Bear Chases Bison on a Highway in Yellowstone
November 11, 2010 6:46 PM Subscribe
So, there's these two bison out walking. All of a sudden they go around a corner and there's a Grizzly Bear.
The first Bison stops, reaches into his backpack and pulls out two pairs of track shoes and starts to put them on...
The second Bison says, "you really think you'll outrun that Bear with those shoes?"...
The first Bison says, "nope, I just need to outrun you...."
posted by HuronBob at 6:51 PM on November 11, 2010 [9 favorites]
The first Bison stops, reaches into his backpack and pulls out two pairs of track shoes and starts to put them on...
The second Bison says, "you really think you'll outrun that Bear with those shoes?"...
The first Bison says, "nope, I just need to outrun you...."
posted by HuronBob at 6:51 PM on November 11, 2010 [9 favorites]
One of the captions notes that the bison survived the chase, but was put down the next (?) day when park rangers found it.
posted by Decimask at 6:53 PM on November 11, 2010
posted by Decimask at 6:53 PM on November 11, 2010
What on earth burned the bison?
Where on earth was that photographer standing? And how did he have the balls to remain standing there?
These are my questions.
posted by angrycat at 6:57 PM on November 11, 2010 [3 favorites]
Where on earth was that photographer standing? And how did he have the balls to remain standing there?
These are my questions.
posted by angrycat at 6:57 PM on November 11, 2010 [3 favorites]
This is definitely the best of the photos.
invizible hoverboard
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 6:59 PM on November 11, 2010 [5 favorites]
invizible hoverboard
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 6:59 PM on November 11, 2010 [5 favorites]
Angrycat, from the article:
1. Boiling water - plenty of natural sulfurous hot springs in Yellowstone.
2. Next to his car, on the highway. They ran by so close he "could probably have touched them."
posted by m@f at 7:00 PM on November 11, 2010
1. Boiling water - plenty of natural sulfurous hot springs in Yellowstone.
2. Next to his car, on the highway. They ran by so close he "could probably have touched them."
posted by m@f at 7:00 PM on November 11, 2010
> What on earth burned the bison?
Yellowstone is full of giant boiling geysers and mineral pools.
Article mentions he was just standing next to his car, almost thought to climb on top to get out of the way, but the bison / bear closed the quarter between him so fast he didn't have time to react.
posted by mrzarquon at 7:02 PM on November 11, 2010
Yellowstone is full of giant boiling geysers and mineral pools.
Article mentions he was just standing next to his car, almost thought to climb on top to get out of the way, but the bison / bear closed the quarter between him so fast he didn't have time to react.
posted by mrzarquon at 7:02 PM on November 11, 2010
Surely this is actually a viral campaign for a stockbroker.
posted by Abiezer at 7:06 PM on November 11, 2010 [16 favorites]
posted by Abiezer at 7:06 PM on November 11, 2010 [16 favorites]
Seeing the burns on that bison reminded me of the unfortunate story of David Allen Kirwan on Wikipedia's list of unusual deaths. Thanks, MetaFilter!
posted by jsnlxndrlv at 7:06 PM on November 11, 2010
posted by jsnlxndrlv at 7:06 PM on November 11, 2010
Not very good photos in any technical sense, but what an exciting sequence! I just spent a month in Yellowstone and the closest I got to that was a Grizzly guarding his already dead elk. Right place, right time, I guess!
posted by blaneyphoto at 7:06 PM on November 11, 2010
posted by blaneyphoto at 7:06 PM on November 11, 2010
As much as this is an amazing thing to see, the photos themselves are pretty crappy.
posted by snofoam at 7:07 PM on November 11, 2010
posted by snofoam at 7:07 PM on November 11, 2010
After they put the Bison down because of its injuries, they put the body where the magpies, vultures and bears have first dibs.
These were taken with a regular old point and shoot digital. He stood there like Stonewall Jackson. Awesome.
I love that he says his grandkids are most impressed.
posted by AugustWest at 7:08 PM on November 11, 2010
These were taken with a regular old point and shoot digital. He stood there like Stonewall Jackson. Awesome.
I love that he says his grandkids are most impressed.
posted by AugustWest at 7:08 PM on November 11, 2010
This is definitely the best of the photos.
I came in to post that that was the point where I would have lost bladder control.
posted by Joe Beese at 7:09 PM on November 11, 2010 [4 favorites]
I came in to post that that was the point where I would have lost bladder control.
posted by Joe Beese at 7:09 PM on November 11, 2010 [4 favorites]
What on earth burned the bison?
Yellowstone is full of giant boiling geysers and mineral pools.
Yeah, seems to be that. The article just said "numerous hot spots." In retrospect, hot springs is kind of the only thing that makes sense. Luckily, Google found a bunch of pictures of bison hanging out near hot springs. Can't say I blame them! Looks comfy.
Although, that picture of the burned bison sure did make me sad. I know getting eaten by a bear is worse than getting scalded, but at least there's a whole circle of life reason for that.
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 7:10 PM on November 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Yellowstone is full of giant boiling geysers and mineral pools.
Yeah, seems to be that. The article just said "numerous hot spots." In retrospect, hot springs is kind of the only thing that makes sense. Luckily, Google found a bunch of pictures of bison hanging out near hot springs. Can't say I blame them! Looks comfy.
