"The whole herd is heading your way" yelled the man in the red pick-up. Slowly two brown behemoths appeared over the hill followed by a sea of at least 200 bison or buffalo as they are more commonly referred to.

No animal symbolizes the American West more than the bison, the largest and oldest game animal. The bison survived the massive slaughter of their species as man decimated the herd from 40-50 million to just a few hundred survivors during the 19th century as the railroads connected the east and west coasts. The population today is about 100,000 animals throughout the continental US.

When you think about a good place to observe or photograph bison, or Tatanka as the Lakota (Sioux) people refer to them, Yellowstone National Park usually comes to mind and with good reason. Bison can be photographed in unique settings during all four seasons and as an added bonus you also have the geysers for a backdrop if the bison cooperate.

This year I discovered a new location to photograph bison, Custer State Park in South Dakota just a short drive from Rapid City. Custer is the largest of South Dakota's State Parks and was the most visited park in 2004 with over 1.8 million people traveling through the parks 71,000 acres.

Custer State Park has a bison population of 1,500 animals but there is more wildlife present than just bison. Pronghorn antelope, elk, deer, mountain goats, bighorn sheep and burros are the larger inhabitants of Custer. Smaller species of mammals include: prairie dogs, ground squirrels, rabbits and marmots. Birds such as the Meadowlark and bluebird are frequently found in the parks open areas.

Custer is considered a mixed-grass prairie and with the rain prior to my visit in June there were many wildflowers blooming and more interestingly, the calls from frogs could be heard coming from the small ponds that had formed as a result of the spring rains. Try as we might, we could never visually locate the frogs to make a positive ID. As we approached the ponds the almost deafening calls fell silent as the frogs tried to avoid detection. Once we were out of sight the rumpus started again in an almost taunting manner.

After dealing with the frustrating attempts to locate and photograph the frogs we decided to go for a sure thing with the bison. After all, how can you miss a 2000 pound animal right? Wrong! While driving the 18 mile wildlife loop there were no bison to be seen, where were they? Were they evading us like the frogs? Finally, coming out of a downhill curve there they were a herd of about 150.

The herd consisted mostly of cows with their calves which had been born just a short time earlier. The brick colored calves provided great photo opportunities as well as entertainment as they frolicked with each other and nursed from mama. Usually before nursing the calf would slam its head against the udders probably as a means to begin the flow of milk but this was usually met with a nasty look from mama followed by a bellow.

There is never a dull moment when photographing herd dynamics, juveniles often spar as a means to prepare themselves for establishing dominancy later on, interactions with calves and their mothers as well as the calves themselves and portraits are all good photo subjects but it really gets exciting when the big boys come out to play.

During the rut, which generally takes place in late summer or early fall but can also take place as early as June, bulls will run other bulls off to win the affections of the cows and to establish their harem. Sometimes just an intimidating look or close approach will send the challenger running to seek romance elsewhere. Other times the opposing bull won't back down so easily and if the more passive means of intimidation doesn't work then perhaps a more aggressive means may be required as bulls may begin to bellow, snort or paw the ground and finally physical contact may result as the bulls charge each other and collide head to head until once decides to back down.

No trip to Custer would be complete without a drive on the Needles Highway where towering granite formations dominate the skyline. Another attraction you might not want to miss is the bison round-up in September.

Aside from photography, Custer provides opportunities for mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing and jeep rides right into the bison herd. There are plenty of activities for non-photographers as well as photographers in the home where the buffalo roam.

Editor's Comment: Let us know what you think! Please email the Editor to let us know your thoughts.