Bison Viewing

Respect the animals and their home.

Safety

For bison safety and your safety, remember:

• Stay 100 feet from the bison at all times, even when separated by a fence.
• No admittance to the North or South Bison Units by foot or vehicle.
• Use the provided pull-offs to view the herd and turn on your car's hazard flashers!
• Do not stop on the road. Pull off!
• Close the car doors when you exit your vehicle.
• Cows are extremely protective of the calves & defend them at all costs.
• Bison can quickly accelerate to 30+ miles per hour and jump 6 feet vertically.
• When a bison's tail begins to raise, it is stressed and agitated.

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Calves Are Born in April-June

• Cows usually go off by themselves and give birth in an area with vegetation cover.
• Calves weigh about 50 pounds at birth.
• The calves are born with a rusty, orange coat.
• The earlier they are born, the better chance of survival and those born in earlier spring grow into larger and more dominant adults.
• Calves are able to move with the herd within just a few hours after birth.​
• Calves run around and play hard . . . then power nap.
• Calves nurse for about 7 months and sometimes longer.
• Calves are weaned in about 1 year.

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Where to See Bison at Nachusa

• From the Visitor Center, look out across the prairie.
• Look west into the bison unit from Lowden Road.
• Look north from Naylor Road.
• Look north and south from Stone Barn Road.
• The bison roam across 1,500 acres of rolling land in no particular pattern and at no predictable time and are often not visible from the Visitor Center or roadsides.
• More on Nachusa Grasslands' bison herd

Unless accompanied by a trained volunteer or staff member, no one can enter the bison unit on foot or drive into the bison unit.

UPDATED 6/2019