You know you are retired when you start doing Bison Workshops for fun!  The first thing I learned, is they are not actually Buffalo… all American ‘buffalo’ are actually Bison.

 There are two herds being re-introduced into Arizona that are direct descendants of original bison that roamed the plains in the 1800’s before their virtual extinction.  One is in the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, which is a growing herd.  The other is managed by the AZGFD at Raymond Wilderness Area outside of Flagstaff.

We learned how to identify the boys from the girls.  Beside the obvious, the boys have a more thick curly fur on their foreheads, and their horns curl in.

We were told that these big guys were a relatively young herd, and none more than 3 years old.  I can only imagine them when they ‘grow up’.

We got this amazing opportunity to literally see them up close and personal… and it was a real thrill…. one that I would do again in a heartbeat.

Thanks to Mike and Deanna for joining us on this fun adventure.

For more bison pix, see my post… https://kritterspaw.com/2018/11/10/bison-are-back/