Portraits of the Bison: An Illustrated Guide to Bison Society

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

In addition to being a bison rancher, Wes Olson has spent more than 20
years as a warden at Elk Island National Park, home to one of Canada’s
best-known bison herds. Olson has studied the animals closely. He
produced this richly illustrated book for two reasons: to warn people
about the dangers these animals pose and to educate people about bison
social structure.

Olson achieves both his goals and more. He gives unequivocal
instructions for staying safe around bison, pointing out how close you
can safely approach, what to do if you encounter a bison while cycling,
and what to do if you meet one in the backcountry. Most important, he
educates the reader about bison body language. Quoting a colleague, he
says that a bison raises its tail for only two reasons—“to charge”
and “to discharge” and “in neither case do you want to be on the
receiving end.”

Olson defines the social structure clearly, but also gives us much
information about the animals themselves. Detailed drawings show both
males and females, year-by-year, from birth to adulthood. These are
accompanied by photographs and information about each stage of life.

The photographs are of varying quality. Some have excellent (or at
least interesting) composition and some even have an art-photo look to
them. Others are scientific “record shots,” often lacking crispness
and definition. Understandably these appear to have been taken at a
great distance.

Appendixes study the bison skull and teeth, list public bison herds in
North America, supply a quick reference for age and gender
identification, and provide a sample herd data sheet. The addition of
these sections takes the book well beyond its stated purpose.

This is an excellent book for anyone who wants a detailed understanding
of bison.