say that he seriously scratched your funny bone! What a delightful series – how privileged to witness such a sight! it does tend to make one start looking for the backscratcher.
Funny how itching can be contagious, almost like yawning, isn’t it Deborah?
Evil iPad left out the word “not” as in “not to have anything vertical to scratch on” and changed “vertical” to “ertical”…it didn’t think I’d notice, but I did….
You’re so cute, Patty!
What a wonderful series!!! Just looking at it made my back itch!…so glad there’s SOMETHING for these big guys to scratch those itches on. How awful to have anything ertical to serve that purpose!.. His expressions are wonderful…pure ecstasy! These images, once again, emphasized the difference between the HUGE powerful front end of these animals and the still powerful, but so much smaller rear half of them…their hind ends look as if they belong on a MUCH smaller critter. The potential power and strength of these animals is overwhelming.
“emphasized the difference between the HUGE powerful front end of these animals and the still powerful, but so much smaller rear half of them”
Exactly, Patty. And most of the mass of that huge hump on their front end is muscle, used to support their massive head. The amount of power built into that machine must be simply incredible. Wouldn’t want to have one mad at me, that’s for sure. Thank you.
What a great series of shots Ron! Thanks for sharing!
Charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.
These are great! In that third picture, it looks as if he has a hot spot (or what my ex=groomer mind translates into a hotspot) on his rump. That triangular patch of red straight up from his tail.
Could be, Arwen. It’s fairly common for them to have skin wounds and when the birds start picking on them they can stay hang around for a while.
Never imagined I would smile as much as I did while looking at photos of Bison. Neat post, pun intended.
Dave, I had 9 minutes of laughter while I was photographing him. Not sure I laughed out loud again for the rest of the day so this fella gave me quite a gift. I’m glad you enjoyed it too.
Great pictures. Made me kinda itchy!! My neighborhood has had a few long haired dogs who also have to lose their thick winter coat. the hisr would be combed outside and the birds would come and take it for their nests. I always thought that was such a great reuse of soft comfy nest material. Now I just put cotton balls outside in a suet feeder for the birds to use. And they do!!!
Thanks for alwyas getting my day off to a great start!!
“Made me kinda itchy!!”
Wish you hadn’t said that, Ellen (scratch, scratch!…) Thank you.