Rounding up the Bison~~~

It's time to round up the bison on the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve.  Every year the bison are gathered out of the big pastures and baited with cattle cake into the smaller traps by the bison pens.  Then they are processed through the corrals and tested for TB and Brucellosis.  The new calves are branded with their birth year and fitted with micro chips in their ears.  Approximately 400-500 adults are worked per day.  The bison working takes approx. one week to complete. The older cows and bulls will be culled off and sold. The herd should be close to 2,700 head this year!!  
Bison are an important part of the ecosystem on the Tall Grass Prairie.  The Preserve is also doing studies on how bison versus cattle graze on the prairie grasses.  Bison and cattle are fitted with tracking collars and their grazing patterns are studied.  By doing this, it is easier to understand the impact of each on the prairie grasses and the ecosystem as a whole.  
Since my husband is a cowboy on the Preserve, my daughter had the opportunity to ride in the feedtruck while he was "baiting" the bison.  She took some really close pictures of the bison and wanted to show them to you all---hope you enjoy!!
Thanks for looking!!
sandcreek
  

Very good post sandcreek4. Educational & great photos!

[Thanks seger98]

Very good post sandcreek4. Educational & great photos!

Thanks seger98!  Its been a great experience for my husband and myself to live and work here on the Preserve.  And my kids are learning to be good stewards of the land and appreciate this beautiful place!  And (of course) the countless opportunities my daughter has to take wildlife pictures .....
kind regards,
sandcreek

Ok fantastic as usual but, for my education.... can you do a 2 pic one of a Bison with the cattle gene and one with out that is pure Bison?  PLEASE!   There are soo very many Bison herds in the area I would like to see the difference .... so I will be able to tell .

          Thanks!      

Ok fantastic as usual but, for my education.... can you do a 2 pic one of a Bison with the cattle gene and one with out that is pure Bison?  PLEASE!   There are soo very many Bison herds in the area I would like to see the difference .... so I will be able to tell .

          Thanks!      

Okay, MG, I was just told that we no longer have any bison on this Preserve with cattle genes--so I modified my post and took that part out!  Sorry!

sandcreek

Thats ok ! And keep getting her out to take the great pics and you just keep posting them!   

Thats ok ! And keep getting her out to take the great pics and you just keep posting them!   

Will do .  This coming weekend, she's going to take some at the corrals when they're actually working the bison(running them through the chutes, ect..)  So we'll add some of those pics to this post. 
kind regards,
sandcreek

Great will be looking for them!   

Evertime I think I'm gettin the hang of bein a Coloradan, or Coloradite, or whatever the proper term is, I see pics like these and remember where I came from.  Think I'll call my dad and see what he's up to today.  Great pics.  By the way, I don't think you could pay me enough to cowboy buffalo (bison).  I always thought them old cows were meaner than the bulls.  Tell your husband to take care, which I'm sure he's learned to by now!

[so wild]

Evertime I think I'm gettin the hang of bein a Coloradan, or Coloradite, or whatever the proper term is, I see pics like these and remember where I came from.  Think I'll call my dad and see what he's up to today.  Great pics.  By the way, I don't think you could pay me enough to cowboy buffalo (bison).  I always thought them old cows were meaner than the bulls.  Tell your husband to take care, which I'm sure he's learned to by now!

It was a all together different experience for my husband(who was raised around cattle and been horseback most of his life) to learn to work with buffalo.  They(buffalo) don't get "handled" but once a year and are so wild, that you have to be extremely careful.  The cowboys get to use feedtrucks to "sook" them into the traps, but they also use atv's(4-wheelers) to drive(push) them----and that's a little skill daring sometimes .  After getting the buffalo into the holding pens, they use trucks to "push" them down the alleys into the tubs.  After the buffalo are in the tubs, they use rattle paddles/hot shots to keep them moving and eventually they are in the squeeze chute where they get their "check-up"--the micro chips in their ears are scanned and this tells how old they are and general information about the animal. 
 Here's a couple of pics. from last year of the alleys and pens.  The first pic was taken while we were riding in the truck and "shoving" the buffalo into the smaller alleys. 
We'll have more pics this weekend!
Thanks RGINN for the comments!

~~sandcreek~~

Fantastic would love to do that  (In the truck that is) LOL!  Can't wait to see Josies shots  from this weekend!   

Fantastic would love to do that  (In the truck that is) LOL!  Can't wait to see Josies shots  from this weekend!   

