Frawley Ranch Bison – Up Close and Personal
.
Just north of Deadwood and the Black Hills National Forest is Centennial Valley and location of the 4,750 acre Frawley Ranch (estab. 1880), the largest and most successful cattle ranch in western South Dakota.
Today Frawley Ranch is one of only two National Historic Sites in the entire state of South Dakota. (more on the interesting history of Frawley Ranch here)
Frawley Ranch provides a glimpse into pioneer life with restoration of the historical buildings and their natural environment, while incorporating modern development for the future that now includes the Elkhorn Ridge Golf Course, “Upper Ranch” Courthouse Barns venue for weddings, real estate development, and the Elkhorn Ridge RV Resort (where we’ve been camping for the past few weeks).
To add historical authenticity, Frawley Ranch includes a small herd of bison. Today the herd contains approximately 30 bison, including the calves born this past spring. The herd takes care of themselves. The ranch does provide a huge bale of hay during the harsh winters to assist their survival.
I found out we were able to take a private tour to go out to see these bison on the prairie. This would include feeding them. 😲
We met ranch hand Eric at the Courthouse Barns and climbed into a ranch vehicle for the ride. I rode in the back seat along with a five gallon bucket of bison ‘treats’.
.
Frawley “Upper” Ranch Courthouse Barns (now also a wedding venue)
.
Heading out onto the prairie, the herd of bison was spread out and could be seen grazing.
.
Frawley Ranch bison out on the prairie
.
Frawley Ranch bison
.
Eric told us once the herd saw us, they would come running. Sure enough, they did!
.
Bison cows and calves running after us
.
They wasted no time in getting right up to our windows, looking for a treat.
.
Treat please!
You have a treat for me too?
Me too!!
(sniff sniff) I smell a treat!
.
My husband feeding a treat
.
With their impressive size and strength, it was incredible to be up close & personal and see their gentle side. There was no aggressiveness because we did not provoke them.
.
Did you know bison have blue tongues?
.
Bison’s blue tongue
.
The females (cows) were the first to the truck to beat the picking order. There are two bulls in the Frawley Ranch herd. We watched the massive young bull take his time meandering to the truck. All the females and calves quickly got out of the way as he approached us.
.
Young Bull
Young Bull
.
The young bull was getting his share of treats, but he was also getting wary of another approaching bull. The head bull of the herd.
.
Head Bull “Pig” making a grand entrance
.
Head Bull “Pig”
Head Bull “Pig”
Head Bull “Pig”
.
Photo close-ups….bison eyes….
.
.
“When you look a wild animal in the eye, it’s like catching a glimpse into the soul of nature itself.” — Paul Oxton
.
.
Bison fur….
.
.
.
Oh, the adorable calves! These calves (also nicknamed “red dogs” in some parts of the country) were born this past April/May….
.
.
.
.
Little blue tongue
.
This calf is a year old, born Spring 2020.
.
Calf a year old, born Spring 2020
.
Calf with its Mama
.
Of course, all good things come to an end! Eric maneuvered the truck away from the bison for our departure.
.
.
But we had one Mama bison and her calf that decided to escort us back, it was awesome as they ran alongside us.
.
.
As we crested over the prairie hill to head back down to the ranch gates, the female and calf stopped and watched us. Precious!
,
“We enjoyed your visit, come back again!”
.
It is obvious the bison are well cared for with love and respect. And though we were in very close proximity to them, there is no real safe way to approach these dangerous wild animals. If they feel threatened, they will charge and bite.
Thank you, Eric, for your tour, it was a thrilling experience we will not forget! (Another thank you to Eric in the next post too! 😉)
.
.
Black Hills Bison
.
Custer State Park lies within the Black Hills National Forest and encompasses 71,000 of the 1.2 million acres of the forest.
Home to more than 1,400 bison, Custer State Park has one of the world’s largest publicly-owned herds. There are several dirt roads throughout to follow, including an 18-mile paved wildlife loop where it is easy to pull over to view and photograph.
