Exploring the Wild
Yellowstone Wildlife, Photography & Field Guides
Explore Yellowstone and beyond through in-depth wildlife insights, photography guides, and real field experience. This collection of articles covers seasonal wildlife behavior, where to find animals, and how to photograph them in changing conditions. You’ll also find astrophotography guides, location breakdowns, and practical techniques used in the field. Whether you’re planning a trip or refining your skills, this is where knowledge meets real-world experience.
The Wild in Yellowstone: Bison Rut
August brings one of Yellowstone National Park's most dramatic wildlife events: the American bison rut. Across Hayden Valley and Lamar Valley, mature bulls gather with larger herds, bellowing, wallowing, and competing for breeding opportunities. These powerful animals display extraordinary strength as they challenge rivals and follow receptive females through the grasslands. For wildlife photographers, the bison rut provides opportunities to capture intense behavior, dust-filled confrontations, and remarkable environmental portraits. In this edition of The Wild in Yellowstone, we explore the timing of the bison breeding season, how to recognize courtship and dominance behavior, and where to find the best viewing opportunities. Learn camera settings and techniques for photographing rutting bison safely while documenting one of Yellowstone's most memorable summer wildlife spectacles.
The Wild in Yellowstone: Bison in May
May in Yellowstone marks one of the most dynamic periods of the year, bison calving season. Across Lamar and Hayden Valley, newborn calves, often called “red dogs,” begin to appear alongside protective mothers and tightly structured herds. These early days of life unfold quickly, with calves standing within minutes and staying close as they navigate a landscape still transitioning from winter to spring. For photographers, this is a rare opportunity to capture powerful moments of connection, vulnerability, and resilience. In this post, we explore bison behavior during calving season, where to find them across Yellowstone, and how to photograph these iconic animals while respecting their space during one of the most sensitive times of year.