Story by Cheryl Riley, PF VP of Outreach and Education Photos by Jim Cooper

Prairie dogs’ constant grass clipping promotes new, more nutritious growth which bison love. Here, a mother keeps watch while her pups explore

Many people have heard of or visited famous South Dakota landmarks such as the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore and Devil’s Tower.
There’s another less famous, but great family destination you should visit called Custer State Park in western South Dakota. This 71,000-acre park is in the Black Hills and has about 1.7 million visitors each year.

Why should you explore Custer State Park? How about a chance to see one of the largest bison, or buffalo, herds in the country — about 1,500 animals? Ever seen a buffalo roll over and over dusting itself in a “wallow”? This is their version of bug spray. How about a good old fashioned bison roundup with real cowboys? It’s pretty exciting to see hundreds of buffalo thundering across the prairie during the fall roundup. more…

For the answers click here.

Migrators Big and Small — From pronghorns to hummingbirds, life gets on the move when the weather changes
Pheasant Hunting —  A Game of Strategy
What’s That Tree? — Take a forest or backyard hike and find out
Wildlife Haven — How North Dakota’s Jessi Hummel, 16, built a wildlife home on the range with help from the Sakakawea PF Chapter
Go Explore! — Custer State Park
Positive Reinforcement — Pigeon Games

by Mark Herwig

Did you ever wonder why elk and antelope sometimes gather in big herds?

A few autumns ago I tagged along with a friend to learn how to hunt elk. His license was for the rugged wilderness south of Rawlins, Wyoming.

The night before, the high country where the elk, deer and antelope like to eat received a lot of snow, covering up their feed. In the morning, we found snow clogged roads and no elk.

We knew, however, that when it snows a lot, the animals have to migrate down to lower, snow-free range to eat. So, we headed off the mountain . . . and it wasn’t long before we found game. As we drove around a big hill on a lonely dirt trail, we spotted a huge herd of antelope walking fast down a broad, flat valley! But still, no elk.

The next day, we stayed low, but had to stop where the road was blocked by deep snow. So, we got out to walk. We didn’t go far before we spotted a big hill to the south that was covered with hundreds of elk! more…

By Benji Kohn, Freelance Photographer

In this photo the butterfly is backlit so bright sunlight shines through its wings.

Photo technology is moving forward at the speed of light. Gone are the days when you took a picture, dropped your film at the corner store and a few days later got a first glance at your work. Today you can snap endless photos, view them right on the camera, download them to a computer and adjust them in many ways.

Even though technology has changed the process, the principles of photography remain the same. Lighting and composition are what make a great photograph. So let’s go over some tips and ideas you can use even with a basic point and shoot camera to capture great photographs.

Lighting
Lighting is one thing you have little control over. Time of day, cloud cover, trees and pollution can affect the quality of light. Generally, lighting is best in early morning or late afternoon. During these times you can get warmer colors and few dark shadows. Try using light to your advantage. Sidelight, front light, backlight and indirect lighting all give different effects to your photo. Backlighting can be used to highlight a small object and make it stand out from the background like the butterfly photo below. Backlighting can also be used to silhouette people or objects like a tree at sunset. Cloudy days are great for indirect lighting! more…