Its pretty fun chasing those things with a truck , you've just got to be careful and not push them too much and "over stress" them---they sure don't like to be cornered!  and will try to jump(seriously!) over the truck to get away! 
The first couple of years my husband worked here on the Preserve, they would gather the buffalo with 4-wheelers and it really stressed the buffalo out.  Its a whole lot easier and less stressful on the buffalo to use the feed truck and "cookies"(cattle cake) to bait them out of the bigger pastures.   
We'll post more pictures as soon as we get them, Mental Granny!  and Josie is going to try and take some video, so if she does we'll make one for youtube and post the link.
~~sandcreek~~

Whoa!!! Real life Dances with Wolves.  Very cool pics. 

[Real life Dances with Wolves]

Whoa!!! Real life Dances with Wolves.  Very cool pics. 

Sure enough!  We just bought the soundtrack from that movie so Josie could make a DVD slideshow of her buffalo pictures and put that as the background music. 
Thanks so much for the comments, pjroo33!  and glad you enjoyed the pics.!!
kind regards,
sandcreek

I keep coming back to these pictures, I know what Rginn means, sooo very Oklahoma. The ones where the ground and grass are the same color as the bison are my favorites. I remember when the ATV's arrived. Tom came home just grinning. He said "you ought to see them buffalo boys come flying over a hill on the 4-wheelers" Great pictures.

ng

[. He said "you ought to see them buffalo boys come flying over a hill on the 4-wheelers"]

Nice pics. I took one on a sanctioned hunt several years ago . They are bigger than they look in pictures . Good meat too .

Thanks TAKODA!  Yes, the meat is really good and very lean.  And you are so right about them being bigger than in the pictures--the bulls are HUGE!
Glad you liked the pics. .
kind regards,
sandcreek

I keep coming back to these pictures, I know what Rginn means, sooo very Oklahoma. The ones where the ground and grass are the same color as the bison are my favorites. I remember when the ATV's arrived. Tom came home just grinning. He said "you ought to see them buffalo boys come flying over a hill on the 4-wheelers" Great pictures.
ng

When the guys used to chase these things on four wheelers, it is really funny.!  They'd have to wear goggles because those grass seeds are lethal at 50 miles an hour as are those rocks that are hidden in the big bluestem.  Its been a lot easier the last couple of years using the feed trucks and not near as hard on the cowboys!!  
Here's some more pictures from today at the working pens.  I took some video, too, that we'll share with you all when we get it finalized.  
In a couple of these you can see the buffalo in the "squeeze chute".  Notice they had to put a "twitch" on the nose of one to hold it still while they put in a new ear tag(the cow had lost hers).  The tag helps keep track of the animal as well as the micro chip that's in its ear.  
The last picture is of a new statue donated to the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve from a member of the Nature Conservancy in Colorado.  The statue was made by T. Kelsey in 1994.
Thanks for the comments, Naturegirl!!

kind regards,
sandcreek

They don't look like they like that squeeze chute too much, but that must be a pretty exciting thing to watch. And I don't guess those green things the guys are holding are big fly-swatters, are they? Looking forward to the video, and I actually kinda like the bronze. Not so much how the shedding hair was handled, but I like the loose style of sculpting. Thanks so much for putting a picture of it up.

ng

[And I don't guess those green things the guys are holding are big fly-swatters, are they?]

They don't look like they like that squeeze chute too much, but that must be a pretty exciting thing to watch. And I don't guess those green things the guys are holding are big fly-swatters, are they? Looking forward to the video, and I actually kinda like the bronze. Not so much how the shedding hair was handled, but I like the loose style of sculpting. Thanks so much for putting a picture of it up.

ng

Not fly-swatters .  Rattle-paddles and hot-shots really make those buffalo move!  My husband has been wearing those paddles out!  He doesn't smack the buffalo with them, though, just the sides of the pens.  All the noise those paddles make really scares the buffalo and makes them move a little faster through the alleys.  

