A Noble Calling — The Supporting Cast
Most novels contain some elements that exist and some that are creations of the author’s mind. In A Noble Calling, there is a rich and varied assortment of characters on both sides of the divide that Special Agent Win Tyler refers to as “the good guys and the bad guys.” But with Yellowstone National Park as the backdrop for the story, there are numerous supporting characters who aren’t of the human variety. You’ll likely meet a few of those when you visit Yellowstone, so I’ve shared some photos my husband and I have taken of these supporting characters in the park.
The American Bison—introduced up close and personal in Chapter Four, the massive bison, or buffalo, as Win grew up calling them, are found throughout the book because they’re found throughout the park. It’s a rude awakening when you step out of your cabin in the early morning hours and find your way blocked by 2,000 pounds of raw muscle and horns. They typically don’t respond to “Shoo” and will move along and give you passage in their own good time. Since bison encounters account for most of the injuries in the park, it is best to give them a wide berth and admire their magnificence from a reasonable distance.
In any given year, there are between 3,500 and 5,000 bison in the park. I’ve watched herds of hundreds in the Hayden and Lamar Valleys. In May and early June, it isn’t unusual to see huge, solitary bulls lounging alongside or even on the park’s roads and boardwalks, or near cabins or buildings, anywhere in the park. The bison shed their heavy winter coats in May and move into the valleys where the new grass sustains them. The bulls join the herds of bison cows in late May and early June, after the birth of dozens of bright-red calves. Wolves, coyotes, and bears stalk the herds, watching and waiting for some sign of weakness—their young ones have to eat too. It is a spectacle of life and death that plays out on a daily basis in Yellowstone.
By mid-to-late summer the bulls begin to compete for the attention of the cows. They wallow in dirt baths, paw up clouds of dust with their hooves, and clash with rivals in head-to-head combat. By fall, the animals are putting on their heavier coats and consuming as much forage as possible to bulk up for the harsh winter. In whatever season you see them, the bison are truly one of Yellowstone’s wonders.
