Bison sustain living in the winter without being able to find much food to live on. They are very tough animals and not much deters them. I’ve been trying for years to capture a photo that truly shows the toughness of these animals, and during this heavy snowstorm I felt like it all came together!

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Yellowstone is a beautiful park with many unique features in many different areas. At the Mammoth Hot Springs I had always wanted to photograph bison in front of the massive hot spring, but never had bison go close enough. Finally, after years of waiting these bison passed in front of the hot spring and were close enough to the hot spring that I got my shot!

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On only the coldest of mornings can hoar frost happen. Not only does it have to be cold, but there has to be moisture in the air as well. When the sun made it over the ridge, the trees began to shine because of the hoar frost. A buffalo was underneath this tree trying to stay warm and find some food as it was -40 degrees.

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Bison are designed to withstand very cold temperatures. They don't get cold until the temperature gets as cold as -40 degrees. They have very thick fur, and even though they may be covered in frost, the thick fur keeps them warm even in the coldest of winter.

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For years I had wanted to photograph bison walking across the orange thermophiles in Yellowstone. I’d seen their hoof marks in the thermophiles, so I knew it happened, I just hadn’t seen it happen. Finally, after patiently waiting for a bison herd to decide where to go, this lead bison walked onto the orange hot spring runoff and in front of the steaming hot spring and I got my shot!

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The winter in Yellowstone is a dramatic and cold place. In the geyser basins, there is often fog that heavily frost covers everything in the landscape. This bison blended in so well with the trees because of the frost, and I loved how the steam was rising behind the trees very dramatically. Looking at this shot it takes me right back to this moment and how cold it was.

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In this area, the sunsets are often not that colorful due to the amount of clouds in the sky, or due to no clouds at all. Seeing that a great sunset was about to happen, I began to look for an animal to put in the picture. Finding a bison herd on a ridge added great contrast to the setting sun.

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Winter has ever changing weather, and sometimes it is just hard to survive. On this day I don’t even know how the bison knew where it was going, because the hard snow and low clouds made there be no visibility.

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I love in the winter when it gets super cold and a low lying fog layer is in the valley. That means there is a good chance of hoar frost, and it’s even better when I find it on animals. This bison herd had hung out all night by this warm spring and were very thickly coated in hoar frost as the sun begun to rise.

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There are hundreds of hot springs and geysers in Yellowstone. However, most of the time there are not animals hanging out right beside them. Where this bison was standing as the geyser erupted made it look like he was protecting the geyser.

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Bison are incredibly tolerant to cold weather. They only start to get cold once it reaches -40 degrees. I’m sure on this day they were feeling it as the temperature was -25 degrees and the wind was howling. Seeing them in this kind of weather really put it in perspective for me of just how tough bison are!

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Bison are amazing animals in that they can be somewhere one day and nowhere to be found the next. I was not expecting to see this herd as I was searching for the right place to photograph the Tetons. The bison help show how large the Tetons are even with clouds surrounding them.

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Winter weather can change quickly. As it was a nice day at this point with the sun out, you could tell that weather was approaching by the dark cloud above the bison. I really liked the dark cloud though as it created a great contrast against the bison and the snow!

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Because it can be so cold in the winter, their breath sometimes freezes to them. Walking along the walk right into their frosty breath, and as it hits them it freezes to their fur.

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Winter is Yellowstone is a difficult place to live. Lower elevations are a little easier, as the snow is not as deep. It is unusual though to see this many bison gathered in one area. Usually I don’t see more than 50 bison at most in one area. So seeing this many bison and elk hanging out together in this valley was awesome to see!

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On a very cold morning in Yellowstone, this bison was laying down, but heavily covered in frost. He had been sitting near this steam vent all night, and had become completely covered in hoar frost. Once he got up, it created a very dramatic image with him being so covered in frost and the steam being lit up by the first light of the day behind him!

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On this morning I encountered a bison herd that was completely covered in frost. It was so neat seeing so many bison completely covered in white. I singled this bison out as it came my direction and I loved the look of it with the frost on its face!

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It was neat watching hundreds of bison walk over this ridge in the same path as the other bison before them. This large bull was one of the last bison and almost seemed as if he was making sure everyone had made it.

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Even though it was snowing hard, I doubt this bison even noticed. Their coat is so thick that an inch of snow on its back doesn’t even bother it. The snow flakes were coming down heavy and at times made it hard to see this large bison, but the when I could see him he really stood out against the snow.

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Bison are often on the move. It's uncommon for them to stay in one area more than a couple of days. This evening, a massive herd was moving across the valley at a slow going pace.

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In the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone bison are able to roam free just like in the past. Seeing a large herd of bison with the Tetons behind them takes me back and think about this is how it used to be all over America.

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The muskox are animals that endure extreme cold and enjoy it. The look on this ox could have told a story. It really is amazing how such an interesting animal could have such a soft look.

