Forest Grump

There is no better animal to work with using remotes than the American bison. They don’t care what’s in front of them, and unlike lions, they won’t confiscate the camera either!

It is the only way to get close. The rangers in Yellowstone rigidly impose a 25 yard rule and we would never knowingly breach that - it’s obviously there for a reason. Bison can weigh as much as a grand piano and can move at 40 mph. There is every reason to behave in their oldest home with great caution.

When placing remotes, the animals have to be at least 100 yards away so that I have time to pre-manually focus and make the camera settings, which can take up to 10 seconds.

On Wednesday, the bison near Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park were coated in frost and this gave me an opportunity I have never had before. We eventually got there. Yay!