“There is nothing ordinary about Custer State Park. As you enter this magnificent reserve, it takes only minutes for the enchantment to begin beguiling your senses.” It is certainly magnificent with its rolling green grasslands spotted with ponderosa pines in the southern area and rugged granite boulders and spires with pine and spruce forests further north. Taking center stage is one of the most powerful icons of the American West - the six foot tall bison weighing up to 2,000 pounds. A free roaming herd of about 1,300 call Custer home. We drove along the Wildlife Loop Road taking a couple of well marked gravel roads through this beautiful grassland. We saw a small herd of bison along the highway but were thrilled to see more than a couple of hundred off a gravel road. They were busy grazing with their babies sticking close by. Babies were everywhere running, nursing, and playing as the whole herd moved along. A couple of the big gals rolled in the dirt having a grand old time. As we continued our ride, we realized the entire group was moving down the valley to a little pond for a drink. Some were in the water up to their bellies and others were standing by the shore getting a drink. When they were done, they strolled across the road right in front of us and gathered on a grassy hill to continue munching. What a sight!!! Needless to say we were thrilled to see them roaming the grasslands as they have done for thousands of years. Before the 1890’s, millions and millions of bison roamed the grasslands but by the turn of the century there were less than 1,000 on the entire continent. Thanks to people like Peter Norbeck, Father to Custer State Park, action was taken to preserve this native beast right here. In 1914, 36 bison were purchased to start a herd here and by the 1940’s the herd numbered over 2,500. They have found that this area can safely handle about 1,300 healthy bison today.
We also saw pronghorns that were usually by themselves. We went into the small Wildlife Visitor Center and found out that the pronghorn are usually by themselves right now. The mothers are having their babies and the guys are leaving them alone. The Visitor Center has a magnetic board with a map of the wildlife area with all the gravel roads marked. They have a couple of magnetic buffalo that can be moved to show where you might have a good chance of seeing them. Pretty cool.
We drove into Custer to get a few supplies. Faye and John will be here by June 15th and we want to have a bar-b-q at the Manor. It’s a nice little town right outside the park.
After dinner, yes we actually cooked, we drove the Wildlife Loop Road again hoping to see some different birds and wildlife. We had some good sightings of white-tailed deer with their long tails flipped up as they ran. We also saw the mule deer bounce along on all fours and more pronghorn. This is the time to see babies! We had some luck with some different bird sightings also. The bison were right back up in the area where we had first seen them. This time many of the babies were lying down and the herd was calmer. We turned around and headed home after watching a glowing sunset.
No comments:
Post a Comment