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The landscape of Yellowstone can change very quickly. One moment you can see for miles, and the next you are engulfed in a thick fog. It was -25 degrees on this morning, and we were having trouble even seeing the snow road the fog was so thick. We came upon a little clearing and saw these bison walking our way. It made for a neat picture as the line of bison disappeared into thick fog.

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Bison are a herd animal and will follow what other bison are doing. Who knows why, but all at once all the bison started heading one direction and kept going. It was very neat to see all the bison moving at one time in the same direction!

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Winter is tough on the bison, and all animals of Yellowstone. When it gets really cold, bison will often head to the thermal areas to warm up from the steam emitting from the ground. After they have been there for a while, the hoar frost begins to build and covers them like it does the trees that are nearby.

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Bison travel in herds and those herds can number in the hundreds. After many years of waiting, I finally got to see bison walk across the orange thermophiles in a geyser basin in Yellowstone. Once the first bison went, the rest of the herd followed. Seeing an entire herd walking on the colorful hot spring run off and the winter frost on the bison and heavy steam rising from the hot spring made all those years of waiting worth it!

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Winter in Yellowstone isn't easy for any animal. Bison will hang around in geyser areas because the warm ground will not collect snow in places. As Old Faithful erupts in the background, these bison are busy trying to eat.

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This bison was off in the distance moving slowly, when all of a sudden it started sprinting. It just kept running and running as if something was chasing it. I never did see anything chasing it, so I guess this guy just wanted to run in the snow.

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Muskox look like an animal from the stone ages. They thrive in the far north and survive in the harshest weather of any animal. Their hair is very long and thick to protect them from that weather. This large male was impressive just standing still.

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While watching a herd of bison cross through a thermal area, across the way I noticed this heavily frosted tree and liked how it looked. The fog and steam were creating a dramatic scene, and when the bison walked close to it, I loved how the orange color of the thermophile runoff of the hot spring really created a distinct and look to the dramatic foggy background.

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As a wildlife photographer I spend days and days waiting for the right moments to happen. I can go months between those moments happening. With the light so nice and the rainbow behind the muskox, this was one of those special mornings.

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Musk oxen only live in the far north latitudes. I had to drive a very long way north to see them. Seeing them was like going back in time because they look so ancient and like nothing else I have ever seen.

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Bison roam where they want in Yellowstone and the Grand Teton National Parks. It is really a treat to see them in their natural environment. When I found them early in the morning in a meadow close to the road, I waited for there to be enough light to bring the scene to life.

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Bison are very large animals. As the sun was going down, I began to look to see if I could find any on a ridge. I was fortunate to find a herd on a ridge that allowed the setting colors to silhouette them.

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Winter in Yellowstone is very cold and harsh. However, there are a number of places in Yellowstone that are much warmer all year round. This bison decided it had been in the cold long enough, and wanted to get a thermal sauna.

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Visibility can be very minimal in the winter. Between low clouds, heavy snow, and the wind, you just never know what to expect in the winter. As this bison walked along a ridge, the distant mountain was barely visible to know where it was going.

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Musk oxen females and babies will stay together in a herd. The males will join them mostly during mating season, and at other random times. A male here walks up to a family, and then shortly after gave chase to most of them.

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In the winter, trees can become so heavily covered in frost and snow that it no longer looks like a tree. These forests are known as ghost forests because of how white and frost covered they are. This bison was walking a ridge in one of these forests and really stood out against the forest.

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On this morning, there were times the bison was completely hidden in the fog. The fog would come and go and create different shots as it moved in and out. When the bison moved to the edge of the river, I liked how the background slowly faded into nothing but fog.

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Baby bison are first orange when they are born. After a few months their coat will darken and they will look like their parents. This was a brand new baby who looked like it was still trying to figure out how to walk.

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After a very cold night, this bison was completely frosty in the morning. Bison don’t get cold until -40 degrees, but I’m sure this bison still felt that it was colder. As it crested the ridge, this frosty bison stood out against the frozen landscape.

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In Yellowstone, there are thousands of bison, most normally they are very spread out throughout the park and I might see a herd of 50 or so at max. It was an amazing sight to see a never ending landscape of bison, and elk, across this valley!

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When a bison looks like it should be cold because it has frost on them, they actually aren’t. Their fur coat is so thick that they probably don’t even know they have frost on them because they are still warm.

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In the far north it is often very overcast. On this morning, the sun was only out briefly and I couldn't find any animals to photograph in the great light. All of a sudden, I spotted this muskox as it was glowing from the morning light.

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I had waited for years to catch one bison crossing the orange thermophiles in Yellowstone, and now I had a mom and 2 calves! I kept hoping they would walk together into a good opening, and the finally did. I just loved how the color and scene around them came to life with the light shining through the steam and fog to create a colorful, dramatic geyser basin shot!

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As the light was fading I was photographing a bison herd. Just before the very last light disappeared, an orange glow covered the valley and lit these bison up! I loved how the colors of the entire meadow turned orange and surrounded this bison family with color!

