Bison Safari, Jul 2009

Last tuesday I had a chance to guide Thomas and Sylvia from Germany/Austria in the Bialowieza Forest. We didn’t expect much as for this time of the year, nevertheless we decided to try and go Bisoning. Just after the first meters we walked into the forest, clear Bison tracks could be seen on the path which was a good sign we were on the right track.

It is difficult to write what happened later..
You would have to be there to experience this yourself. We walked straight into a huge old bull as we approached the desired area. Having taken the photos we watched him slowly dissappearing into the forest. His every step could be felt as the ground was shaking when he walked.

We decided to stay hidden there and wait for more animals to come out feeding. We didn’t have to wait long for the next Bison to come out of the forest, and the next one, and the next.. They walked feeding straight towards us, we had a perfect position. A large summer herd of females with young already assisted by two old males preparing for the rutting season to start in the August. After a loong hour we decided to get back so we retraced our steps slowly making sure the herd was not distracted.

Enjoy the photos!