On a frigid day in December, Jessica Pamonicutt braced herself against the minus-7-degree wind chill and stood knee-deep in snow at Burlington Prairie in the northwest corner of Kane County. Next to her, a livestock trailer was thrumming with the barely contained energy of half a dozen bison.
“It was vibrating the trailer and it was vibrating the ground underneath us,” said Pamonicutt. “I don’t know how to explain it, but imagine the worst thunderstorm you’ve ever seen times 100. That’s how much energy they kick up. It’s kind of scary at first but then it’s a beautiful feeling — you’re feeling their energy.”
When the trailer door swung open, the largest bull in the group sprung out first. He paused to look around and licked the air a few times, almost like he was making sure the coast was clear for the rest of the tiny herd. Then he was joined by a second bison and as the pair walked off together, four stragglers finally made their appearance…