Story by Ranger Gary Youngblood (early 80s)
“So there I was…”
This Bison story was published in the Bozeman paper by Rick Gale, who wrote on and off about being a ranger in Yellowstone. My version is a little different.
A 68-year-old woman was gored near Buffalo Ford along the Grand Loop Road. She had approached the bison for a photo and was hit in the usual place — running away, but not fast enough. I once had a horse gored twice in the same spot… but I digress.
Rick and I responded from Lake. The injury wasn’t life-threatening, and she was transported to Lake Hospital. The plan was to mark the bison to determine if it was a problem animal.
We knew who the problem was — but we were told to mark the bison anyway.
There was no real protocol, so I went back to Lake, grabbed a couple zip lock bags and some backcountry sign paint, filled the bags, and returned. Rick was covering me with a shotgun while I approached the bison, which was bedded down in the trees.
At some point an interpreter showed up with a camera, so I had to go back and get my flat hat. No way I was getting photographed out of the vehicle without it. Proper Class A uniform.
I approached and threw the first bag of paint. The bison stood up, clearly offended. The photo shows me about to throw the second.
What happened next had Rick laughing so hard he couldn’t have shot the bison if needed.
The interpretive ranger stopped dead in his tracks as I wove through the trees with the bison in pursuit. It turned into a foot race — and somehow, I won.
I may have set a speed record for a ranger in Class A uniform.
For reference, I was wearing Pivetta Class V boots… not exactly known for running.
The bison was monitored for several days. The paint wore off, and there were no further issues.
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