National Photography Month
May is National Photography Month and what better way to honor this artful observance than with a collection of beautiful buffalo photos from our 2020 calendar... just in case you missed picking one up!
So, sit back and scroll through to enjoy a year's worth of majestic beauty that includes a little nugget of information about these incredible gardeners of the prairie.
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
Photo Credit: Jill O'Brien
Comments
Bryan Edwards
Dan & Jill, These photos are absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing, and most importantly, thank you for your integrity and your approach. It is greatly appreciated, and it shows in the quality and taste of your finished product. I will never consider purchasing from anyone else than Wild Idea!
Sincerely,
Bryan Edwards
pat
A picture is worth a hundred pages usually. Your pictures are worth much more! Thank you, Jill.
Lorn Manthey
Outstanding photos and wonderful depiction of “a year in the life of bison”. Keep up the great work!
bob jackson
In your May photo you talk of new mothers and their calves forming nursery groups… and not being part of their “family” anymore. Those “separated” nursery cows are still part of functional extended families are still part of that extended family… males and females of the different ages and sex. It is just there is visual distance between them and the rest of the 50 or 60 animals making up that extended family. In our herd … and in Yellowstone’s, the dry or barren cows of that family follow behind the nursery group, maybe a quarter mile back baby sitting the yrlgs and 2 year olds. She may be responsible for up to 15 young ens. Those grandmothers, and aunts making up this dependent group are most always in visual sight of the nursery group. New mothers, whether human or grazer want and need to see everything is all right with their older children. Then there are the protective males of that family. They make the ring of defense. Not a perfect circle but rather occupying sensitive areas where protection (think wolves) is needed. The males close in are made of a gang of younger males… with the large mature bulls further out. But all are part of the nursery group.
This is the way it is with every wild grazer species allowed to form up and maintain extended families… when all the support systems are in place. Without it there is chronic stress in that “herd”. and added lactic acid, cortisol…. and thus fluid retention in their bodies. Nothing near the stress of feedlotted bison… but still an abnormal amount of stress.
David Sercu
Jill—any chance of purchasing photographs?
Kenny Dockery
Simply outstanding
jill
Bob – Separated may have not been the perfect word… but, yes that is how our herd functions. It is truly something to see, with each member of the over all herd having their roll to play. I’m partial to the grandma’s!
David – Yes, it is possible for you to purchase a print. I am currently working on putting a collection together that we will be launching soon. If there is one that you like, please let me know.
Carol Patton
Thank you for the photos and info. Loved seeing the photo of the buffalo shedding. A beautiful set of photos seen through the year.
Doug Williams
Splendid photos and inspiring information and words. Vertical leap….SIX FEET?!? Wow!!!
As always, thank you to the entire Wild Idea family and organization.
Denise Suratt
Thank you so much for the beautiful pictures and captions explaining how the herd works! It’s so amazing and wonderful to learn about all kinds of animals and the family dynamics. Also, thank you for such a wonderful product and for caring about these majestic animals and our prairie lands. Keep up the good work!
Michele Saint Thomas
Beautiful, and thank you to all the photographers for sharing such fascinating images.
CYNTHIA GOOCH
Wow – gorgeous!
Miki Warner
how beautiful and moving are these images. thank you for sharing. I hope one day to drive through the Dakotas again. I haven’t in many years. I am grateful as a carnivore to feel clean and decent and respectful when I eat the meat you raise. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. stay well, miki
Craig Gullett
Saw the largest stuffed Buffalo head in a little shop in Red Lodge Montana. Harvested from Yellowstone. It was huge.
Dennis Lingohr
Great images, Jill. Good exposure on the buffalo bodies is not as easy as it would seem. You nailed every one. I wish I had read Dan’s “Buffalo for the Broken Heart” when I was writing the BLM environmental assessment for the American Prairie Reserve’s request to change class of livestock and season of use back in 2005. It may have been of great help to shorten the time required and effort to get it done. I retired from the BLM in 2007 and worked for the APR for the next 12 years. Working with their buffalo herd has been one of my greatest joys and honors of life. I have stated in my will that I want my ashes scattered where the buffalo roam free forever on the Montana prairie. I would like very much to visit your operation some day. May your kids and grand kids grow old taking care of the buffalo ranch you have created. Dennis on the prairie
Catherine
I live too far to taste your meat (France) but I plan to visit South Dakota (within two years I hope) and visit you by the same way. Waiting for this moment, thank you very much for sharing those beautifull pictures.
Blake O'Quinn
can’t you just see Dan sitting high in the saddle one bright sunny morning and proudly singing or at least humming “Home on the Range”? such an image could deliver enough for me when coupled with these tremendous photographs and captions.
beautiful work.
love you guys. stay safe.
Carolyn Miller
These pictures are amazing, Jill! Thank you for sharing and for all of the work you and Dan do to
Bring back the land for these majestic animals!
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Chuck Beatty
May 20, 2020
Beautiful images, Jill. You really bring us into the midst of the herd.