Yellowstone tourist tries to advance safely past bison.

You’re in Yellowstone National Park and have just visited an attraction at the end of a wooden boardwalk.

On the way back to your vehicle you encounter a giant bison feeding alongside the boardwalk, so you ponder your options and weigh the risks.

If you put yourself in place of the woman in the accompanying footage, do you climb through the fence and attempt to descend a steep hill leading toward the parking lot, and risk falling? Or do you try to skirt past a 1,500-pound beast that's only a few yards away?

(Another choice would be to walk back the way you came and wait for the bison to clear the area, but that option does not appear to have been considered.)

I captured the footage in 2023 and am still amused by the way the woman handled her situation. Note that she first climbs through the fence to follow her male companion down the slope, before changing her mind.

She then considers her plight for several seconds before making the choice to climb back onto the boardwalk, making sure not to make eye contact with the bison, then walks quickly away from the danger.

The woman obviously violated Yellowstone's 25-yard rule pertaining to bison, but the rule is sometimes hard to follow.

How would you have responded?

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Yellowstone tourist faced with tough choice during extremely close bison encounter

Reporting by Pete Thomas, For The Win / For The Win

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