Bison were not something we expected to find roaming Utah, which we’ve always envisioned as a dusty place that grows amazing red rock formations instead of grasslands. We certainly didn’t expect to see grazing animals near its largest city and especially not in the middle of the Great Salt Lake for which that city is named. But not only does a herd of 600 bison roam the 42 square miles of Antelope Island, so do pronghorn, bighorn sheep, bobcats, coyotes, porcupine, badgers and millions of water fowl. It’s like one of the world’s largest city zoos, only without the cages.
Close Encounters of the Bison Kind
A bestial growl, almost feline in nature, first caught our attention. Somewhere off in the distance, a cacophony of grunts and bellows followed. We listened for a short time before deciding a couple of things: the noise originated from within our campground; a large group of animals were responsible; we had no idea what kind; if we wanted to find out, we’d have to go investigate. Grabbing my camera we headed for the door.
Oh Give Me A Home
We were told that we’d have to be lucky to see any of the wild horses that roam the 6,000 acres of Paynes Prairie state park in Micanopy, Florida. If we were really lucky, we’d spot a member of the small bison herd that also calls the prairie its home. As it turns out, we were really, really lucky, and saw both; along with deer, alligators, armadillos, hawks, bald eagles, and a far greater number of interesting birds than we’d seen before in our lifetime.
The highlight, though, was this guy who crossed our path just as we were about ready to leave for the day. He was kind enough to hang out for a couple of photos after getting a drink at the stream below. He didn’t seem to fear the gators at all and just waded in like he owned the place. Then again, at six feet tall and over two thousand pounds he probably does.