You know the old saying… if you build it, they bison will bust right through it.
The largest land mammals in North America have not been big fans of the fencing in and around Grand Teton National Park as of late. This video below is actually the second time in the past month or so that a thundering herd have ran up to a fence and busted it to pieces.
I’m sure the GTFD (Grand Teton Fencing Department) has had it up to here with the massive beasts… and yes, I made that department up.
In case you didn’t know, fully grown male bison stand at 6 feet tall and can weigh around 2,000 pounds at their heaviest. That’s a full ton, by the way. Needless to say, that’s a lot of weight to get moving, let alone to get airborne. Which explains why some bison would rather just barrel through the thing in their way rather than try to jump it.
This herd of bison was a mixed bag of jumpers and barrel-ers. A typical bison herd usually consists of a couple hundred bison, but it’s not out of the norm for that number to reach into the thousands. Sometimes you’ll see as many as 4,000 bison traveling together. I didn’t take the time to stop and count this herd one-by-one, but it’s definitely a couple hundred strong.
And as you’ll see, some of the wild beasts did manage to lock in and cleared the fence with a powerful, soaring jump. I’d even go as far to say that most of the bison in this herd didn’t have a problem getting up and over the structure, and it was a situation where once one of them jumped it, the rest played copycat… as best as they could.
Others in the herd that said, “You know what? I’m just gonna pummel right through this Grand Teton National Park fence,” and that’s exactly what they did. The sturdily built fence was no match for this grouping of wild bison that were stirring up dust as they ran together as one. And John Putrino, a guide in Yellowstone and Grand Teton, was there to capture it all on camera.
Check it out:
“Grand Teton National Park this morning. A herd of bison went through a fence, ripped out the barbed wire, and crossed the highway in the Tetons. They can weigh up to 2,000 pounds, run 35 mph, and clear a 6 foot fence. Bison make the rules.”
Talk about a beautiful backdrop.
And I get why Putrino posted the video and then attached Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” to it. That’s just how social media posts work in the modern day… you’ve got to attach a sound to it. But I would have loved to hear the noise that the bison herd was making as they stampeded together, stirred up dust, and busted right through a fence that stood no chance against them.
The breathtaking view of the Teton Range makes up for it though… so bravo Mr. John Putrino. Keep up the good work.
