It’s the rut (breeding season that is), which stirs up a lot of action and noise on the prairie! You could say that it is the beginning cycle of the regeneration process.
Occasionally, we receive mail or comments from some that say, “We have blood on our hands” for harvesting animals or, “There is no reason to harvest an animal except for our own personal greed”. We realize those folks are short on information, as boys and girls for eternity will get together – no matter what the species and make more of that species.
As many of you know, we manage our grassland pastures for soil and grass health, as well as species diversity - our humane field harvest is essential in balancing that prairie health.
We think the rut is pretty fascinating and thought you might too...? If so – check out my homemade short video that I put together from footage I gathered over the past month.
A brief explanation of what you will see: Initially in the rut, the bulls chase each other around and a hierarchy is established. Younger males join in too and even the young ones butt horns and play, practice for their future. After the “order” is established, males will “tend” a cow until she is ready to be bred, but it often doesn’t go without a fight. As the rut continues, the bigger bulls, exhausted, often trot off by themselves. You will also notice that there is a bit of affection that takes place too, with nuzzling and licking. It’s also not just the bull that chooses – the female has a say in this too, and will stay close to the mate of her choice. In between times of heightened amorousness and also as the rut slows down, the herd finds its tranquility. These comments are not scientifically backed – they are just my observations that I have made over the years. Enjoy!
19 comments
It was far more quiet than I thought it would be, I expected more grunting (roaring? Calling?) from the bulls
What a great peek into the window of life — thank you!
The American bison. . .replenishment to natural balance in the 21st century. Go wild with great ideas. Backing you from New Hampshire all the while keeping the faith.
It’s great to know there are people out west taking care of the land and animals. We are blessed to enjoy healthy meat raised the right way, thank you all
It’s great to see your final product! Nice video—we so enjoyed watching it and imagining ourselves there.
like the song says, “you can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd but you can be happy if you’ve a mind to.” so having a mind to be happy is natural and good, just so long as one allows the buffalo to do what buffalo do, no matter what it is they’re doing!
As a city girl who believes in conservation and returning the prairie to what it once was…my hat is off to you. Thank you for sharing and thank you for all that you do – so us city dwellers can dream.
As a property owner in the California far North, I can say ‘Conservative ideology is starting up after decades of being squashed by socialist leadership. Happily this utterly crazy American trend will be coming to a halt in the next few yrs, with the reversal in order.
Cheers ‘Wild Idea’ the most unique and patriotic online business in America today.
Beautiful…peaceful. The prairie and the bison are magnificent.
I have such gratitude for the dedication you have and the work that you do. I am thankful…
miki
Seeing these magnificent animals in the prairie soothes my soul. Thanks, Jill!
A fine video of the bison. Thanks so much for what you do. And always, thanks to the North American Bison.
Beautiful video! Thank you for all your other videos also! I watch them all. I live in Connecticut and my family loves your products…..we RARELY eat beef anymore. We live as organic and American sourced and made as much as possible. Keep up the fantastic work! Thank you!! Big hugs for all your efforts!!