My Two Cents: Oh Give Me a Home, Where the Buffalo Roam

Picture a majestic herd of buffalo roaming quietly on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana. Enter Linda and her camera. What happened next was not something I am proud of, but was it really wrong to set them free?

After filling up our rental car at a little gas station on the reservation, we continued north towards Glacier National Park, our next destination on a 2-week trip through Montana. On the left side of the road, we saw the herd of buffalo mentioned above. We stopped the car, as we do every time we see wildlife, because heaven forbid we miss a shot. Chris stayed in the car with the kids on the opposite side of the road as I walked down a slight embankment and met a barb wire fence. Chris reminded me not to get too close because I used to need reminding of this. I told him about the fence and said I would not be long; all I wanted was a few good photos.

Back in 1998 when we took this trip, I was still shooting slide film using manual settings. It took a minute or two to meter and make sure I had the settings I wanted. As I started clicking away, I noticed the bull of the herd looking at me. Not surprisingly, he did not seem to appreciate my presence. I guess he either heard the clicks or saw me up against the fence on 'his' embankment. He started walking towards where I was standing. When the pace of his walk picked up, I looked down to reassure myself that there was indeed a barb wire fence separating me from an angry wild bull. I scanned left and right and to my horror there was a huge section of the fence missing to my right.

I looked back at the bull and now he was really moving his hooves. To make matters worse, the rest of the herd was following him. As I hauled my rear-end up the embankment, 10-year old Jonathan snapped a photo of me from the car with his little instamatic camera. I retreated to the safety of our vehicle and we helplessly watched the herd walk through the gaping hole, one by one, snapping more photos. Yes indeed, I single-handedly caused a herd of buffalo to leave their grassy plain and enter the road.

Being the upstanding citizen I am, we went back to the gas station to report that there were buffalo on the road and asked if they knew whom to tell so they didn't get hurt. I might have failed to mention how the buffalo got there, but they didn't need to know all the details, right?

I wish I could find that photo Jonathan took; it was the best of the bunch, capturing the moment I knew I had to run for it. You'll have to settle for these shots though, converted from the slides.