Although, that picture of the burned bison sure did make me sad. I know getting eaten by a bear is worse than getting scalded, but at least there's a whole circle of life reason for that.
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 7:10 PM on November 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
The photo captions said "fell in a boiling pool" or something like that.
As for the picture quality: Next time, I guess the photographer should call a time out and set up a tripod or something.
posted by DU at 7:13 PM on November 11, 2010 [3 favorites]
As for the picture quality: Next time, I guess the photographer should call a time out and set up a tripod or something.
posted by DU at 7:13 PM on November 11, 2010 [3 favorites]
It's kind of weird how much emphasis the article has on this guy's supposedly amazing photography skills, detailing how he got started taking photos, the type of camera he had, his advice to other photographers, etc. It's not like they're artfully composed shots or anything. He's just a lucky dude with a camera.
It's important to focus on the facts here:
1. Nature is a BAMF.
2. This guy has balls the size of grapefruit.
posted by phunniemee at 7:15 PM on November 11, 2010
It's important to focus on the facts here:
1. Nature is a BAMF.
2. This guy has balls the size of grapefruit.
posted by phunniemee at 7:15 PM on November 11, 2010
As much as this is an amazing thing to see, the photos themselves are pretty crappy.
Not everyone can be Ansel Adams with a bear running at them at top speed, I guess.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 7:15 PM on November 11, 2010 [24 favorites]
Not everyone can be Ansel Adams with a bear running at them at top speed, I guess.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 7:15 PM on November 11, 2010 [24 favorites]
The bear may well have gone after that particular bison because of the burns. An injured animal is an easier kill.
Also, already parboiled!
posted by Jilder at 7:17 PM on November 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Also, already parboiled!
posted by Jilder at 7:17 PM on November 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
I was initially disappointed to see the photos weren't that good, but also confused (like phunniemee) by the emphasis in the article on the guy as a photographer. Even if they call him an amateur photographer, what does that mean when everyone has a camera?
If I see some crazy shit on YouTube that was captured by a surveillance camera I don't refer to the surveillance camera as an amateur filmmaker.
posted by snofoam at 7:19 PM on November 11, 2010
If I see some crazy shit on YouTube that was captured by a surveillance camera I don't refer to the surveillance camera as an amateur filmmaker.
posted by snofoam at 7:19 PM on November 11, 2010
I got charged by a bison out in the South Dakota Badlands once. I said some words very loudly.
posted by shakespeherian at 7:19 PM on November 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by shakespeherian at 7:19 PM on November 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
It's a real-life metaphor for what's happened to the economy. Amazing.
posted by mullingitover at 7:20 PM on November 11, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by mullingitover at 7:20 PM on November 11, 2010 [3 favorites]
The shortage of pic-a-nic baskets this year is really taking its toll.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 7:20 PM on November 11, 2010 [5 favorites]
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 7:20 PM on November 11, 2010 [5 favorites]
The thing that gets me is that the guy had the gumption to take out his camera and actually take pictures. I would have been far too busy pissing down my leg or pooping my pants.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 7:21 PM on November 11, 2010
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 7:21 PM on November 11, 2010
angrycat: "What on earth burned the bison?"
To find out, turn to image 6.
posted by boo_radley at 7:25 PM on November 11, 2010
To find out, turn to image 6.
posted by boo_radley at 7:25 PM on November 11, 2010
It's kind of weird how much emphasis the article has on this guy's supposedly amazing photography skills, detailing how he got started taking photos, the type of camera he had, his advice to other photographers, etc. It's not like they're artfully composed shots or anything.
...
It's important to focus on the facts here:
1. Nature is a BAMF.
2. This guy has balls the size of grapefruit.
I'm not a photographer, but it seems like point number two is one of the things that makes a good photographer, especially when it comes to nature, disasters, and war. I have bad eyes, unsteady hands, and no sense of composition, but even I could get a good picture of a tank crashing through the wall of the room I'm in, as long as I took a half-second to line up the shot right. Except that my first thought would be "What the hell! Come on! Fuck!" and not "Oh man I hope the lighting is okay."
Although your point still stands. But hey, you get a good story about a bear chasing a bison, and you gotta fill up some space. Might as well ask the guy what camera he's using.
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 7:27 PM on November 11, 2010
...
It's important to focus on the facts here:
1. Nature is a BAMF.
2. This guy has balls the size of grapefruit.
I'm not a photographer, but it seems like point number two is one of the things that makes a good photographer, especially when it comes to nature, disasters, and war. I have bad eyes, unsteady hands, and no sense of composition, but even I could get a good picture of a tank crashing through the wall of the room I'm in, as long as I took a half-second to line up the shot right. Except that my first thought would be "What the hell! Come on! Fuck!" and not "Oh man I hope the lighting is okay."
Although your point still stands. But hey, you get a good story about a bear chasing a bison, and you gotta fill up some space. Might as well ask the guy what camera he's using.
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 7:27 PM on November 11, 2010
And that was how Eadward Muybridge produced scientific proof that in a full gallop, a grizzly bear does in fact have all four of his paws off the ground at the same time.
posted by Curious Artificer at 7:29 PM on November 11, 2010 [20 favorites]
posted by Curious Artificer at 7:29 PM on November 11, 2010 [20 favorites]
I just realized that had I actually been there, I might have well have laid down on the highway and stayed motionless, because that's what Elmer Fudd did in the cartoon.
posted by Joe Beese at 7:31 PM on November 11, 2010
posted by Joe Beese at 7:31 PM on November 11, 2010
Stephen Colbert called it, once again. Bears are the greatest threat to humanity (and badly burned bison).
