Encounter with a White Buffalo

Last weekend while visiting YO Ranch Headquarters in Mountain Home, TX, I had the encounter of a lifetime.

We had just completed granting a “Wild Wish” for a little boy named Amos who got to encounter a giraffe and many other exotic animals at the legendary ranch. On the way out I noticed a herd of longhorn cattle and stopped to photograph them.

Amos and two other wish kids who accompanied us followed me and another chaperone out to photograph the massive bulls when we noticed something in the bushes. Hiding under the shade of a live oak was a massive bison.

This thing was easily in the 2,000 pound range and gave us a real thrill as buffalos were the topic of conversation riding down the road. “Wild Wishes” grants exotic animal encounters for children who have lost a parent or sibling or who have a terminal illness and to think that the Lord granted us this chance to see such an amazing animal together was humbling to say the least.

Then it got better.

From behind another tree stood up something big and white. At first it looked like a bull but when it turned around chills ran up and down my spine. This was no bull. It was a white buffalo.

The Great White Buffalo!

As I snapped photos, the majestic bison looked us square in the eye and then retreated into the oaks as we stood blown away.

All three of the kids knew about the legend of the white buffalo and its importance to Native American culture and so did I of course. And I could not help but sing a chorus of my friend Ted Nugent’s “The Great White Buffalo”.

We had no idea such a creature existed on the huge ranch and would not have seen it if we had not decided to pull over and photograph the longhorns.

I have no question the Lord had His hand on this encounter and so did the kids who were excited beyond measure. They had seen something that until then only seemed like a legend.

I have had many incredible wildlife encounters and this one ranks right up there with seeing great whites in the Pacific. This was a lifelong dream come true and I got to share it with three very special kids and a friend who is as big a buffalo fan as I am.

As we walked back to the trucks, the moms, grandmas and dads were excited for the kids. They got to see all of this go down but one thing they did not see were its eyes.

We started into the eyes of the white buffalo.

None of us may ever be the same.

We locked eyes with a legend.

Chester Moore, Jr.