Wolves corner bison at Yellowstone

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On Tv and in videos I've seen a lot of prey go into water to escape their attacker and when I saw your first pic, I said to myself, "Go into the river!", but alas, it waited too long. It's a little sad to see but there wouldn't be nature without it. Congrats on a most wonderful set of pictures.
 
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Rob Pedowitz said:
These photos were taken in Yellowstone National Park. I have deliberately not posted the gorier images and apologize in advance if anyone finds these photos disturbing. On the morning of January 20, 2024, a pack of ten wolves cornered a bison at the edge of the Firehole River. We watched for about six hours as the wolves took turns keeping the bison on its feet, biting at its tail, while carefully avoiding a kick or gore. It was amazing to see how the group conserved energy as they patiently wore out the bison, supervised by the alpha male. Their interactions were mesmerizing. At the end, just before sunset, when it was clear that the bison was exhausted, the wolves attacked as a group. To our compete surprise, the bison forced itself to its feet and simply walked into the river (something it could have done hours earlier). It was as if the bison preferred to control its final moments. I was particularly struck by the intensity of the wolves’ eyes as they watched from the shoreline. As the light faded, the bison succumbed in the river. During the night the carcass washed to shore, and by morning there was nothing but bones. It was an awesome, fascinating, and humbling experience.
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A great opportunity. Nothing beats effort and a little luck....especially in Yellowstone. The last image is killer. No pun intended.
 
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Rob Pedowitz said:
These photos were taken in Yellowstone National Park. I have deliberately not posted the gorier images and apologize in advance if anyone finds these photos disturbing. On the morning of January 20, 2024, a pack of ten wolves cornered a bison at the edge of the Firehole River. We watched for about six hours as the wolves took turns keeping the bison on its feet, biting at its tail, while carefully avoiding a kick or gore. It was amazing to see how the group conserved energy as they patiently wore out the bison, supervised by the alpha male. Their interactions were mesmerizing. At the end, just before sunset, when it was clear that the bison was exhausted, the wolves attacked as a group. To our compete surprise, the bison forced itself to its feet and simply walked into the river (something it could have done hours earlier). It was as if the bison preferred to control its final moments. I was particularly struck by the intensity of the wolves’ eyes as they watched from the shoreline. As the light faded, the bison succumbed in the river. During the night the carcass washed to shore, and by morning there was nothing but bones. It was an awesome, fascinating, and humbling experience.
Click to expand...
Great series Rob! Just curious, how many photographers were there for this?
 
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Shaggstone said:
A great opportunity. Nothing beats effort and a little luck....especially in Yellowstone. The last image is killer. No pun intended.
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Thanks very much to all for the very kind comments. Regarding the number of photographers / observers: This was in the interior of the park and that area is accessible in winter only by snow coach or snowmobile. We got there pretty early when there weren't many photographers -- I would say about 30 or so. Word spread and by early afternoon it probably peaked at around 75-100 folks watching. Given the number of people, it was surprisingly quiet and respectful throughout the entire day. Late in the afternoon, when it started to get colder, most people left. Unfortunately they missed the final, amazing moments when the bison went into the river, as the wolves glared from the shoreline.
 
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Rob Pedowitz said:
Thanks very much to all for the very kind comments. Regarding the number of photographers / observers: This was in the interior of the park and that area is accessible in winter only by snow coach or snowmobile. We got there pretty early when there weren't many photographers -- I would say about 30 or so. Word spread and by early afternoon it probably peaked at around 75-100 folks watching. Given the number of people, it was surprisingly quiet and respectful throughout the entire day. Late in the afternoon, when it started to get colder, most people left. Unfortunately they missed the final, amazing moments when the bison went into the river, as the wolves glared from the shoreline.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info!
 
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Rob Pedowitz said:
These photos were taken in Yellowstone National Park. I have deliberately not posted the gorier images and apologize in advance if anyone finds these photos disturbing. On the morning of January 20, 2024, a pack of ten wolves cornered a bison at the edge of the Firehole River. We watched for about six hours as the wolves took turns keeping the bison on its feet, biting at its tail, while carefully avoiding a kick or gore. It was amazing to see how the group conserved energy as they patiently wore out the bison, supervised by the alpha male. Their interactions were mesmerizing. At the end, just before sunset, when it was clear that the bison was exhausted, the wolves attacked as a group. To our compete surprise, the bison forced itself to its feet and simply walked into the river (something it could have done hours earlier). It was as if the bison preferred to control its final moments. I was particularly struck by the intensity of the wolves’ eyes as they watched from the shoreline. As the light faded, the bison succumbed in the river. During the night the carcass washed to shore, and by morning there was nothing but bones. It was an awesome, fascinating, and humbling experience.
Click to expand...
Awesome set of images and quite an experience!! Where you with Charles Glatzer by chance? He's a friend and I saw his photos!
 
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