These pictures of these magnificent creatures are just about as close as you would ever get to one, but we took all of these pictures from the inside of our truck. They are definitely a dangerous animal, and to imagine the indians riding their horses among them during a stampede, and killing one of these massive beasts with primitive weapons is pretty awe inspiring, and a testimony to the bravery of those men of the past.
While it's a difficult thing to do, one of the most dangerous places you can get, is between a mama and her baby. Nothing will stop her from trying to protect her little ones. They are very protective and the calves stick closely to their mother's side. The mother will place herself between the calf and any threat that she perceives. They will attack anything that threatens their calf.
The calves play with each other and make friends when they are little, but as they grow, their hormones take over, and the young bulls move from playful romping, to head butting and mock fighting. A tactic that will serve them as herd males.
Eagle Bear is a young bull in prime condition, and you can see that he knows it. He challenged the old herd bull, Custer, and by the time the battle was over, they had run through two fences, covered about two miles, and Custer was mortally injured.
While their tendency is to move the herd away from a threat, the herd bulls are mainly interested in protecting their harem from other bulls. The cows are the ones you have to worry about. They are more predictable, and more protective of their calves than the bulls. The cows are the ones who will turn and stand their ground to protect their calves.
