Big Bone Lick

The Voss family enjoyed a trip to Big Bone Lick State Park in June.  Here is an excerpt of their visit:

Our first stop was at the trailside museum where they had life-size replicas of Wooly Mammoths, Mastodons, etc.  There were several geocaches and letterboxes in the park.  We hiked about 6 miles when all was said and done.

Big Bone Lick State Park has a herd of buffalo, which is part of the reason we decided to visit.  We were fortunate enough to be able to see several baby buffalo while we were there.  Too cute!

After a picnic lunch, we decided to venture up to the Coralberry Trail, which is a 2-mile hike around a small hilltop lake.  It really is beautiful there and so peaceful.

Check out these excellent close-up photos of bison at Big Bone Lick State Park.  Some include a bison calf!

View the Bison Photos

Rod Burkert and his two sons, Ty and Buster, hiked “every inch” of the trails in Big Bone Lick State Park.  “One of the trails led us to a meadow of grazing American buffalo…  The buffalo is a curious animal, and our presence brought them closer and closer and closer…  A calf came over and licked my hand.”

Rod continued:  “We stayed at the campground in the state park – two duclaws up! The place was perched on a hill, giving panoramic views of the countryside.  For kids, there is a swimming pool and playground; showers, restrooms, and laundry facilities are also on site.”

Those of us who live near Big Bone Lick can surely appreciate what Rod has to say about the nightlife:  “The most memorable moment was being outside late at night, far removed from city lights, and gazing at the twinkling stars.  THIS is what traveling with our pets is all about!”

Read the article at GoPetFriendlyBlog.com

Stacey Moore posted photos on Flickr from her recent trip to Big Bone Lick State Park in Boone County, Kentucky:

Big Bone Lick State Park is now accepting sealed bids to purchase park bison.  There are two lots for sale:

Lot #1: Two Bull Bison Calves (last year’s calves)

Lot #2: Three Female Bison Calves (last year’s calves)

To participate in this auction, fill out and mail the Bison bid sheet with $100.00 deposit to the Kentucky Department of Parks.

Bids must be received no later than noon, Tuesday March 30, 2010.  The winning bid(s) will be notified that afternoon and will have until noon April 15, 2010, to remove the bison.  Non-winners will be refunded their $100 deposit.

PBS’ Nature Series includes American Buffalo: Spirit of a Nation.  Here is a brief introduction:

Buffalo were the lords of the prairie.  To European settlers traveling across America’s Great Plains in the early 1800s, the prairie wind was a constant companion: a gentle whisper echoing across the vast sea of grass that carpeted the center of the North American continent.

Sometimes, however, the rumbling of thunder could be heard in the distance, though no storm clouds could be seen.  Then the ground would begin to tremble, and suddenly the astonished newcomers would be surrounded by a thundering herd of hulking animals that stretched further than the eye could see.  The majestic welcoming committee made it clear that the settlers had, at last, arrived in the buffalo nation — a land where tens of million of American Bison held sway.

The NATURE program American Buffalo: Spirit of a Nation tells the sad story of how the buffalo nation was destroyed nearly a century ago by greed and uncontrolled hunting — and how a few visionaries are working today to rebuild the once-great bison herds.  It offers a remarkable portrait of America’s last significant wild bison herd, made up of a few thousand animals living within Montana’s Yellowstone National Park.  And it highlights the efforts of Native American leaders dedicated to bringing back the animal that once gave life to their tribes.

Episode Introduction
Order the Video from PBS

The bison population in Yellowstone National Park continues to rebound after a massive die-off in the herd two winters ago.  More than 1,600 Yellowstone bison were killed in 2008 as they attempted to migrate to lower elevations in Montana in search of food.

The summer 2009 population show 3,300 bison, including 2,800 adult and yearling bison and 500 calves.  That’s up from a total of 2,900 bison at the end of last winter.

Animal control official capture and slaughter bison who leave Yellowstone park to prevent the spread of the disease brucellosis, which can cause pregnant animals to miscarry.  Unchecked, the disease can be devastating to the cattle industry.

Story at FoxNews
More National Park News

Before the European settlers in America pushed westward, tens of millions of bison roamed the American landscape.  Their range spanned almost the entire United States, with the heaviest concentration in the Great Plains.  Bison congregated in massive herds.  Native Americans hunted the bison on a limited scale for food, clothing and materials.

But in the 1700s, the arrival of white men with .50-caliber rifles and riding on horses started the bison’s demise in North America.  The combination of efficient hunting methods and a growing demand for buffalo hides resulted in the “Great Slaughter” from 1820 to 1880.  The bison population dropped from 30 million to just over a thousand by 1890.

With bison extinction imminent, Theodore Roosevelt and William Hornaday formed the American Bison Society in 1905 to ensure the species’ survival.  The Bronx Zoo and Yellowstone National Park established bison preserves, and the federal government created the National Bison Range in Montana.

Ironically, commercial breeding had a greater impact boosting bison numbers than conservation, and today more than 95 percent of bison are privately owned.  In the 1970s, ranchers started breeding bison for the niche meat market.  Thanks to growing demand, there are around 400,000 commercial bison living in the United States.

Read the entire article at HowStuffWorks

T. David had a chance to visit Big Bone Lick State Park and was pleasantly surprised to discover a herd of bison.  The bison are part of an effort to ensure their continued existence in the United States.  These magnificent beasts once ruled the prairie, but indiscriminate hunting reduced their numbers to less than 1000.  Through conservation efforts and "captive" herds, such as the one at Big Bone Lick State Park, bison are no longer an endangered species.

For more great bison photos, check out T. David’s collection of photos of “The Bison Bunch.”

There’s a good reason the bison are kept in a gated area at Big Bone Lick State Park…

For the second time this year, a bison attacked a tourist at Yellowstone National Park.  On Wednesday around 11:30am, a 55-year-old California man was taking pictures of a bull bison that had wandered into the Bridge Bay Campgrounds.  The two were about 10 feet apart when the bison charged.

The man sustained a “puncture wound” to his upper thigh.  He was treated at Lake Clinic then transported to St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson, Wyoming.  His injuries are not life threatening.

Earlier this summer, a bison tossed a 50-year-old woman from Spain into the air.  She was talking on a pay phone at the time.

Bull bison can stand six feet tall, weigh up to 2,000 pounds, and run up to 30 miles an hour.  Bison can and will attack humans at any time, with or without provocation.  Bison are especially dangerous during the next few weeks because it’s their mating season. 

Yellowstone Park regulations require that visitors remain at least 25 yards away from most animals, and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves.  Tourists who violate this rule can face a citation and fine, or of course an animal attack.

Story at Local News 8