# city folk what do you think about the bison? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 6, 2016, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235 "2016-07-06T16:49:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/21 "2016-07-08T17:26:48Z")
What’s the difference between a buffalo and a bison? [Australian accent]Yew cahn’t wash yer fice in a buffalo![/Aa] ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/22 "2016-07-08T18:33:31Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > The point is that in reality bison are dangerous creatures which will injury you if you get too close but the stories make you think that for people who are unused to being around animals, other than purse dogs or house cats, think that they’re walking teddy bears rather than animals which could easily kill you. I’m pretty sure most people know a “walking teddy bear” AKA “bear” can kill them. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/23 "2016-07-08T18:58:08Z")
Back in 2014 someone I work with attended a meeting in Jackson Hole WY and the registered participants received this greeting e-mail shortly before the date: > [@](#): > > Subject: A Note From Our Host In Jackson Hole > > Dear (Redacted) > > (… paragraph about weather expectations redacted …) > > In Wyoming, we know the animals that you see are not the fluffy kind that like people. We say it every year, and every year we have had some sad animal encounters. So, as a Wyoming host, I will say what everyone else from Wyoming will say – don’t touch the animals. There have been 3 grizzly bear incidents, so far this year in Wyoming. One ate a researcher. One ended in a dead bear. One ended in a mauling. Bears are not nice, and this time of year, they are eating all they can to store fat to hibernate. Buffalo, by nature, are cranky, skittish and stupid animals. They pose for photos right up until the time they charge and gore you. Leave them alone. Even small animals like skunks, raccoons and badgers can be fairly disagreeable. Take pictures, but use common sense. > > There are some great fishing guides who will take you out to some of the best fishing in the world. If you like to fish, this is the place. (You can touch the fish.) > > Tom Lubnau > Speaker of the House > Wyoming So remember, you may touch the fish. Good to know. The bison/American buffalo OTOH are cranky and stupid but will still let you get close enough to then stomp you. And he should know. The matter-of-fact statement about how “one [bear] ate a researcher” still makes this the best official business e-mail I saw that year. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/24 "2016-07-08T19:14:18Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I’m pretty sure most people know a “walking teddy bear” AKA “bear” can kill them. I don’t know about that… I remember a trip through Yellowstone where traffic was stopped because a mama bear and her cub were up in the road ahead. And people were getting out of their cars _with their kids in tow_ to go walk up and snap a picture. People are idiots. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/25 "2016-07-08T19:35:16Z")
You know whenever I see a bison standing on it’s own out in the cold I just can’t help but want to take it home and warm it up in my living room. Nature is co cruel. btw…not a city folk. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/26 "2016-07-08T19:48:11Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I don’t know about that… I remember a trip through Yellowstone where traffic was stopped because a mama bear and her cub were up in the road ahead. And people were getting out of their cars _with their kids in tow_ to go walk up and snap a picture. People are idiots. Our culture has created an image of bears as fuzzy, cuddly, friendly, benign forest critters, which is why I love this [Simpsons opening](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgm2zQpETSE). ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/27 "2016-07-08T20:06:34Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Uhm… wooly humped bulls? I think they’re basically bulls, only woolier and humpier than the ones I’m used to If you are from the city, a milk cow can be quite intimidating. > [@](#): > > Do you want lists, a headcount, English only, other languages…? Do you also want other locations, or only those two? Just enough evidence that film producers have tapped into people’s fear of nature. Heck, my domesticated cats aren’t crazy about “outside.” They are happy enough to look at it through a window, but the idea of going out the door into it terrifies one of them, and the other will go out only with me. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/28 "2016-07-08T20:32:05Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I’m pretty sure most people know a “walking teddy bear” AKA “bear” can kill them. You would be shocked at the number of people who will approach even a full grown bear and try to lure it with food, much less cubs. It is a testament to how generally non-aggressive the black bear (_Ursus americanus_) is that so few people are killed, and even those who are injured usually just receive mild defense wounds (with the caveat that even a defensive wound from a bear can knock someone unconscious or leave deep cuts into flesh). The people who think that bison are just big wooly cows a) don’t understand that they are, in fact, wild pack animals that are evolved to attack anything they perceive as a threat, b) can’t comprehend that bison are about eight to ten times the mass of a typical full grown human being, and capable of knocking someone down without even meaning to, and c) apparently have no appreciation for the fact that even domestic cows can be quite dangerous when spooked or protective as evidenced by the severity of injuries from cattle attacks. If you don’t know anything about wild animals and have never been around domestic livestock or any animals larger than a housepet, you should start with the assumption that anything can kill you if it doesn’t like your hairstyle, and go from there. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/29 "2016-07-08T20:41:11Z")