Poor guy.
posted by black rainbows at 7:32 PM on November 11, 2010
Poor guy.
posted by black rainbows at 7:32 PM on November 11, 2010
I work with all sorts of cinematographers and photogs and this guy did okay--knowing when to snap is hard. If he'd been shooting film/video he'd have the entire sequence, but shooting individual frames it's hard to judge which is THE moment. I think he judged pretty well.
posted by Ideefixe at 7:38 PM on November 11, 2010
posted by Ideefixe at 7:38 PM on November 11, 2010
It's obviously a guy in a bear suit. Oh, I don't doubt that the bison is real, but that's a guy in a bear suit, for sure.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:41 PM on November 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:41 PM on November 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
This one was separated from the herd. The rest were up in the sky.
posted by Anything at 7:45 PM on November 11, 2010
posted by Anything at 7:45 PM on November 11, 2010
Not very good photos in any technical sense. . .
As much as this is an amazing thing to see, the photos themselves are pretty crappy.
No, see in every sense these photos are awesome because they have a fucking bear chasing a fucking bison in them. That is the dirty little secret no one wants to tell you about photography: all your composition and lighting and framing and other bullshit don't mean shit if you take pictures of road signs and weird hats and all the other stupid shit you see when you go to Metafilter user's flicker feed. The only pictures anyone wants to see are of 1) people they know 2) naked ladies 3) famous people 4) things that are awesome. If you aren't taking a picture of one of those things then you are just wasting megapixels cause nobody gives a shit. But they couldn't charge you for Photgraphy 101 if the only lesson was "Go somewhere something awesome might happen and take a camera with you."
posted by ND¢ at 7:51 PM on November 11, 2010 [143 favorites]
As much as this is an amazing thing to see, the photos themselves are pretty crappy.
No, see in every sense these photos are awesome because they have a fucking bear chasing a fucking bison in them. That is the dirty little secret no one wants to tell you about photography: all your composition and lighting and framing and other bullshit don't mean shit if you take pictures of road signs and weird hats and all the other stupid shit you see when you go to Metafilter user's flicker feed. The only pictures anyone wants to see are of 1) people they know 2) naked ladies 3) famous people 4) things that are awesome. If you aren't taking a picture of one of those things then you are just wasting megapixels cause nobody gives a shit. But they couldn't charge you for Photgraphy 101 if the only lesson was "Go somewhere something awesome might happen and take a camera with you."
posted by ND¢ at 7:51 PM on November 11, 2010 [143 favorites]
I've hiked Yellowstone and Glacier. Those fucking grizzly bears are faster than grease on a ski jump. My ex and I were watching a couple of them up on a ridge and they seemed like they were a mile away but they started running and were close to us in seconds. We had the good sense not to question their awesomeness and had already gotten in the car but still, awesome animals. If you look at the photos, you'll notice that three of them, the grizzly is airborne - as if he's just hovering in mid-air. Scary.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 7:52 PM on November 11, 2010
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 7:52 PM on November 11, 2010
The only pictures anyone wants to see are of 1) people they know 2) naked ladies 3) famous people 4) things that are awesome.
Manage to combine 2 and 3 and people will even pay you for it.
posted by Joe Beese at 7:56 PM on November 11, 2010
Manage to combine 2 and 3 and people will even pay you for it.
posted by Joe Beese at 7:56 PM on November 11, 2010
Last summer, I was camping with a few friends up near the BC/Yukon border, by the Liard Hot Springs and a creepy creepy ghost town. We all quickly became nocturnal, which is easy when you only get about 3 hours of full darkness - not to mention it was the only time bugs didn't commit attempted murder.
One night (morning) we came back from the hot springs around 6am and settled in around the fire, drinking beer and waiting for the sunrise. One guy went down a nearby atv trail to relieve himself. A few minutes later we start to hear all this loud crackling and feel the ground shake, and here comes Patrick, running down the path and screaming 'fucking move! run! get out of the wayyy!'.
Right behind come about 60 or 70 bison, seemingly on their morning migration, but in a hurry. Probably cause of us and him screaming, but hell, we had to get out of the way. They came right through our camp and I had to get up a tree to avoid them. I remember looking down and thinking this was simultaneously one of the coolest and scariest things I'd ever seen, but, more importantly, something I would never be able to recreate.
In conclusion, bison are awesome.
And bears too, I've got some other great stories about them, but I'll save those for another time.
posted by mannequito at 7:59 PM on November 11, 2010 [11 favorites]
One night (morning) we came back from the hot springs around 6am and settled in around the fire, drinking beer and waiting for the sunrise. One guy went down a nearby atv trail to relieve himself. A few minutes later we start to hear all this loud crackling and feel the ground shake, and here comes Patrick, running down the path and screaming 'fucking move! run! get out of the wayyy!'.
Right behind come about 60 or 70 bison, seemingly on their morning migration, but in a hurry. Probably cause of us and him screaming, but hell, we had to get out of the way. They came right through our camp and I had to get up a tree to avoid them. I remember looking down and thinking this was simultaneously one of the coolest and scariest things I'd ever seen, but, more importantly, something I would never be able to recreate.
