Antelope Island is, arguably, one of Northern Utah’s greatest tourist attractions, and for good reason. The island is a year-round treasure trove of history, geology, scenery, wildlife, and just a ton of good old fashioned nature, all rolled into one.
I can personally attest to the beauty and uniqueness of the large landmass which sits within the salty waters of the Great Salt Lake.
Almost without fail, I frequent this most popular Utah State Park on a weekly, if not twice per week or more, basis to take in its beauty and serenity. My yearly state park pass has more than paid for itself with how many times I have visited the island over the past several years.
To confess, the motivation for me visiting Antelope Island so frequently is simple, photography. I love to photograph nature, and the island offers a year-round outdoor studio to photograph our natural world so very close to home.
My greatest passion is photographing birds, but I never limit myself to just our avian friends, however, especially when a place such as spectacular as Antelope Island offers so much to capture on film.
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Bison on Antelope Island
I don’t think it would be too far of a stretch, if any actually, to make the assumption bison are the biggest attraction for tourists to come to the island. It is a unique place where wild bison actually roam free, and tourists can often times get an up-close view of these very large herbivores.
I am told there are somewhere between 500 and 700 bison on the island overall. Numbers do change a bit from year to year as the State Park and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources work together and manage the herd so as to not overpopulate the island since there are no real predators to naturally keep the bison population in check.
It is almost impossible to visit the island and not see bison somewhere in the park. Often times, the large animals are very distant from the paved roadways and sightings can only be had from such distances or through binoculars or a spotting scope. On other occasions, however, the bison literally cross paths with not only the trails and roads but the people as well.
Bison can be found all over the park, but the best place to see the bison on Antelope Island is on the road to the Garr Ranch, on the east side of the island. This is where most of the bison, mainly the females and calves, spend their time throughout the year in a few large herds.
The bison bulls are usually on the west side of the island around the campgrounds, headquarters, and visitors center in small groups or even lingering by themselves. They tend to stay to themselves for most of the year, except during the breeding season when the bulls follow the main herd until breeding season is over.
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Safety around the bison
While this natural open range allows the bison to act and behave like they should, wild and free, it does come with a cost. There is an inherent risk when you are out in nature, you can potentially come into close contact with wild animals whether you intended to or not.
This is very true on Antelope Island as close encounters with the wild bison happen just about every day somewhere on the large island.
It is a rush of adrenaline to be just a short distance away from these massive creatures, but there is also a danger, one people often times ignore and pay the price by getting trampled or gored.
I have seen countless people being chased by bison on the island, most of which was trying to get the image of a lifetime with a bison somewhere close in the background. Selfies, prom photos, and engagements, I have seen so many of these situations end up being very dangerous because the drive to get the perfect shot seemingly overpowers people’s common sense.
It all starts and ends with people getting too close to the bison. Not respecting these wild animals for what they are, wild animals, has put a lot of people in harm’s way, and I am sure it will continue to do so as people seem to lose all levels of common sense when in the presence of one of North Americas largest animals.
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It just isn’t worth the risk of getting injured for a close image or selfie. I have taken a ton of incredible bison pictures on the island, but have done so either from the safety of my vehicle or with a 600 mm lens at a considerable distance.
Getting out of your vehicle and walking up to a bison for any reason, photo opportunity, or otherwise, will only put yourself in harm’s way, and it just isn’t worth it.
There are times when the bison can and will come into close contact with you on the island. It’s just part of being out in nature, sooner or later you will cross paths with a wild animal, and being on Antelope Island is certainly no exception to that rule.
There have been countless times I’ve seen a small herd cross the road just a few yards in front of my truck or even one walk right past me as I was pulled off alongside the road while photographing a bird. I will say right here and now, never, ever get out of your vehicle with bison in close proximity to you and never, ever walk up to one for any reason.
You should always respect wild animals, and you should always keep your own safety a high priority as well when out in nature. Unfortunately, however, there is no magic distance anyone can tell you is a safe distance to keep when around bison or, for that matter, any wild animal you may encounter while outdoors.
The best thing to do is, in fact, just stay as far away as possible and never approach a wild critter.
The bison on the island have no predators and have very little to no fear of humans, so it is possible to have a bison approach you as it travels to a better grazing area, watering hole, or just a place to rest for a bit, which you might unknowingly be standing in the way of.
In such cases, give the bison its path and move far, far away. Keep your eyes out for bison at all times as they are often spread out across the island and do move around a lot.
Photographing bison on Antelope Island
This blog post isn’t meant to discourage you from visiting Antelope Island or to get you to think you can’t enjoy nature or the animals on the island. You most definitely can enjoy your time on the island but, however, you do need to keep safety in mind and respect these large creatures as the wild animals they, in fact, are.
Photographing bison on the island is quite possible without having to put yourself at risk. I recommend using a large telephoto lens to capture your images. Personally, I use a 600 mm lens, allowing me some great images while I am photographing from a safe distance.
Staying in your vehicle while bison are in the vicinity is not only the safest thing to do, but it can actually help get a better image as well.
The bison are going to be more cautious around you when you are out and about, moving around outside of your vehicle, but, however, by staying inside your vehicle they tend to be a bit more at ease and are much easier to photograph. They often times will slowly walk and graze when not feeling disturbed, and this gives a much more natural and better-looking image of a wild animal being, well, wild.
Conclusion
The bottom line here is this, wild animals can be and should be considered dangerous. Bison on Antelope Island certainly fall into this category and should be respected as such.
It doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them and even photograph them. It just means we all have to take into account these bison are, indeed, wild animals, and they need their space just as you and I do, maybe even more so.
I see an alarming trend in people approaching bison on the island, and it happens almost every day I visit the state park. It is a risk that will produce no winners. People need to keep their common sense about themselves and keep their distance at all times around these fascinating but also dangerous creatures.
The bison on Antelope Island should definitely be enjoyed but also respected, however, as a real and potentially dangerous part of nature, both from a safe distance for both you and the bison.
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