Greg Ruter pulls up to scores of majestic bison on a camouflage-print four-wheeler. Following the sound of their grunts, he drives through the pasture of his ranch, Owl Creek Bison, passing orange newborn calves nestling with their moms and a huge, hunchbacked bull trudging up a hill. Although the ranch is in Frankfort, Ohio (about 100 miles from downtown Cincinnati), the scene feels better fit for the Great Plains. Between rides, Ruter, 63, says that he and his wife moved from Finneytown 10 years ago after he passed bison ranches out west while working as a cross-country mover. The couple started Owl Creek with 22 bison, pledging to raise them on an all-grass diet and on shaded land. Today, meat from the herd of 125 is sold at local farmers’ markets, restaurants, and the ranch itself. The best part of the gig? Spending time outdoors, Ruter says. With that thought, he slowly drives down the dirt road as raindrops pitter-patter on his face.
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