In conclusion, bison are awesome.
And bears too, I've got some other great stories about them, but I'll save those for another time.
posted by mannequito at 7:59 PM on November 11, 2010 [11 favorites]
Hoverbear can hover.
Your argument is invalid.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 8:04 PM on November 11, 2010
Your argument is invalid.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 8:04 PM on November 11, 2010
"If that was me, I'd have been shitting gold bricks."
"Well, what do you think the bear kept tripping over?"
posted by entropone at 8:05 PM on November 11, 2010
"Well, what do you think the bear kept tripping over?"
posted by entropone at 8:05 PM on November 11, 2010
Can't stop laughing at this one more time
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:10 PM on November 11, 2010 [14 favorites]
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:10 PM on November 11, 2010 [14 favorites]
What on earth burned the bison?
Keep your dog on a leash in Yellowstone if it likes to jump into random watering holes.
posted by peeedro at 8:16 PM on November 11, 2010
Keep your dog on a leash in Yellowstone if it likes to jump into random watering holes.
posted by peeedro at 8:16 PM on November 11, 2010
“To be truthful, I was thinking, ‘Maybe I’m having some kind of hallucination or something,’ because I had never seen anything like that.”
For those of you just skimming the pics, reading the photographer's thoughts to the right of each photo is an absolute must.
I once found myself naked a couple hundred feet from some elk (long story) when one of them looked me right in the eye and made it clear how easy it would be for him to disembowel me as easily as shrug his shoulders. I can't even imagine how sphincter tightening it must be to have an adrenaline-pumped bear run right past you.
posted by the bricabrac man at 8:18 PM on November 11, 2010
For those of you just skimming the pics, reading the photographer's thoughts to the right of each photo is an absolute must.
I once found myself naked a couple hundred feet from some elk (long story) when one of them looked me right in the eye and made it clear how easy it would be for him to disembowel me as easily as shrug his shoulders. I can't even imagine how sphincter tightening it must be to have an adrenaline-pumped bear run right past you.
posted by the bricabrac man at 8:18 PM on November 11, 2010
Bears can fly now? Fuck. Never get off the boat.
nevergetofftheboatnevergetofftheboat
posted by Ghidorah at 8:24 PM on November 11, 2010
nevergetofftheboatnevergetofftheboat
posted by Ghidorah at 8:24 PM on November 11, 2010
Or, more likely, the elk escaped because it was being chased by a Chicago Bear. Not such a big news story, happens all the time.
posted by Ghidorah at 8:25 PM on November 11, 2010
posted by Ghidorah at 8:25 PM on November 11, 2010
Killing myself laughing here, mannequito. One of the things about trails in the wilderness is that animals often make them. You guys might have been camped in the middle of a bison freeway, as it were. Be happy it wasn't a caribou herd that decided it was time to move instead.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 8:32 PM on November 11, 2010
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 8:32 PM on November 11, 2010
Seeing the burns on that bison reminded me of the unfortunate story of David Allen Kirwan on Wikipedia's list of unusual deaths. Thanks, MetaFilter!
I didn't remember dude's name, but I knew what you were referencing right away. When we did the family road trip to Yellowstone when I was a kid, my parents were thoughtful enough to purchase us kids the uplifting set of stories known as Death in Yellowstone. Given that our other option for entertainment while driving was watching made-for-public access movies recorded onto VHS and played in our car on a TV bungee corded to a dresser drawer and wedged between the front two seats, I read that book cover to cover several times. Kirwan's death stayed with me because of the description of what appeared to be gloves but were actually his boiled-off hand skin found near the site of the idiot boil. Needless to say, I repeated that story to a number of tourists around the hot springs, and the book thereafter mysteriously disappeared from my possession.
posted by emilyd22222 at 8:34 PM on November 11, 2010 [5 favorites]
I didn't remember dude's name, but I knew what you were referencing right away. When we did the family road trip to Yellowstone when I was a kid, my parents were thoughtful enough to purchase us kids the uplifting set of stories known as Death in Yellowstone. Given that our other option for entertainment while driving was watching made-for-public access movies recorded onto VHS and played in our car on a TV bungee corded to a dresser drawer and wedged between the front two seats, I read that book cover to cover several times. Kirwan's death stayed with me because of the description of what appeared to be gloves but were actually his boiled-off hand skin found near the site of the idiot boil. Needless to say, I repeated that story to a number of tourists around the hot springs, and the book thereafter mysteriously disappeared from my possession.
posted by emilyd22222 at 8:34 PM on November 11, 2010 [5 favorites]
ndcents i am STILL laughing at your comment. this after a very stressful day. you are a god. thank you.
posted by jcworth at 8:38 PM on November 11, 2010
posted by jcworth at 8:38 PM on November 11, 2010
hoverbear demands you get the fuck out of the way
posted by liza at 8:39 PM on November 11, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by liza at 8:39 PM on November 11, 2010 [4 favorites]
faster than grease on a ski jump
First of all, that's an awesome phrase and I will try my best to incorporate it into daily usage.
