Man tossed by bison at Yellowstone's Bridge Bay Campground after approaching during rutting season

A bull bison attacked an unidentified man at Bridge Bay Campground in Yellowstone National Park on Friday evening, tossing him several feet into the air after charging from roughly 100 yards away. The man was walking with his grandson south of Fishing Bridge when the animal targeted them. The bison had earlier charged a group of children taking photos from a safe distance.

A white pickup truck drove past, after which the bison charged the vehicle and then turned toward the pair. Professional photographer Mike MacLeod recorded the encounter. The bison hooked the man with its left horn on his hip and sent him flipping before he landed on his side.

The animal stood over the injured man, shaking its head, while MacLeod and other witnesses ran toward it yelling to draw its attention away. Yellowstone EMS arrived and took over care. The man's grandson later told MacLeod that his grandfather had significant injuries and was not out of the woods yet.

The man was in pain in his hips and the leg on which he landed, though no visible external injuries or bleeding were observed immediately after. The National Park Service had not released an official statement on the man's condition as of Sunday morning. Yellowstone requires visitors to maintain a minimum distance of 25 yards from bison.

The attack was the park's second reported human-bison incident of 2026; a 12-year-old visitor was injured June 26 near Mud Volcano, north of Fishing Bridge. MacLeod said the bison likely attacked because it was feeling territorial due to the current rutting season, which runs between June and September.