Being gored by a bison means being pierced or stabbed by the animal’s horns during an attack. The term “goring” specifically refers to a penetrating wound caused by an animal’s horn, as opposed to being trampled or kicked. Bison gorings are serious, sometimes life-threatening events that happen most often in national parks when people get too close.
What Happens During a Bison Goring
A bison attack involves two distinct types of injury, and goring is the more dramatic one. The animal lowers its massive head and drives its horns upward into the victim in a motion called “hooking.” This creates deep puncture wounds, most commonly to the buttocks, thighs, and abdomen. In severe cases, the horn can penetrate the abdominal wall deeply enough to cause evisceration, where internal organs are exposed or pushed outside the body.
But goring is rarely the only injury. Bison also use their heads as blunt-force weapons, shoving or butting victims with tremendous power. Perhaps the most dangerous secondary injury comes from being tossed into the air. An adult bison can fling a person several feet off the ground, and the rapid deceleration when they hit the ground can cause broken bones, spinal fractures, and head injuries. One documented case involved a victim who suffered both an abdominal laceration with intestinal evisceration from the horn and cervical fractures from being thrown. That patient required multiple surgeries including a colostomy and spinal stabilization.
Why Bison Horns Are So Dangerous
Bison horns are not hollow or decorative. Each horn has a solid bone core surrounded by a dense outer layer made of keratin, the same material as human fingernails but far thicker and harder. The tips are sharply pointed, and the curved shape makes them especially effective at slashing sideways into the belly and flanks of whatever the bison is attacking. Both male and female bison have horns, so any bison is capable of inflicting a goring injury.
The force behind those horns is what makes a goring so devastating. An adult male bison weighs up to 2,000 pounds, and research measuring head velocities during charges has recorded speeds up to roughly 31 miles per hour. Even at moderate charging speeds, the combination of a sharp horn tip and a ton of momentum behind it means the horn can penetrate deep into muscle, fat, and abdominal tissue with little resistance.
How Often Bison Gorings Happen
Bison have injured more pedestrian visitors at Yellowstone National Park than any other animal since 1980, including bears. During the mid-1980s, Yellowstone saw 10 to 13 bison-related injuries per year. After the park launched public awareness campaigns, that number dropped to an average of less than one per year between 2010 and 2014. Still, spikes happen. In just three months during the summer of 2015, five bison injuries occurred at Yellowstone.
Most of these incidents follow the same pattern: a visitor approaches a bison for a photo or simply doesn’t realize how close they’ve gotten. Bison look slow and docile, which is part of what makes them so dangerous. They can go from standing still to a full charge in seconds.
Warning Signs Before a Charge
Bison give several signals before they attack, and knowing them can prevent a goring. The most reliable indicator is the tail. A bison with its tail hanging down and swaying naturally is calm. If the tail shoots straight up like a flag, the animal is on high alert and may charge. That’s the signal to back away immediately.
Sound matters too. A snort is a direct warning, the bison equivalent of “back off.” During summer mating season (called the rut), bulls also bellow loudly, both to attract females and to warn rivals. A bellowing bull is unpredictable and best avoided entirely. Other body language to watch for includes pawing at the ground, turning to face you directly, and lowering the head.
How to Avoid Being Gored
The National Park Service requires visitors to stay at least 100 feet from bison, roughly the length of two buses. That distance gives you enough time to react if the animal charges, though even at 100 feet the margin is slim given how fast bison can accelerate.
If a bison starts approaching you, do not stand your ground. Move away quickly and find a solid barrier like a car, a large tree, or a building. Running in a straight line away from a bison on open ground is unlikely to work since they’re faster than humans. Your best option is to get behind something substantial or change direction frequently, as bison are less agile in tight turns than people are. Never approach a bison from any direction, even if it appears to be sleeping or unaware of you. They are not domesticated cattle. They are wild animals with unpredictable behavior, especially during mating season and when calves are nearby.