A bison cold morning

Some valleys of southwest Utah do see sun until mid-morning, and wintry air descends during the night.

 Lakes glaze over with thin ice, while an icy crust can form on the banks of steadily moving rivers. The temperature stays in the teens even as the sun has clearly risen at higher elevations. Just don’t expect it to bother the bison. 

West of Mt. Carmel Junction, the turnoff to Zion National Park’s east entrance, a herd of several dozen grazed quietly. None of the usual grunts. The bison live on the Zion Mountain Ranch, a resort of cabins and lodges facing the mountains. 

The bison herd roams the land, and the ranch has a “Bison Viewing Area” sign posted so travelers can stop. Tourist trap? Sure, but I won’t turn down a chance to observe bison. Fortunately on this morning, the herd stood close to the road, as bison territory can be extensive and they could have been miles away. 

Winter had reached them, despite scant evidence of winter elsewhere in the west. Frost covered their backs, and they couldn’t have cared less. Bison coats and thick skin provide ample protection from winter; they would not have felt those wisps of frost. 

They snorted out each cloud of breath onto their small prairie. Icicles dangles from their beards. This year’s baby bison lost their rusty red coats and sported the brown coats of adults. 

In the chilly morning, the bison went about their business. Some drank water from places in their pond where ice had not formed. As ranch bison, they had supplies of hay and were not forced to graze solely from the scrubby grasses. Several bulls had the green alfalfa hay mashed into the condensation on their beards. 

One bison seated closer to the road seemed to pose. I could not tell if it was a young bull or a female, as they tend to look similar until the bulls reach maturity and grow much larger. 

On the cold ground, this bison rolled around on its back, wallowing away the cold. Bison wallow to get insects out of their hide in summer and relieve itching skin. The dirt bath can also have social implications within the herd. It was hard to tell what meaning it carried. I just took pictures and watched.

Then the bison sprang to its feet and stared directly at me. Despite a fence and 30 feet for a head start, I trotted back to the car. The cold does not make bison behavior less predictable.