SHERIDAN — It’s a universally acknowledged truth in Wyoming that if you keep your eyes peeled long enough, you’re bound to see something that just doesn’t happen in the other 49 states.
But nothing quite prepares a person for rounding a corner on Sheridan’s historic Main Street and coming face-to-face with Hollywood's biggest star — literally: Clyde, the 2,000-pound celebrity bison.
That was the scene in downtown Sheridan last weekend when the bovine A-lister from New Mexico dropped by the Bison Union Coffee Co. to say hello.
Clyde’s many television credits include Brian Watkins’ “Outer Range,” Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone,” Vince Gilligan’s “Pluribus,” and Netflix’s “American Primeval.”
As wild as his Sheridan appearance might have seemed, Clyde wasn’t lost. And this wasn’t his first coffee run either.
Bison Union owner Landon Ash told Cowboy State Daily that Clyde is a repeat visitor.
“When they were here for the street festival, I got to meet them, and we just became friends,” he said. “And so every time they come through town, they holler at us to see if we’re here, and, if we are, they stop in to get some coffee and bring Clyde in to see our patrons and customers, which is just great.”
The Bison Union name reflects a former partner’s love of bison and the idea of bringing people together, Ash said.
It’s also a 307 store, offering Wyoming-made goods. Mounted bison heads and other bison decor fill out the setting — though on this day the main attraction was alive.
Just A Pet
Clyde didn’t come to town alone. His owner, Clint Mortenson, was there to lead the bison around and direct traffic as needed.
Mortenson let people take selfies with the bison between filming sessions, and Clyde never seemed to miss a beat.
Strangers kept rounding the corner to find him there unexpectedly, while a crew filming for the television show “Barbecue: Life of Fire” pressed in close to get footage.
Mortenson never intended to launch a bison’s Hollywood career, he told Cowboy State Daily. He rescued Clyde when the calf was 2 weeks old and bottle-fed him, expecting he would simply become a pet.
For the first year, Clyde ran around with Mortenson’s dogs and slept on his doorstep.
One night, though, Clyde demonstrated just how different — and smart — he is. He figured out how to open the door to Clint’s house and strolled right into the living room.
“Sometimes he would come into the house in the middle of the night,” Mortenson said with a chuckle. “That was kind of strange.”
Clyde doesn’t do that so much anymore. He has his own barn now, which includes a big sand run for him to play.
“He still plays with the dogs,” Mortenson added. “They run back and forth. I think he might think he’s a dog.”
Albeit, a dog that weighs 2,000 pounds.
Bison Union Coffee Company's owner Landon Ash struck up a friendship with Clint Mortenson, who owns Clyde the buffalo. That led to a film shoot at the Bison Union Coffee company for an upcoming episode of "Barbecue: Life of Fire." (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
Bison Union Coffee Company's Landon Ash talks about the photo wall at his coffee shop in Sheridan, which will soon include a shot of Clyde the Bison. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
Bison Union Coffee Company roasts its own beans at its coffee shop in Sheridan. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily)
Big Hollywood Break
Mortenson also owns the famous Eaves Movie Ranch, an Old West town with saloons, a bank, a jail, a general store, and other buildings.
The movie ranch was a natural extension of his work supplying horses and other livestock for movie productions. Those livestock connections eventually gave Clyde his big Hollywood break.
“It just kind of evolved,” Clint said. “The livestock coordinators would see him and then they’d get called by someone who needed a buffalo.”
When another bison lined up for “Outer Range” wasn’t working out, someone recommended Clyde.
He got the job, and Mortenson said they used him for “about every episode of that.”
More Than A Movie Star
Since then, Clyde has met lots of famous people, Mortenson said, including Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, and Jen Landon, who played Teeter on “Yellowstone.”
His visit to Sheridan includes a stop at the Mint Bar, as well as Ash’s Bighorn Bison Ranch, which supplies meat to restaurants across the country, including one in Birmingham, Alabama.
“We have some here in Sheridan as well,” Ash said. “They’re local people and they want to have a good bison burger, bison tacos or a good steak.”
But Ash also appreciates Clyde for something that doesn’t come on a menu. He’s an ambassador for the entire species.
“If people can fall in love with an animal, they’re supported,” he said.
Bison need lots of land to thrive, he added.
“We’re losing so much habitat and there’s so much development going on out there nowadays,” he said. “They’re great for the environment. They’ve been here 10,000 years. And they were made to help aerate the soil and repopulate the grasslands and cultivate it and be a good steward of the land.”
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
