North Dakota rancher John Otto is bottle-feeding a belligerent baby bison that’s has millions of people watching him get bullied by the little guy.

It’s been only eight days since John and Makayla Otto brought a bison calf to their ranch near Plaza, North Dakota. 

He already has a very strong personality, and Otto is often on the receiving end of that strength.

“I’ve had my ass handed to me about four different times by now,” he said. “There’s nothing I can’t tame, but this thing might be the first.”

Otto decided to share his struggle with Georgie on social media. As of Monday, his videos of being headbutted and knocked over by the baby bison have been viewed more than 6 million times.

“He’s been the most photographed animal on this farm here for the last two weeks,” he said. “Maybe I’ll get paid for it and get my money back out of this little tear.”

Bully Baby

This is Otto’s second attempt at bottle-feeding bison on his “hideaway hobby farm” near Plaza. He and wife Makayla bottle-fed a female bison that met a sudden and tragic end.

“We got the heifer as tame as a lap dog,” he said. “When she was about a year old, she tried to run through the barn door and broke its neck. Died on the spot.”

Despite that “freak accident,” the Ottos were determined to raise another bison. They acquired this bull calf from a feedlot in South Dakota.

“The exotic animal dealer said this was the most lovable one,” he said. “For whatever reason, he loved the guy that had it, and he knows my wife, so he sent that one.”

“Loveable” wasn’t the impression John got when he went to pick up his new baby bison.

“From the time I walked up to the truck, that thing was butting and kicking through the pen that we had it in,” he said. “I wonder if I got lucky on the first (bison) and I’m getting the full taste on this one.”

Nevertheless, Georgie made it to his new home on the Ottos’ ranch. It’s been nothing but an adorable bully since.

“He started out as Richard on Day One, for obvious reasons, but now it’s Georgie,” John said.

Mommy’s Boy

The Ottos have been taking shifts raising their baby bull bison. So far, it’s clear that Georgie has a favorite.

“He loves my wife,” he said. “Every time he sees me, he runs. She walks up, and that thing will chase her all around the yard.”

Since it’s important that Georgie get acclimated to everyone, Georgie has been getting round-the-clock bottles from the Ottos. That doesn’t make John’s shifts any easier.

“I try to do the night shift when its quiet and everybody’s asleep,” he said. “That way, I get some time with him, but there’s no drawing straws. (Makayla) knows when she’s going to go do it, because I cherish my knees.”

According to John, Georgie is “all heart and few pounds,” but he packs a serious punch. 

He seems cute and cuddly on approach, but John knows it’s all a ruse so he’ll get close.

When John reaches out to touch Georgie’s head, the baby bison goes into hellion mode with enough force to knock Otto over.

“Everybody keeps saying don’t touch its head, but that’s kind of what you have to do,” he said. “If I can touch his head, I can start lovin’ on him.”

It’s worth noting that Makayla can touch Georgie’s head and his entire body without any issue. The bison’s adorable ire is exclusively targeted at John.

“This thing’s had a personal vendetta against me for some reason,” he said. “He’s like a deer, pound for pound. When he hits, it’s not like a calf. That thing hits to go through you.”

Breaking In The Baby

There’s no official guide on how to turn a baby bison into a “field puppy,” as the Ottos intend for Georgie. 

John might have met his match, but he’s determined to prevail.

“It’s pretty comparable to a Mustang that’s never been handled,” he said. “It’s all about persistence.”

The first thing the Ottos did was to split Georgie’s feedings in half. Instead of four bottles per day, the baby bison is getting seven or eight bottles, so there’s more one-on-one time.

“They’re smaller, more hands-on feedings,” he said. “When they’re closer together, there’s more interaction.”

Ultimately, John said he’s going to have to “keep making Georgie uncomfortable” until he settles into his perpetually privileged life on the ranch. 

Georgie might see John as his bullying buddy, but that attitude can’t be allowed to endure.

“It’s like breaking a horse,” he said. “Sometimes, you’ve got to hook him up and drag him, and other times you’ve got to tie a leg up or tie their head over. 

“You have to make them uncomfortable and keep making them uncomfortable until they accept their fate.”

And what will be Georgie’s fate? A life of loving and luxury as a glorified pet on the Ottos’ ranch, which comes with plenty of friends, lots of pets, and other perks.

The other occupants of the Ottos’s ranch include Hereford and Black Angus cattle, goats, a pet deer, and some other “oddballs.” 

Georgie will spend the rest of his life with this eclectic collection of friends.

“I’ve got two steers actually that I was raising to sell for processing, but they’ve turned into 1,800-pound yard dogs,” he said. “It’s pretty embarrassing that I still have them, but at the same time, I guess they’ll have their buffalo buddy to roam around with.”

It’s also worth noting that Georgie hasn’t been banded yet. That might improve his disposition toward John, but only time will tell.

“They say it’s no different than a heifer once it’s banded,” he said. “Well, we ain’t got him banded yet, so he’s just planning his next assault.”

Social Media Star

John and Georgie didn’t get off to a good start, but John thought his Facebook friends might enjoy following his struggle with the baby bison. 

He didn’t anticipate the viral response to his videos.

“I always kept my Facebook around 200 followers, because it’s family and friends I knew,” he said. “When I posted the first video, it had 4,000 views the next morning. By the end of that day, it had 10,000 views. It had 14,000 views the next day.”

John’s first video with Georgie, “Taming of the Dick,” has been viewed 1.1 million times. His Day Two update, where Georgie butts John onto his butt, has been viewed over 4.5 million times.

“I guess we’ll just keep riding this thing, and I’ll keep posting videos since people find it entertaining,” he said.

Some ranchers have successfully saddle-trained their bison so they can be ridden in parades and rodeos. The Ottos don’t think that’s in the stars for Georgie.

“We joke about it, and it’d be funny as heck to ride Georgie in (the North Dakota State Parade) in Minot, but on the other end, I’ll stick with a halter on it. I used to ride bulls. I didn’t ride buffalo,” John said.

Ring Around The Buffalo

After eight days on the ranch, John and Georgie seemed to have reached an understanding.

The strategy of smaller, staggered feedings seems to be working. Georgie’s new favorite pastime is “Ring Around the Buffalo” during feedings.

“I haven’t been in a boxing match in three days, at least,” he said. “I’ve got to entice him with some milk. Get food, and we’re bros.”

Georgie’s always on his best behavior with Makayla, which John acknowledged as “not fair.”

Meanwhile, the baby bison enjoys frolicking around and getting to know the other occupants of the ranch.

Regardless of his person-to-person temperament, the Ottos realize how important it is to spend as much time as possible with Georgie. It’s the surest way to ensure he lives his best life in their care.

That means John gets to touch Georgie’s head, whether he likes it or not. The alternative wouldn’t make for a fun viral video.

“If somebody’s going to buy one of these, see it in the morning, see it in the evening, and go to bed, yeah, that’s probably a bison that will end up in the freezer,” he said. “We want him to be friendly, so eventually, he’s going to get used to me touching his head.”

Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.

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Powerball

Powerball drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m.

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09-10-24-30-39

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