The Rut

planning ahead

young love

an eye to the future

a good wallow

The bison are in rut at the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge. It should last 4-5 more weeks. There is always bellowing, wallowing and tree horning as well as the full out head to head fights. One of the more fascinating behaviors is ‘herding’ or ‘tending’ where a bull tries to restrict access to a small group of cows until mating occurs. The younger bulls will also try to herd a cow away from the main group with varying results and reactions from the herd bull. It is a great time to sit and watch the interactions that go on in a bison herd. Remember! All the animals are agitated and focused on the rut and it is a good idea to use extra caution around them.