Second, as a 2 time YNP worker, in case you were wondering or care, to the average person that bison is WAY more dangerous to you than the grizz. A lot of the tourists in the park fail to understand that a bison is an animal with a mass approching that of a mini-van that can jump 6 feet (Crappy confirmation of what park rangers said)
sigh I miss the park.
posted by RolandOfEld at 8:44 PM on November 11, 2010
First of all, that's an awesome phrase and I will try my best to incorporate it into daily usage.
Second, as a 2 time YNP worker, in case you were wondering or care, to the average person that bison is WAY more dangerous to you than the grizz. A lot of the tourists in the park fail to understand that a bison is an animal with a mass approching that of a mini-van that can jump 6 feet (Crappy confirmation of what park rangers said)
sigh I miss the park.
posted by RolandOfEld at 8:44 PM on November 11, 2010
oh we weren't camped on the trail, just on a beach right next to the trail (on the banks of the Liard River).
The interesting coda to the story is that once everyone else had gone to bed, I still found myself too wired to sleep. I wandered down on to the little rocky peninsula to have a smoke and take pictures of the sunrise over the mountains. A few minutes into that, I heard a noise behind me and turned to find a bison maybe ten feet behind me drinking from the river - he must have been separated from the herd. The moment I took a picture of him he froze and stared me right in the eyes - inducing one of the sphincter-tightening moments The Bricabrac Man describes above. Luckily he just decided to buck about in a frenzy for a few moments, and then turn and run off in the direction the others had gone.
posted by mannequito at 8:47 PM on November 11, 2010
The interesting coda to the story is that once everyone else had gone to bed, I still found myself too wired to sleep. I wandered down on to the little rocky peninsula to have a smoke and take pictures of the sunrise over the mountains. A few minutes into that, I heard a noise behind me and turned to find a bison maybe ten feet behind me drinking from the river - he must have been separated from the herd. The moment I took a picture of him he froze and stared me right in the eyes - inducing one of the sphincter-tightening moments The Bricabrac Man describes above. Luckily he just decided to buck about in a frenzy for a few moments, and then turn and run off in the direction the others had gone.
posted by mannequito at 8:47 PM on November 11, 2010
man... I know I am about 12 hours away from that spot, but this year has been a crazy bear year in my neck of the country. I encountered my first bear and cubs team in the Boundary Waters this summer, and was completely unable to scare them off despite standing 15 feet away yelling at the mom until she got my food sack and took off with it. Another camper got her foot bit while she was ina sleeping bag, and a good friend about a mile away from me has had near weekly visits by bears to his bird feeders this past month.
It is entirely unscientific and not based on anythign except guess work but I have to wonder if the increase in activity was due to the very early spring we had, dem Bears have been up and awake for longer than normal this year. I wonder if climate change is going to cause massive disruptions to hibernation cycles in the decades to come?
posted by edgeways at 8:50 PM on November 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
It is entirely unscientific and not based on anythign except guess work but I have to wonder if the increase in activity was due to the very early spring we had, dem Bears have been up and awake for longer than normal this year. I wonder if climate change is going to cause massive disruptions to hibernation cycles in the decades to come?
posted by edgeways at 8:50 PM on November 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
THmm. There goes a bison-shaped pic-a-nic basket.
Watch out for Ranger Smith, because you're gonna see me getting scarier than the average bear, BooBoo.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 8:51 PM on November 11, 2010
Watch out for Ranger Smith, because you're gonna see me getting scarier than the average bear, BooBoo.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 8:51 PM on November 11, 2010
The only pictures anyone wants to see are of 1) people they know 2) naked ladies 3) famous people 4) things that are awesome. posted by ND¢ at 10:51 PM on November 11
Well, I don't know who you know, so number one is a challenge. I've got 2, 3 and possibly 4 covered though (I'm more into wolves than bears).
posted by blaneyphoto at 8:52 PM on November 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Well, I don't know who you know, so number one is a challenge. I've got 2, 3 and possibly 4 covered though (I'm more into wolves than bears).
posted by blaneyphoto at 8:52 PM on November 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
An interesting fact about bison and the hot springs in Yellowstone:
In the winter, when most of the grass is covered with snow and food is hard to find, some bison go down to the hot springs where there is still grass above the snow because of the heat. So they eat the grass.
The problem is that because of the hot springs and what's in the water in them, the grass contains high levels of arsenic and other nasty things. If the bison eat too much of the grass, they get poisoned. It kind of sucks that the only food available to some of them is deadly. But alas, such is nature, I suppose.
posted by elder18 at 9:15 PM on November 11, 2010
In the winter, when most of the grass is covered with snow and food is hard to find, some bison go down to the hot springs where there is still grass above the snow because of the heat. So they eat the grass.
The problem is that because of the hot springs and what's in the water in them, the grass contains high levels of arsenic and other nasty things. If the bison eat too much of the grass, they get poisoned. It kind of sucks that the only food available to some of them is deadly. But alas, such is nature, I suppose.
posted by elder18 at 9:15 PM on November 11, 2010
This is definitely the best of the photos.
Made me immediately think of ... well, take a look.
Tools: Paint and a task time-limit of about a minute. Sue me.
posted by dhartung at 9:31 PM on November 11, 2010 [7 favorites]
Made me immediately think of ... well, take a look.
Tools: Paint and a task time-limit of about a minute. Sue me.
posted by dhartung at 9:31 PM on November 11, 2010 [7 favorites]
Keep your dog on a leash in Yellowstone if it likes to jump into random watering holes.
