Drunk Yellowstone tourist kicks bison, injuring himself before getting arrested

What was his beef?

An Idaho man was arrested after he drunkenly kicked a bison at Yellowstone National Park and injured himself, according to the National Park Service.

Clarence Yoder, 40, approached the bison on April 21 near the Seven Mile Bridge, roughly seven miles east of the park’s West Entrance.

Park rangers were alerted to reports of a man “harassing a herd of bison” who had kicked one of them in the leg, injuring himself in the encounter, NPS officials said.

Authorities tracked down the vehicle Yoder was traveling in and charged with being under the influence of alcohol to a degree that may endanger oneself, disorderly conduct as to create or maintain a hazardous condition, approaching wildlife and disturbing wildlife.

The driver of the vehicle, 37-year-old McKenna Bass, was also arrested and charged with driving under the iNFLuence, failure to yield and disturbing wildlife.

Yoder was taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment. He was released from medical care and taken to the Gallatin County Detention Center.

Yoder and Bass pleaded not guilty to the charges on April 22. Each violation can result in fines up to $5,000 and up to six months in jail.

This is the first incident of a person being injured by a bison in 2024 at Yellowstone, according to NPS. In July 2023, a 47-year-old visitor was gored in the chest by a bison while on a proposal trip with her boyfriend.

In November, a Utah man suffered a lacerated liver and an 8-inch gash in his side when he tried to pet one of the animals on the side of the road while driving home from Thanksgiving.

NPS officials urged visitors to stay more than 25 yards back from bison and other large animals in the park and stay more than 100 yards away from bears and wolves.