I was disappointed that the only wildlife we saw on the loop were the friendly wild burro herd that roam freely here. They were way out in the distance, so we didn’t do the long hike out to them that many people were doing.
Where were those 1,400 bison that loved to block the road?
We left the loop and decided to follow and enjoy one of the several other scenic drives that run through/alongside Custer State Park. There are very few areas to pull off, the roads are very windy and twisty crazy. Almost death defying at times!
So how lucky were we to come to one of the few pull-outs to find a small herd of bison!
.
Bison
.
Bison
.
To the left of the herd, all alone, was this herd’s impressive head bull.
.
Bison Head Bull
.
Here and there, we’ve continued to spot bison off in a fleeting distance, but to date no road blocks. Darn.
But I do have a surprise in my next post sharing more bison. It’s an up-close and personal experience! Did you know the bison’s tongue is blue?
.
.
Western Meadowlark in Song
.
As I walk along the trails at the back of the campground in the mornings or evenings, I can hear Western Meadowlarks calling out in the grasslands. If I’m lucky, one will take a high perch on one of the trees at the campground’s property edge and belt out a beautiful song!
.
Western Meadowlark
.
.
Black Hills Rock Climber
.
While reviewing this photo I took along the Needles Scenic Highway in the Black Hills National Forest, I noticed a ‘spot’ at the top of one of the tallest rock formations.
It was a rock climber! Here, I’ll show you.
.
Can you see the rock climber?
.
Now can you see the rock climber?
.
Ah-ha!
.
Go back to my first photo, and I bet you see that spot I did! 🙂
.
.
Black Hills National Forest
.
Our venturing through and around the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota has been a wonderful adventure. It is quite gorgeous every where we drive, no matter the direction!
Here are some of my favorites from the last couple weeks taken within the Black Hills.
.
.
The name “Black Hills” comes from the Lakota words Paha Sapa, which mean “hills that are black”. Seen from a distance, these ponderosa pine-covered hills appear black.
.
.
It is from the surrounding prairies the Black Hills rise.
.
.
.
The Black Hills National Forest straddles between western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming and consists of 1.2 million acres of forested hills and mountains.
.
A peek at Sylvan Lake with dramatic sky
(I had to crop out the ugly road guardrail at bottom of shot)
.
Pactola Reservoir
.
Pactola Reservoir another day
.
As you can see, I loved taking our scenic drives on partly cloudy days.
.
.
I am guessing I’ll be sharing more landscape photos of the Black Hills National Forest….I’ve got one more folder that I’ve not looked at yet….and tomorrow we’re going cruising again. 🙂
.
.
American Robins
.
Whew, we’ve been on the go the last few days! I had these American Robin photos processed just before, so I’ll present those. 🙂
There’s a nice walking/biking path around the campground, and there are Robins everywhere. I liked this shot of an adult American Robin lit with the evening sun.
.
American Robin (adult)
.
I found this fledgling on the sidewalk part of the path.
It did not want to move and just stood there looking at me.
I took a few more steps. Still not moving…..and now giving me the dare stare. 🤨
.
American Robin (teenager 😉 )
.
American Robin close-up
.
You should have seen me standing there talking to coax it to move on so I could pass through. 😅 Finally, it flew off!
.
.
Series: Take A Moment and Enjoy A Sunset
.
Time for a sunset! I photographed this one from the back of our campground in South Dakota.
First, the eastern clouds lit up behind me, creating a gorgeous, dramatic sky.
.
.
As the eastern sky slowly darkened, the western sky started to blaze.
And then the sun set.
.
.
I took this last photo walking back to our campsite. It turned out pretty cool, so I’ll add it as a bonus.
.
.
“Clouds come floating into my life,
no longer to carry rain or usher storm,
but to add color to my sunset sky.”
―
.
.
Balancing Act
.
