You may be thinking, a selfie with a bison? Are you nuts? If we’d been trying to get one, then yes, that would be a crazy thing to do. But it happened quite by accident.

Likely you’ve seen news reports where a tourist has tried to get up close with a buffalo or other wild animal in Yellowstone. That often doesn’t turn out well. More humans in Yellowstone National Park are injured by bison than by any other wild animal, including grizzly bears. The T-shirts out west, which read, ‘Don’t pet the fluffy cows,’ are a humorous reminder of a serious subject.

American bison are North America’s largest land mammal. Adult bison cows weigh about 1,000 pounds and reach a height of 4-5 feet, while full-grown bulls can weigh twice as much, up to 2,000 pounds, and get 6 feet tall.  As large and heavy as they look, you might make the mistake of assuming that they are slow.

Bison are extremely agile, and they are fast. They can spin around faster than a horse and jump over high fences. Bison can run up to 35 miles per hour (three times as fast as the average human). Don’t think you can outrun a bison. You cannot.

Throughout Yellowstone, there are signs explaining that 25 yards is a safe length between you and a bison. That’s about the length of a school bus, which is easy for young kids to remember.

In 2021, during one of our daily visits to Yellowstone, we were walking along one of the wooden pathways, which allowed us to view the mud caldron in the mud volcano area, not thinking about bison, when a fully grown bull came down the hill to eat grass. He was closer than a school bus, which had me worried.

Tourists on the wooden path with us were excited and wanted pictures.

So, this is how we ended up with this selfie of us with a bison. Mike is laughing because I said, “Don’t look it in the eyes and back away, slow.” I was worried it would charge us.

After we got these pictures, we went back to our truck.

Mud flats from the boardwalk.

Afterward, because I wanted to know if my instincts were right, I read more from the National Park Service advice on preventing a bison attack.

If the bison stops what it’s doing and looks up at you, that’s a clear sign you’re too close. Back away slowly. Don’t run or make any sudden movements. If the bison is walking down the trail toward you, either retreat where you came from or leave the trail, giving it a wide berth. Surprised bison often run away, but may stop and take a closer look at you. Assess the situation and distance. Either back away slowly, allowing them to move, or walk around them, and always keep your distance. Never approach a bison. If the bison doesn’t move, it’s you who should back away.

Bison warning signs that it may charge include snorting, shaking or tossing its head, pawing the ground, raising its tail, and bluff charges

Making yourself large and making noise will not scare off a bison. This will not deter an angry bison. Your best chance of escaping an attacking bison unharmed is finding cover right away. If there are trees around, take cover behind one and keep moving as the animal tries to get to you. Any large object will do, including cars and restroom buildings. Climbing a tree is also a good idea, if you can. You do not want to get caught by its horns and tossed into the air, which has happened.

The bison rut begins in July and lasts through August. In this period, bulls are fired up on testosterone and will fight other bulls for dominance over females. It’s especially important to keep your distance from individual bison and bison herds this time of year.

Later, a park ranger told us bison bulls, who can’t be part of a herd, because the bull in charge kicks him out, have learned to stay close to the tourists. This is safer for them as it’s less likely they will encounter wolves. Usually, they want to eat the grass or drink water. But you still do not want to get close to them.  

By 2023, the season we worked in Cody, Wyoming, I had learned more about the animals in Yellowstone and how to be safe. As I was showing and renting log cabins, it became clear that many tourists were unaware of safety issues with bison or other wild animals. I always told them, never get between a wild animal and its young, a wild animal and its food, and a wild animal and water. You may not know if it has young nearby.

I would suggest getting a good pair of binoculars and a camera with a good zoom lens to take pictures of the wildlife in Yellowstone.

One of my newest books, Montana Delta Rodeo Cowboy: Bodyguard Protector, is set around Cody, Wyoming, and Billings, Montana, both areas I learned well as we lived in Cody.  The entrance to Yellowstone is just two hours away. 

I have many more stories to share about our travels out west, and next month, I’ll share a look at the ghost town of Kirwin.

One of my writing projects is a book about our first year living full-time in the motorhome, which includes our long go west trip from Ohio to the California redwoods and back to Memphis, TN. I’ll work on this book in between writing my fiction, with plans to publish the travel tales in 2026.

I started writing a book about our first year living full-time in the motorhome, which includes our long 109 day go west trip from Ohio to the California redwoods and back to Memphis, TN. It got put on hold for health reasons, but now I’m back to it and taking Sept and Oct to work on the outline with all the facts of when and where we traveled. There’s a lot of data to wrangle. I plan to work on the book this winter, in between writing my fiction, with plans to publish the travel tales in 2026. 

In the meantime, I’ve got two brand new books out!

My July release, Montana Rodeo Cowboy: Bodyguard Protector, is set in Cody, WY, where we lived in 2023. So, I know this area well. Cody is 52 miles from the east gate of Yellowstone and takes about an hour if you don’t stop. The east gate is seasonally open from early May to early November. We lived there before the east gate opened when the snows drove the animals down low near the road, and we moved Oct. 5th before the snows came back. Most RV parks close during the snowy season.

 Sept 1st my most recent book, Chivalry in the Meadow, came out. It’s a fantasy romance set at a Renaissance Fair. It’s up on KU with 50% of the proceeds going to Texas flood victims for the first 90 days, then it will come off KU and go wide. For more, read below.

If you have questions about our full-time motorhome lifestyle, send them along to debra@debraparmley.com, and they may appear in a future article.

If you would like to check out more of our travels or my books, check out the links below.

Remember, “Every day we are alive is a beautiful day.” – Debra Parmley, Your Beautiful Day Traveler

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