Custer State Park 6/24/2019 – Adventures in the Dirt Yacht

OMG the wildlife is amazing! On our 5 1/2 hour trip through Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park’s Wildlife Loop Road we saw an abundance of animals including bison, antelope, burros, badger, deer, birds, coyote, thirteen-lined ground squirrels, prairie dogs and even a dung beetle. Randy still wants to see bears and a rattlesnake, but they can stay hidden as far as i am concerned. I think we saw a rattlesnake a few days ago when we were on one of the back roads in the Badlands. A hawk was fighting with a snake and trying to take off with it. It was close to us, but still too far away to positively identify the type of snake, but after researching snakes in that area, I think it was a rattlesnake.

One of the first animals we saw today was a solitary bison and then a short time later an antelope following a coyote up a hill. Don’t know why the antelope would not be going away from the coyote, but it was definitely following. They both went across part of the hill and then over the top, with the antelope not very far behind the coyote. We did ask one of the Custer naturalists why some of the bison were solitary or in very small groups, compared to the very large herds. She said the lone bison were older male bison that wanted nothing to do with the cows and/or calves until the rut. Until mating season, most of the male bison spend their time alone or with small herds of other males. In late summer/early fall, the males join the female herd when they are ready to mate. I was surprised at how much they traveled in a relatively short time. When we checked in at the Custer State Park visitor’s center, the entire area was full of bison. A few hours later when we left the park by the same gate, the bison were grazing several miles away.

Antelope following a coyote in Wind Cave National Park.

Antelope following a coyote up the hill. We were amazed that this antelope was following a large coyote up the hill in Wind Cave National Park

Prairie Dog. They are everywhere alongside the road in Wind Cave National Park

Custer State Park Visitor Center near the Game Lodge. This looked like the largest of the Visitor Centers. We stopped to watch the 20 minute film on Custer State Park that was narrated by Kevin Costner.

Antelope near the Custer State Park entrance

Large herd of female bison with their calves near the Custer State Park entrance off Rt 87 The park ranger said the herd brings the calves down to lower areas to let the calves graze. By the time we made the round trip, the herd had moved several miles down the road, onto a lower valley.

Close up–Large herd of bison near the Custer State Park entrance off Rt 87 The park ranger said the herd brings the calves down to lower areas to let the calves graze. By the time we made the round trip, the herd had moved several miles down the road, onto a lower valley.

Bison calf laying down near the Custer State Park Entrance off Rt. 87

Bison calf grazing near the Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park

One of the small bridges on the Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park

Antelope licking the dirt. Assume getting some type of mineral out of the clay.

Thirteen-lined ground squirrel also known as the striped gopher or leopard ground squirrel. This little squirrel was crawing on its belly along the road. When other cars approached, from the opposite direction of us, he took off back to his burrow. We waited a short time and he came back out to the side of the road.

Antelope alongside Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park

Antelope along road in Custer State Park

Young whitetail deer in Custer State Park

Burro along the Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park

The burro’s were friendly or maybe just looking for handouts!

Burros alongsie the Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park

One lane bridge on the Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park

Beautiful scenery in Custer State Park. Right after this section we saw a badger come out of a hole in the rock wall and scramble up the hill.

Our view sfor lunch from the Legion Lake Dockside Grill in Custer State Park.

Legion Lake in Custer State Park. Named after the American Legion Post that once leased the land.

What looked like the leader of a small herd of probably all male bison as we were leaving Custer State Park.

Small herd of probably all male bison as we were leaving Custer State Park

We were happy our replacement camera was delivered to the campground while we were out exploring. Just in time to take some pictures of the hot-air balloon flying over the campground.