My last post shared the new-to-me Brewer’s Blackbird, and we have another blackbird as well at the campground, the Red-winged Blackbird.
.
Red-winged Blackbird (male)
.
I enjoy photographing these birds on dried reeds for the nice contrast and seeing their great balancing acts.
.
Red-winged Blackbirds (female and her mate)
.
Most of us know these territorial birds found abundantly across much of North America. They are certainly quick to let us know they are around with their loud calls!
.
.
Brewer’s Blackbird
.
Sooooo…..I was lounging (being lazy) in our campsite and noticed blackbirds coming and going from the pine tree in the site next to us that was presently empty. When the male perched atop the tree and started singing, I knew it was a different species of blackbird. It got me up and out of that chair too! 😉
Welcome to my lifer list #232 Brewer’s Blackbird! A common blackbird that resides and/or migrates over three-quarters of the U.S., it is rare to find along most of the east coast including where I live.
.
Brewer’s Blackbird (male)
.
Brewer’s Blackbird (female) picking up nesting materials
.
Right after taking the above photos, the male swooped down and suddenly began mating with the female.
I shot 18 photos, but who wants to see that many of birds doing it. 😅 I’ll share three in this slideshow.
.
.
And like any other wildlife mating session, it was over just as quickly as it started.
.
“Mr. Proud-of-Myself”
.
Then zip zip, both took flight and were gone!
.
.
Badlands National Park – Bighorn Sheep
.
This is the last in my series sharing the Badlands National Park from our recent visit, with this gallery of photos of bighorn sheep, specifically female (ewes) and lambs. (Get ready for super-cuteness a little further down!)
We did see a herd of males (rams) at a great distance; but by the time we reached the area on the scenic drive loop, they were gone.
.
Bighorn sheep (four ewes, two lambs)
.
There were about 2 million bighorn sheep before their decline due to European expansion into the American West, causing bighorn populations to plummet to just 20,000 by 1940.
Conservationists stepped in to defend and protect the species.
In 1964, the Badlands received 22 bighorn sheep translocated from Pike’s Peak in Colorado. The park later received a second population in 2004 from Wheeler Peak in New Mexico. The Badlands National Park now serves as home to about 250 bighorn out of the 80,000 which exist in the United States today.
.
Bighorn sheep feeding
.
Bighorn sheep are grazers, eating grasses and shrubs.
After descending to grasslands to quickly eat large amounts of vegetation, bighorn sheep will then retreat to cliffs away from predators.
Once safe on the cliffs, bighorn sheep regurgitate their food and chew it as cud before digesting it fully.
.
Bighorn ewe feeding
.
Badlands NP have fitted many bighorn sheep with numbers and GPS collars so that park rangers can monitor their positions.
.
Bighorn ewe #50 fitted with a GPS collar
.
Bighorn ewe fitted with GPS collar (# tag on other side)
.
Bighorn ewes give birth during the spring, and hide their lambs on narrow, rocky ledges at higher elevations in order to protect them from almost all predators.
.
Bighorn ewes and lambs
.
After breeding, the ewes and lambs live together in large herds. Lambs nurse until they’re about six months old.
.
Young lamb nursing
.
If the lamb is female, it will stay with its mother’s herd throughout its life.
However, if the lamb is male, it will leave its mother’s herd at about 2-4 years old and seek out to live with a bachelor group led by a dominant ram.
.
Momma with her little lambs
.
When we came upon the location where most of these photos were taken, there was a pair of lambs exploring the cliffs. I think my heart skipped a beat quite a few times!
.
Two lambs exploring their home of cliffs
.
“Follow me!”
.
Lamb climbing up side of cliff with ease
.
“Hey, let’s go down there!”
.
The little lambs really did look like they were having fun. I could have watched them and this herd for hours.
A few more of my favorites….
.
Bighorn ewe keeping watch
.
Young bighorn down below with others
.
Bay Photos by Donna 