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Bison "headbutts" car in Yellowstone in preparation for BMW Rally.......

Crested a hill and found ourselves surrounded by bison in Custer State Park in early June (young calves everywhere). My R1200RT didn't seem to annoy them, but my riding buddies on H-D's pissed off the bulls, who feigned two charges.

2,000 lb. beasts not to be trifled with, for sure. :bolt
 
The buffalo in Yellowstone are tiny compared to the Wood Buffalo in northern BC and the YT. They are easily 30% bigger then the YNP herd and tend to stay on the right of way to the ALCAN because there is no other place to graze. Never had a close encounter while riding, but did wake up with one snorting at our tent at Liard Hotsprings. The Canadian government is allowing the First Nation Tribe in the area to restart their traditional controlled burns to create open space. They used to do so to create space for medicinal herbs to grow and to lure grazing animals like the buffalo. The knowledge of how to do the burns was passed down within families and there are very few people who still know how to do it the old way. Now they do it with helicopters. About 15-20% of the herd is lost to vehicle strikes each year and they hope to get the buffalo away from the highway and into the new grasslands.
 
Crested a hill and found ourselves surrounded by bison in Custer State Park in early June (young calves everywhere). My R1200RT didn't seem to annoy them, but my riding buddies on H-D's pissed off the bulls, who feigned two charges.

2,000 lb. beasts not to be trifled with, for sure. :bolt

We got stuck in Custer on the southern part of Iron Mountain Road by ourselves on our HD-Ultra-Classic. We got charged, but we were on a uphill surrounded by a enormous herd, rock wall on one side and guardrail on the other. That got the adrenalin pumping. After getting through we jumped into a bar (my wife insisted) near the end of the road. A few other rides pulled up and apparently had followed us. One of them had their leather saddlebag 'gored' and ripped apart.
 
So, should I be rethinking riding through Yellowstone this summer? :scratch


Nah. I have since returned to Custer and interacted with herds and solo (rogue) bulls. Just keep your distance, respect their short temperment, and have an escape path in mind should things get 'interesting.'

Also, by July, the spring calves are nearly weaned and the patriarchs of the herd a little less agitated at your presence. OK - also helps to have a quiet beemer (preferably not red).

I'd be disappointed riding thru Yellowstone if I didn't see at least several bison.

Impressive animals! :thumb
 
So, should I be rethinking riding through Yellowstone this summer? :scratch

Life always has some risk to it. Just getting up in the morning involves risk. From a risk/reward perspective, I'd say the reward is much worth the risk of riding an MC in Yellowstone. I've ridden through herds with my fairly quiet Kawasaki 900 in July in years past in Custer State Park. Not as quiet as my F700 GS, but no where near as loud as a Harley. Keep a slow steady speed, and stay away from any calves crossing the road, or stop on the side of the road before the herd and enjoy the company of other folks who will stop to watch. Another trick is to tuck in behind a car or truck moving through the herd and allow that vehicle to part the wave.
 
So, should I be rethinking riding through Yellowstone this summer? :scratch
You will be fine.:wave You will have to look out for all the people and traffic! It is something to see. Just one tip, watch your speed. Very easy to get a ticket in the park.:violin
 
Thanks to everyone for their words of encouragement! :wave

I've had a black bear run out in front of the bike, but fortunately, it kept on running and did not stop to discuss the lunch menu. :laugh

I've heard that it's not the bison herd that is the nuisance in July, but rather the multitude of tourists in RVs and cars. :dunno
 
Thanks to everyone for their words of encouragement! :wave

I've had a black bear run out in front of the bike, but fortunately, it kept on running and did not stop to discuss the lunch menu. :laugh

I've heard that it's not the bison herd that is the nuisance in July, but rather the multitude of tourists in RVs and cars. :dunno

Yes, tourists that stop in the road to take pictures of every chipmunk they see, and Harley swarms of 20 or more bikes doing 10 MPH under the speed limit. Avoid the park in the week before and after Sturgis. Try to see the park while school is in session, mid-week and at sunrise.
 
Bison & Motorcycles Video

Video from last summer's visit to Custer State Park in South Dakota. We found ourselves right in the middle of a Bison herd as it moved to a new sport. The video will show the Bison walking within arm's reach of us while we were on our motorcycles - R1200RT & Honda GoldWing. We shut the motors off so we wouldn't scare them, but then started them and moved ahead. Video is taken from handlebar mounted GoPro camera.

 
What you did not rev up your loud pipes and tell them that loud pipes save lives! :violin Nice job on video. :thumb
 
Video from last summer's visit to Custer State Park in South Dakota. We found ourselves right in the middle of a Bison herd as it moved to a new sport. The video will show the Bison walking within arm's reach of us while we were on our motorcycles - R1200RT & Honda GoldWing. We shut the motors off so we wouldn't scare them, but then started them and moved ahead. Video is taken from handlebar mounted GoPro camera.


Wow! :thumb
 
Video from last summer's visit to Custer State Park in South Dakota. We found ourselves right in the middle of a Bison herd as it moved to a new sport. The video will show the Bison walking within arm's reach of us while we were on our motorcycles - R1200RT & Honda GoldWing. We shut the motors off so we wouldn't scare them, but then started them and moved ahead. Video is taken from handlebar mounted GoPro camera.



Had a similar experience near there...but not near as many Buffalo...Had a much scarier experience @ the rest stop atop Wolf Creek pass in Co, when I encountered a mountain sheep....he did not like me at all. A motorist pulled up & offered to stay between the sheep & I as I mounted & pulled out..I still owe him a beer.
 
Just a note: mid-august is Routing season... meaning the bulls are trying to get the attention of the cows. That valley in the OP's post can be wall to wall Bison. We were in it, on our Harley in 2011. Great advise is to just shut off the bike, and in the case of the HD, turn the headlights down and away so as not to present a aggressive stance. Then enjoy the show.

We took the following picture there, it was rubbing its head on the bus, but we had a bad angle because of a unassociated biker in front of us:

Yellowstone_bus_Bison.jpg
 
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