I had an up close and personal with a Bison in the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge just outside Fort Sill once back in the 80s.
You cannot appreciate how big and intimidating and powerful an animal like that is until you round a blind bend in the path and there's a 2,000lb Bison 6 feet in front of you, staring directly at you. This thing was motherloving huge.
The only thing between me and him was about 72" of air and a thin layer of clothing. They have been known to attack humans esp. if they have calves around, which i had been warned about by some buddies in my Company in advance, so i was seriously concerned for my safety.
Anyway, i just stood there staring directly at this guy for a good 30 minutes completely motionless until he wandered off. I remember thinking the whole time, "Don't start pawing at the ground." (bad bad sign)
Nothing happened, but if he wanted me dead there would not have been a damn thing i could have done about it, and i knew it.
It was definitely an epiphinal moment. (there are some pretty scary Bison attacks on youtube)
Here's a vid of a
small one charging a motorcycle. The one i ran into was a full grown adult male. Huuuuuge animal.