Oh Give Me A Home...

Several people have written to me after being surprised that one of the items on my 100 Things About Me list includes the fact that I want to raise bison. What can I say, it's a strange dream, but it's my dream. Bison are strong, hearty animals who tolerate extreme heat and cold much better than cattle. They evolved here in North America and are much more beneficial to the environment than are cows. Their meat is lean and healthier than beef. Plus, something about helping to restore them to their former domain just sort of feels right--it's hard to imagine any living creature looking more at home on the mountains and prairies of the West. The only advantage that cattle have over bison is the fact that they are much more docile and easily controlled. No matter how tame they may appear, all bison are still basically wild animals. Read Dan O'Brien's excellent book Buffalo For The Broken Heart if you want to know more.

I once met a man who wanted to sell me a smallish Buffalo ranch near Adin, California called the Mantutocheega. It was beautiful beyond description and was probably worth at least a couple million dollars. The picture above was taken there. I was tempted to take him up on his offer to sell it to me on contract, but reason got the better of me. Still, the dream lives. A place like the Mantutocheega will be mine one day.