All dogs are required to be on no longer than a 6-foot leash at all times in the park and never more than 100 feet from a road or parking lot. They are forbidden from trails or boardwalks.
posted by JackFlash at 9:40 PM on November 11, 2010
All dogs are required to be on no longer than a 6-foot leash at all times in the park and never more than 100 feet from a road or parking lot. They are forbidden from trails or boardwalks.
posted by JackFlash at 9:40 PM on November 11, 2010
Bear Climbs Tree Stand
That guy waited a very, very long time before he made a noise.
posted by Forktine at 9:49 PM on November 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
That guy waited a very, very long time before he made a noise.
posted by Forktine at 9:49 PM on November 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
I once found myself naked a couple hundred feet from some elk (long story) when one of them looked me right in the eye and made it clear how easy it would be for him to disembowel me as easily as shrug his shoulders.
I've had this experience only a) it was an elk cow, not a bull and b) she was about 10 feet away from me. It was terrifying.
Oh yeah, and this was on one of the boardwalks in the Old Faithful geyser basin. Yellowstone belongs to the animals; we're just interlopers there.
posted by asterix at 10:45 PM on November 11, 2010
I've had this experience only a) it was an elk cow, not a bull and b) she was about 10 feet away from me. It was terrifying.
Oh yeah, and this was on one of the boardwalks in the Old Faithful geyser basin. Yellowstone belongs to the animals; we're just interlopers there.
posted by asterix at 10:45 PM on November 11, 2010
The problem is that because of the hot springs and what's in the water in them, the grass contains high levels of arsenic and other nasty things. If the bison eat too much of the grass, they get poisoned.
While this may be true to a lesser degree, it's actually the increased amounts of silica in the grasses that cause premature tooth wear and, subsequently, early death.
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:47 PM on November 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
snofoam writes "I was initially disappointed to see the photos weren't that good, but also confused (like phunniemee) by the emphasis in the article on the guy as a photographer. Even if they call him an amateur photographer, what does that mean when everyone has a camera?"
It means, to my way of thinking anyways, that given the presence of mind to make the adjustments an amateur photographer could have compensated for the high contrast of the subject matter and not blocked out the blacks of the bear and to a lesser extent the bison. An everyone with a camera is unlikely to know how to do that or even recognize the problem in the first place.
Of course now a days the compensation may be as simple as selecting snow/beach scene on the camera but recognizing the potential problem is still required to make the selection.
Or you could define an amateur photographer as someone who actively pursues making photographs as opposed to everyone has a camera guy who is usually just recording personal events.
Whether the featured photographer rises to either standard is impossible to say with the limited dataset.
posted by Mitheral at 11:50 PM on November 11, 2010
It means, to my way of thinking anyways, that given the presence of mind to make the adjustments an amateur photographer could have compensated for the high contrast of the subject matter and not blocked out the blacks of the bear and to a lesser extent the bison. An everyone with a camera is unlikely to know how to do that or even recognize the problem in the first place.
Of course now a days the compensation may be as simple as selecting snow/beach scene on the camera but recognizing the potential problem is still required to make the selection.
Or you could define an amateur photographer as someone who actively pursues making photographs as opposed to everyone has a camera guy who is usually just recording personal events.
Whether the featured photographer rises to either standard is impossible to say with the limited dataset.
posted by Mitheral at 11:50 PM on November 11, 2010
Or you could define an amateur photographer as someone who actively pursues making photographs as opposed to everyone has a camera guy who is usually just recording personal events.
What? Why the hell isn't that camera guy recording personal events a photographer?
It's a good thing we don't ever call people's accounts of their daily lives literature, or the people who write about them authors. It's a good thing we don't let people recording their daily lives on tape call themselves directors. Then what good would our jerkoffy self-descriptions be worth?
He took a photo of a bear chasing a bison. Without him, there would not be these photos of a bear chasing a bison. I don't care what camera he used or what settings he was on or rule of thirds or proper color balancing or whatever. I care that he took a picture of a bear chasing a bison. I have a lot of friends who are talented photographers and even Photography Majors and I have rarely seen them make pictures as interesting as these amateur pictures of a bear chasing a bison.
posted by Rory Marinich at 12:05 AM on November 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
What? Why the hell isn't that camera guy recording personal events a photographer?
It's a good thing we don't ever call people's accounts of their daily lives literature, or the people who write about them authors. It's a good thing we don't let people recording their daily lives on tape call themselves directors. Then what good would our jerkoffy self-descriptions be worth?
He took a photo of a bear chasing a bison. Without him, there would not be these photos of a bear chasing a bison. I don't care what camera he used or what settings he was on or rule of thirds or proper color balancing or whatever. I care that he took a picture of a bear chasing a bison. I have a lot of friends who are talented photographers and even Photography Majors and I have rarely seen them make pictures as interesting as these amateur pictures of a bear chasing a bison.
posted by Rory Marinich at 12:05 AM on November 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
BP:"Can't stop laughing at this one more time"
Rawr.
posted by mullingitover at 12:15 AM on November 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
Rawr.
posted by mullingitover at 12:15 AM on November 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
I just conceptualize a range including amateur and professional as having a few different levels. Some of which, to my way of thinking, require a dedication to pursuit of trade craft and some that don't. To make a couple probably not all that congruent analogies:
I manage to cook for myself. Well enough that I never came down with scury or anything in college; have used more than two pots cooking a meal; know how to operate an oven, rice cooker, frying pan, bread maker, microwave, and toaster. I wouldn't call myself an amateur cook I just cook for myself well enough not to starve.
