American Bison

A bull bison walking straight at the viewer, head low, dust lifting off the ground under his hooves.

Yellowstone is the only place in the lower 48 states where bison have lived free continuously since prehistoric times, and the 2025 estimate put its herds at nearly 5,300 animals, split between the northern range and the Hayden and Pelican valleys.

A bull is built for open country. He can weigh up to 2,000 pounds, run 35 miles an hour and swim across rivers. From late July through August, during the rut, the mature males bellow and roll in dirt wallows to show who is in charge, and the dust hangs over the valleys in the evening light.

The picture is black and white and dark. A low storm ceiling covers the sky, a snow-capped range sits on the left horizon, and sage and dry grass run across a flat valley floor. The bull fills most of the frame, angling toward the lower left, his shaggy head and hump almost black, pale horns curving up and in, a small cloud of dust at his feet. It is a heavy image, made for a big wall.