The statue is kinda neat looking--just different than real life--more stylized in form and I'm sure that shedding hair was probably really hard to sculpt.  It is a wonderful addition to the Preserves headquarters----People are already getting their pictures taken with it .  
Thanks, NG!
~~sandcreek~~

I don't live that far from the tall grass prairie but I haven't been up to see it.  I didn't realize there were that many buffs on it either.  I thought only a couple of hundred.  I need to get out and see my own state!  Monty

I don't live that far from the tall grass prairie but I haven't been up to see it.  I didn't realize there were that many buffs on it either.  I thought only a couple of hundred.  I need to get out and see my own state!  Monty

Yes, Monty--you sure need to drive up here and see the Preserve.  The gift shop/nature room will only be open for about another week or two(it closes during the winter months and opens back up in March).  But the Preserve is open year round and you can take a nice scenic drive through the "Bison Loop" and see the historic Bunkhouse at the Preserves headquarters.  There are picnic tables(bring a lunch and enjoy the peace and quiet!) and also a Nature Trail near the headquarters.  Be sure your tires are aired up and in good condition because its a gravel road you have to drive on to get here.
kind regards,
sandcreek

Great pics your Josie must have had a great day! Can't wait for the video! Did I miss it or did you say which one is your husband?

Great pics your Josie must have had a great day! Can't wait for the video! Did I miss it or did you say which one is your husband?

MG----In "IMG_3087" my husband is the one on the right with the tan shirt, glasses, and dark ball cap---he's holding a rattle paddle.  The two other guys on the left side are Kevin and Tony who work here on the Preserve with my husband.  The guys working the squeeze chute are Perry(cowboy hat and also a ranch hand) and Bob Hamilton who is the director of the Preserve.
We're still trying to get the video uploaded to youtube---I have broadband internet and sometimes it takes a little longer or like last night it just booted us out(that's so frustrating!).
sandcreek

OK thanks so I can now (kinda) put a face to the family!  Hehe!  Love the pics keep them comming! 

OK thanks so I can now (kinda) put a face to the family!  Hehe!  Love the pics keep them comming! 