I know how to operate a chainsaw, loper, pruning knife, and bypass cutters. I've glean enough knowledge to prune the fruit trees on my property and harvest a tree for firewood. I wouldn't call myself an amateur arbourist.
I know how darn a sock, knit a scarf, construct a leather sheath, hem a pair of pants and even operate a few of the functions on my sewing machine to edge a frayed towel or patch a pair of jeans. I wouldn't call myself an amateur seamstress.
Mr. Wypyszinski I would classify as an amateur photographer unless he self identifies otherwise. The only reason these photos exist is because he had a few hours to kill and instead of painting a picture or playing X-Box or compiling a kernel, or baking a cake he elected to spend the time freezing his ass off in the woods taking pictures of animals. If he had been guy who just happens to have camera on him he wouldn't have been stopped on the side of the road with his camera at the ready to capture an event that probably unfolded in less than a minute. Even if he had had the luck to be driving down the road.
Anyways it's not some bright line classification. Anyone who wants to self identify as an amateur photographer is welcome to the title. In the context of the article barring self identification the meagre evidence of pursuit of trade craft presented would elevate Mr. Wypyszinski in my mind from guy with a camera to amateur photographer. That elevated classification isn't intended to cut anyone down and I can't see myself arguing with someone about how they classify their work (Caveat: Banksy is a vandal who happens to be an artist too. Or Vice Versa, what ever floats ones boat.).
posted by Mitheral at 1:57 AM on November 12, 2010
I manage to cook for myself. Well enough that I never came down with scury or anything in college; have used more than two pots cooking a meal; know how to operate an oven, rice cooker, frying pan, bread maker, microwave, and toaster. I wouldn't call myself an amateur cook I just cook for myself well enough not to starve.
I know how to operate a chainsaw, loper, pruning knife, and bypass cutters. I've glean enough knowledge to prune the fruit trees on my property and harvest a tree for firewood. I wouldn't call myself an amateur arbourist.
I know how darn a sock, knit a scarf, construct a leather sheath, hem a pair of pants and even operate a few of the functions on my sewing machine to edge a frayed towel or patch a pair of jeans. I wouldn't call myself an amateur seamstress.
Mr. Wypyszinski I would classify as an amateur photographer unless he self identifies otherwise. The only reason these photos exist is because he had a few hours to kill and instead of painting a picture or playing X-Box or compiling a kernel, or baking a cake he elected to spend the time freezing his ass off in the woods taking pictures of animals. If he had been guy who just happens to have camera on him he wouldn't have been stopped on the side of the road with his camera at the ready to capture an event that probably unfolded in less than a minute. Even if he had had the luck to be driving down the road.
Anyways it's not some bright line classification. Anyone who wants to self identify as an amateur photographer is welcome to the title. In the context of the article barring self identification the meagre evidence of pursuit of trade craft presented would elevate Mr. Wypyszinski in my mind from guy with a camera to amateur photographer. That elevated classification isn't intended to cut anyone down and I can't see myself arguing with someone about how they classify their work (Caveat: Banksy is a vandal who happens to be an artist too. Or Vice Versa, what ever floats ones boat.).
posted by Mitheral at 1:57 AM on November 12, 2010
Why would the bear continue chasing the bison, when there was another large prey animal just standing there like a gift?
posted by dgaicun at 4:05 AM on November 12, 2010
posted by dgaicun at 4:05 AM on November 12, 2010
There is nothing more likely to cause one to say "oh shit!" than a large carnivore moving fast enough to (almost) catch a running bison.
posted by tommasz at 4:40 AM on November 12, 2010
posted by tommasz at 4:40 AM on November 12, 2010
RUN FORREST RUN
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:18 AM on November 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:18 AM on November 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Why would the bear continue chasing the bison, when there was another large prey animal just standing there like a gift?
We have cameras.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:29 AM on November 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
We have cameras.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:29 AM on November 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
Why would the bear continue chasing the bison, when there was another large prey animal just standing there like a gift?
Earlier, the bison ripped one of the bear's bushes out of the ground so it could do skateboard tricks in front of the bear's store.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:18 AM on November 12, 2010 [8 favorites]
Earlier, the bison ripped one of the bear's bushes out of the ground so it could do skateboard tricks in front of the bear's store.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:18 AM on November 12, 2010 [8 favorites]
If only it had happened in upstate New York.
Buffalo bear buffalo bare Buffalo buffalo; Buffalo bear barely bore bare Buffalo buffalo.
posted by Curious Artificer at 6:58 AM on November 12, 2010 [4 favorites]
Buffalo bear buffalo bare Buffalo buffalo; Buffalo bear barely bore bare Buffalo buffalo.
posted by Curious Artificer at 6:58 AM on November 12, 2010 [4 favorites]
I have a pretty great story about Yellowstone, an amateur photographer, and a scalding encounter with fumaroles...no time for the whole thing now, but if anyone has seen (or heard of) a video shot by a drunken woman as she struggles (by herself) to crawl free from boiling mud (losing her 'bad-ass' boots and burning her hands and feet in the process), please me-mail me. I am the guy they picked up hitch-hiking into the park with a broken bicycle just prior; I should be on the video.
posted by soy bean at 7:02 AM on November 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by soy bean at 7:02 AM on November 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
I am a delicate flower and those burns kind of make me want to throw up (the description of hand-skin-gloves inthread turned my stomach, too). On the eyes, for god's sake. And still it managed to escape that bear. Poor bison.