BTW, even domestic animals such as dogs and cats can be dangerous under the wrong circumstances. If people were more careful, there would be fewer bites. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/30 "2016-07-08T20:47:51Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Doubly so if you’re on roller skates. Just don’t go there. Nicely done. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/31 "2016-07-08T20:59:46Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Back in 2014 someone I work with attended a meeting in Jackson Hole WY and the registered participants received this greeting e-mail shortly before the date: > So remember, you may touch the fish. Good to know. The bison/American buffalo OTOH are cranky and stupid but will still let you get close enough to then stomp you. And he should know. > > The matter-of-fact statement about how “one [bear] ate a researcher” still makes this the best official business e-mail I saw that year. This is probably the researcher talked about > **[Utah Researcher Killed In Wyoming Bear Attack](https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/utah-researcher-killed-in-wyoming-bear-attack/)** > > Fremont County Undersheriff Ryan Lee said Stewart was in a remote area checking on a research plot when he failed to return as expected on Sept. 5. He was reported missing on Sept. 7, prompting a search. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/32 "2016-07-08T21:05:11Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > If you are from the city, a milk cow can be quite intimidating. . . . If you’ve grown up around cattle your whole life…a cow can still be quite intimidating! A friend of mine drove with me to Thermopolis, Wyoming – which is a lovely town, with a magnificent set of hot springs terraces, and they also have a really spiffing western history museum. I wanna go back… So there we were, parked in the little lot on the hilltop overlooking the town, right nearby a small grazing herd of bison. My friend walks off a way, then comes back, and says, ominously, “Guess what isn’t between us and those bison?” No fence. We skedaddled! ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2016, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/33 "2016-07-09T00:36:59Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > I think they are delicious. Not the ones I’ve eaten. Seemed rather greasy. Nowhere near as flavorful as prime aged beef. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2016, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/34 "2016-07-10T05:08:54Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Bison are big, strong, and a little grouchy. But, arguably, not grouchy enough. There are lots of human-bison encounters in a park like Yellowstone, and in most of them the bison are unaggressive, typically taking little notice of the humans. The vast majority of park visitors have heard that bison can be big trouble, but experience only rarely bears this out. The bisons’ mostly mild behavior undermines the warning. If they were more consistently threatening, people would be much less likely to do the foolish things that provoke trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2016, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/35 "2016-07-10T10:50:13Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > what do you think about parallel parking? Can’t say as I have ever had the urge to [parallel park a bison](https://youtu.be/rg1AjjECu1Y?t=3m56s). Way too kinky for me, but hay, them rural Canadians are a lot more open minded. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/36 "2016-07-10T16:42:20Z")
I don’t, I call them Buffalo. I say that having taken plenty of Biology and the rest of it, “Bison” just sounds affected and fucks up nickels and “Home On the Range.” ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/37 "2016-07-10T18:18:18Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Not the ones I’ve eaten. Seemed rather greasy. Nowhere near as flavorful as prime aged beef. I think you got a bad batch. Bison may not be as flavorful, but tends to be much less fatty. I don’t think it tastes greasy at all. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2016, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/38 "2016-07-10T19:29:06Z")
My favorite bison memory is seeing a small herd up in the Black Hills in early summer, peacefully grazing. Further off at higher elevation were a couple of coyotes, skulking around the perimeter, waiting for an opportunity to detach and dine on one of the spring calves. Ignorant city folk are probably not a prime enemy of bison. Think predators, and ranchers upset about rangeland competition and :dubious: brucellosis threats. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2016, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/39 "2016-07-10T21:14:34Z")
One fine bright morning in the Badlands, I woke and looked out of my tent to find myself in the company of several bison, including one about twenty feet away. I don’t think I had ever realized just how uncomfortably short a distance twenty feet is. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235/40 "2016-07-10T21:39:17Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > One fine bright morning in the Badlands, I woke and looked out of my tent to find myself in the company of several bison… I shot one in my pyjamas. How he got in my pyjamas, I’ll never know. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-folk-what-do-you-think-about-the-bison/759235.md?page=3)