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Bison are able to walk anywhere they want in Yellowstone. In many places the ground is very unstable and dangerous for humans to walk across. Bison will walk right through a geyser area and act as if it is no different than any other ground. It is impressive how they move around there dangerous hydrothermal areas.

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Winter in Yellowstone is not the easiest of places to survive. The winter is often bad for months, and rarely eases up during those months. Animals have to be tough and strong to survive the winter. Not only is it cold, but it is often windy in Yellowstone. This was a particularly windy day, and with all the snow blowing around and the landscape turning completely white, these bison tried to move as little as possible to conserve their energy.

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Winter is not normally when bison fight, but boys will be boys. I think both didn’t like how close the other bison was standing to it, so they let the other bison know of their displeasure. It was fun seeing them bang heads in the snow!

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In winter, Bison don’t move around all that much to conserve energy. After watching this bison from a distance for a long time, it finally started to come my way. It was a very cold morning and I loved how frosty his face was when he got closer to me.

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Bison are very large animals, and this was a large male. He had been laying all morning accumulating more and more frost. When he got up, it was obvious he was a large male, and him being covered in so much frost was really neat because of how large he was. The steam vent behind him was keeping him warm, even though it looks like he is cold.

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Bison are a very tough animal. Winter doesn’t faze them until it gets extremely cold. When the snow gets deep, the herd will follow each other in the same path in the snow to conserve their energy.

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I can’t imagine living in Yellowstone in the winter, because it is a very harsh environment. During a heavy snow storm this bison was slowly moving and digging his head into the snow to look for any grass he could find. Even though the wind was howling, the bison didn’t seem to mind.

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As this bison walked along the river shore, I really liked how frosty he was. I saw this tree further down the river and hoped he would walk by it. After waiting a while, he finally went by the tree and both the tree and bison looked frozen in time.

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Photographing bison in winter can be difficult to get their whole body in the frame, because they are often deep in the snow. This bison had found a compact trail to walk on that made it way easier for him to walk. I also liked it because it showed off just how big this bison was.

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Baby bison are a very playful animal. When a few babies get together, it is pandemonium. They run and run and don'r stop until their tongue is hanging out and they can't hardly breath anymore.

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Bison are always fun to photograph in the winter because of where they live. I waited a long time and was really hoping this bison would make it to the ridge. Once he did, the mountain behind him really helped show off the snow and make it look like a winter wonderland.

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In the winter I love it when the temperature drops and the bison get frosty. All the right elements have to come together for that to happen, not just a cold temperature. The frost really adds character to the bison and shows off how well they are built to handle the cold temperatures.

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In the winter I’m always trying to get different perspectives and closeups of bison. Whenever they are frosty, it creates more opportunities for different shot to occur. As this bison was approaching me he finally lifted his head and I was able to shoot him close up with just his eyes and surrounding are showing to bring more attention to his face.

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During the rut, male bison will create dirt pits and roll around in them. They do this to rub their scent on the ground to let other bison know they were here and to show their strength. This bison was just getting up from rolling around and had a mean look on him.

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Yellowstone can have very harsh winters. Sometimes it has the cold and not much snow, but sometimes it has lots of snow and cold like this winter. It seemed like every day it snowed a number of inches. These poor bison did all they could to conserve their energy and wait for the storm to pass.

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When bison are born they come out an orange color. It isn't the best camouflage because everything else is brown or green, but they do come out orange. For some reason they got the name, 'Red Dog', even though they are not red.

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Bison will sit for hours to wait out a winter storm. This bison had sat so long that the snow had built up on him from the blowing snow. When he stood up he looked like a bison snowman.

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Bison have to endure the extreme winter conditions of Yellowstone, and that is not easy. They are built for it, as they don't get cold until it is 40 degrees below zero. After a long night of frozen fog, this bison was so covered in hoar frost he was hard to see in the fog.

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In the winter male bison will go off on their own, or meet up with only a few other males. This large bison was on his own and his look let me know he was king of that area.

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In the winter there can be a huge difference between the water temperature and the air temperature. This can cause a lot of fog to rise off the river, and that fog will freeze to bison as hoar frost. When this bison got up, I loved how the light was just beginning to shine through the fog and give him a little light while being surrounded by the fog.

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Not all bison in the winter are snow or frost covered. Their coats do look real thick and nice in the winter though. On a warmer winter day, this large bison walked through a geyser area of steam on its way to find another area to eat.

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Bison are one of the most well adapted animals to survive a harsh winter. They don't even get cold until the temperature drops below -40 degrees! In a heavy snow year, this bison was having to dig deep to find any grass or plants under the snow. The wind was howling and blowing for a very long time, and covered this bison in snow as he was trying to eat and survive.

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In Yellowstone, there are many different looks to each landscape depending on the day. On a cold morning, there was more fog than normal as this bison walked in the river. Due to fires in the area, the sun rose with a red color. All these together made the landscape appear as if it something eerie was going on.

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Winters can be tough on bison. The deeper the snow, the harder it is for them to survive. Normally bison go to lower elevations in the winter to find easier ground to eat, but this bison stuck it out high in the mountains.

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