Bears keep me awake at night, no lie. I find them very unsettling in a way I don't for some reason with other scary animals like tigers. It blows my mind he took those pics, especially the one where it feels like the bear is coming right at him, very fast. (shudder) As others have said, I would've just been peeing myself and rocking back and forth once inside a car, making a scene.
posted by ifjuly at 7:29 AM on November 12, 2010
Bears keep me awake at night, no lie. I find them very unsettling in a way I don't for some reason with other scary animals like tigers. It blows my mind he took those pics, especially the one where it feels like the bear is coming right at him, very fast. (shudder) As others have said, I would've just been peeing myself and rocking back and forth once inside a car, making a scene.
posted by ifjuly at 7:29 AM on November 12, 2010
I once found myself naked a couple hundred feet from some elk (long story)
I once found myself dressed as a pirate in the middle of a herd of nervous cattle in the middle of the night. Also long story. Also scary as hell.
posted by notmydesk at 8:43 AM on November 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
I once found myself dressed as a pirate in the middle of a herd of nervous cattle in the middle of the night. Also long story. Also scary as hell.
posted by notmydesk at 8:43 AM on November 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
the bricabrac man: "“To be truthful, I was thinking, ‘Maybe I’m having some kind of hallucination or something,’ because I had never seen anything like that.”
I once found myself naked a couple hundred feet from some elk (long story)"
We have time. The floor is yours.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 9:07 AM on November 12, 2010
I once found myself naked a couple hundred feet from some elk (long story)"
We have time. The floor is yours.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 9:07 AM on November 12, 2010
if anyone has seen (or heard of) a video shot by a drunken woman as she struggles (by herself) to crawl free from boiling mud (losing her 'bad-ass' boots and burning her hands and feet in the process), please me-mail me
God I hate dumb tourists. As a worker in the park I can't count the number of idiots I saw on a daily basis.
"What time do they turn off Old Faithful?"
When the power was out: "Will Old Faithful still erupt?"
"What time of year do the elk turn into moose?"
"Where do they put the animals at night?"
These are not comments from children, but from adults with children. *facepalm*
posted by RolandOfEld at 12:25 PM on November 12, 2010 [5 favorites]
God I hate dumb tourists. As a worker in the park I can't count the number of idiots I saw on a daily basis.
"What time do they turn off Old Faithful?"
When the power was out: "Will Old Faithful still erupt?"
"What time of year do the elk turn into moose?"
"Where do they put the animals at night?"
These are not comments from children, but from adults with children. *facepalm*
posted by RolandOfEld at 12:25 PM on November 12, 2010 [5 favorites]
The burns on the bison made me sad and I had to close the window after only six pictures or so.
posted by interrobang at 1:28 PM on November 12, 2010
posted by interrobang at 1:28 PM on November 12, 2010
That poor bison was healthy enough to outrun an insane bear, but sick enough to be put down? Poor guy. I woulda doped him up on codeine and polysporin for a few days, then taken that ol' dude to a zoo to convalesce.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 6:21 PM on November 12, 2010
posted by pseudostrabismus at 6:21 PM on November 12, 2010
@pseudostrabismus
First off, sorry if I come off a bit confrontational, the following comment isn't intended to be. Just my thoughts.
Obviously you've never seen the sad excuses for 'zoos' that exist on the fringes of Yellowstone's wonderful wilderness. To see once wild animals demeaned in such a way.. *shiver*. That's an aside to the logistical and financial problems entwined with that you would have done.
But then again I'm the type that is even soured on Aquariums due to the heartbreaking display of the otters on their back, swimming blindly in 4 foot radius circles for hours on end.
Yellowstone is harsh, merciless, and beautiful and I think what the rangers did was a mercy compared to pretty much any other option. Bonus points for leaving him somewhere away from tourists for the scavengers.
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:54 PM on November 12, 2010
First off, sorry if I come off a bit confrontational, the following comment isn't intended to be. Just my thoughts.
Obviously you've never seen the sad excuses for 'zoos' that exist on the fringes of Yellowstone's wonderful wilderness. To see once wild animals demeaned in such a way.. *shiver*. That's an aside to the logistical and financial problems entwined with that you would have done.
But then again I'm the type that is even soured on Aquariums due to the heartbreaking display of the otters on their back, swimming blindly in 4 foot radius circles for hours on end.
Yellowstone is harsh, merciless, and beautiful and I think what the rangers did was a mercy compared to pretty much any other option. Bonus points for leaving him somewhere away from tourists for the scavengers.
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:54 PM on November 12, 2010
They are coming right at him. I think it may be time to punch it before you become part of an Allstate commercial with "Mayhem."
posted by viralceo at 11:17 AM on November 13, 2010
posted by viralceo at 11:17 AM on November 13, 2010
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That poor bison, those burns are all kinds of fucked up.
posted by smoke at 6:51 PM on November 11, 2010