Here's the youtube video link  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/GeDs4no-qV0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/GeDs4no-qV0</a> 
The video is a little fuzzy--I need to get a better video camera!  And we had to overlay music(Becky Hobbs and Hank Thompson) on the sound because all you could hear was the wind blowing(like it always does here on the prairie! )  But you can get an idea of what goes on at the corrals during the working.  Hope you enjoy!!
~~~~sandcreek~~~~

LOVED it! really hard working  bunch there .... The cowboys looked like they were working hard too! 


Great video and thank you for sharing it!   

My song! Loved it, looks like it would make for some long days too, getting all the bison through there. Are all the buffs penned up now? It would be hard to see them now wouldn't it? If any of you make it up to the Preserve, be sure to stop in at the Bronze Horse Foundry too. Visitors are welcome, and it makes for quite an Okie-fied day of sight-seeing. And then lunch at Bad Brads too!

naturegirl

LOVED it! really hard working  bunch there .... The cowboys looked like they were working hard too! 


Great video and thank you for sharing it!   

Thanks, Mental Granny!  The cowboys are ready for it to be over ! 
Did you notice Josie in the video?
sandcreek

My song! Loved it, looks like it would make for some long days too, getting all the bison through there. Are all the buffs penned up now? It would be hard to see them now wouldn't it? If any of you make it up to the Preserve, be sure to stop in at the Bronze Horse Foundry too. Visitors are welcome, and it makes for quite an Okie-fied day of sight-seeing. And then lunch at Bad Brads too!

naturegirl

Yes, NG, all the bison are penned up right now---there is a big pasture by the corrals where they are being kept, but you can go to the north scenic turn-out(which is North of the Bunkhouse Headquarters) and still see them.  The cowboys are working the calves today(Tuesday) and then should turn the bison back out some time at the end of week(maybe) or the beginning of next week.
~~sandcreek~~

Hope you can post some calf pics?  And I wondered if the curly hair was her! Need a pretty face pic! 

[Hope you can post some calf pics?]

Hope you can post some calf pics?  And I wondered if the curly hair was her! Need a pretty face pic! 

We'll try to get you some calf pictures.  When they sell the older cows, their calves are left without mamas, so my husband will be feeding them all winter and we should be able to get some pictures.  (This is just a part of the process, so everybody please don't feel sorry for the calves!  They will be well taken care of!) 

And yes, that curly headed girl is Josie.
kind regards,
sandcreek

Beautiful young lady!  And I love the pic type and the "Josie of the Plains" is cute!  Tell her keep takin those great shots ! 

Hello, Sandcreek,  you have some fantastic shots and videos here. I liked them all. In the first set ofpics, the next to last pic, #097, I was wondering if that is his tongue sticking out? or is he eatingsomething? LOL/ And I notice that they don't have much of a tail to swat the flies off. I watched some of the videos and will watch the rest when I have a little more time to sit here. Have always liked the song of the cowboy from the Oklahoma hills. I used to play that alot when I played guitar years ago.Your daughter is a very lovely young lady. I really like her hat and the style of clothes and with therifle. Boy! That is my kind of pic. Please tell her I think she is a very good photographer and to keepup the good work. Have a great day.   Ray

Hello, Sandcreek,  you have some fantastic shots and videos here. I liked them all. In the first set ofpics, the next to last pic, #097, I was wondering if that is his tongue sticking out? or is he eatingsomething? LOL/ And I notice that they don't have much of a tail to swat the flies off. I watched some of the videos and will watch the rest when I have a little more time to sit here. Have always liked the song of the cowboy from the Oklahoma hills. I used to play that alot when I played guitar years ago.Your daughter is a very lovely young lady. I really like her hat and the style of clothes and with therifle. Boy! That is my kind of pic. Please tell her I think she is a very good photographer and to keepup the good work. Have a great day.   Ray

Ray--his tongue was sticking out--when the bison get aggitated or want to communicate with each other the do this thing we call a "roar" which is a loud grunt and they stick their tongue out while doing this.   They cows/calves also communicate with short grunts.    I would have left the sound with the video but you couldn't hear anything but the wind.  We need to try and get some more video [on a still day] so you all can hear them. 
Thank you very kindly for the compliments on Josie!  She likes to dress like "Annie Oakley" and is usually behind the camera instead of in front of it.  My mom wanted to her to dress up like an old timey cowgirl so we could get some pictures of her. 
kind regards,
sandcreek 

It's a beautiful little picture, and given your proximity to the "101" ranch with it's preforming cowgirls, I thought of Lucille Mulhall when I saw it. she could outride and out shoot all her brothers early on. Your Mom had a very good idea.

ng

Thanks NG I knew the pic reminded me of someone!   

It's a beautiful little picture, and given your proximity to the "101" ranch with it's preforming cowgirls, I thought of Lucille Mulhall when I saw it. she could outride and out shoot all her brothers early on. Your Mom had a very good idea.

ng

Thanks naturegirl!  Josie is facinated with the "old west" and loves the old timey cowgirl look.  And one things for sure, she can shoot a gun !  So naturally she had to have an old gun in the picture(it was an old single shot .22 that belongs to my mom).  

Here's a link from "The Oklahoman" newspaper where they did a story on the round-up--thought you all might like to see it.    
http://www.newsok.com/where-the-bis...15530?custom_click=headlines_widget
And one from the Tulsa World newspaper  http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/arti...11_A22_Bisona750932&archive=yes
Both of these have videos and articles.
~~sandcreek~~

Sand ~ I've been meaning to post a reply here sooner.  I truly enjoyed the bison on the prairie, then you were adding more shots.  Love em all, including the video.  I know just how noisy they were during the process.  Oh yea, the nose tong/clamp (what we call it), OMG when you have to use it on one you would think the animal is being tortured or worst.

The picture of Josey is top rated in my book. 

Sure hope y'all will get to hunt with us during the Chisholm Trail Hunt III, in Caldwell, KS next May.  Seems another cattle drive through town will be taking place that same weekend.  That's another trip in itself.

  RR

Sand ~ I've been meaning to post a reply here sooner.  I truly enjoyed the bison on the prairie, then you were adding more shots.  Love em all, including the video.  I know just how noisy they were during the process.  Oh yea, the nose tong/clamp (what we call it), OMG when you have to use it on one you would think the animal is being tortured or worst.

The picture of Josey is top rated in my book. 

Sure hope y'all will get to hunt with us during the Chisholm Trail Hunt III, in Caldwell, KS next May.  Seems another cattle drive through town will be taking place that same weekend.  That's another trip in itself.

  RR

Thank you so much, River Rat!  You're so right about the nose tong----it looks a lot worse than what it really is!  The bison sure do bellow a lot while in the squeeze chute but when the cowboys put that clamp on their nose, they get real quiet.  It makes them think of something else besides getting their ear pierced(with the tag) . 
I hope to get to go on that Chisholm Trail hunt someday--it sounds like lots of fun!  If you come through our part of Oklahoma be sure and drive up here and see the Tallgrass Prairie!
kind regards,
sandcreek