Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge

 The last couple of days I spent out at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is the main reason for us coming down this way and spending some time. As with most of the eastern U.S. it's hard to find large expanses of public land so you have to see it when you can.  The refuge is 59,000 acres of wild  and beautiful landscape, not what you would expect in Oklahoma. One of the refuge's main attractions (besides it's rugged beauty) is the 650 head of wild free range Bison, which can be seen most anywhere in the refuge. During my outings I was only able to spot a small group and a few loners.

 The main road through the refuge travels approx 15-20 miles east to west, through the southern third. The northern two thirds is off limits to the public, reserved for the animals.

 Small Bison herd.

 I was surprised by the number of lakes and streams within the refuge.

 Since the refuge is free range, the bison wander at will. Getting good shots of them can mean some bushwacking to get close. But remember they are wild, so don't get too close. Thank goodness for a long lens.

 Refuges rugged beauty

 Beautiful Creatures

 Across the stream lies a large designated wilderness area (no mechanical transportation of any kind allowed).

Nothing like a good back scratching in the dirt.

These were just a fractions of the shots I captured, Next time I'll post some more and some of the sights not pictured here. Hope you enjoyed them, so until next time..............................