Wow, my first challenge image in over a year. Well, this one was fun. I used Debra Ross' bison model (just found out today that there are newer and better textures for it, but this one still works) and PhilC's cape for the buffalo runner's robe. Everything else is the digital equivalent of spit and bailing wire. Some post in Photoshop, but per the challenge, as little as I could get by with and stil consider the thing presentable. So, while I hope the image itself works on its own, I'll give a little background for those of you who might not know much about this bit of history. The Plains Indians of North America used to hunt bison, before horses and guns were available starting at about 1600 or so, by stampeding them and running them off a cliff. The ones which weren't killed by the fall were clubbed or speared by folks waiting down below. The most hazardous job went to the buffalo runner, who wore a bison robe and hat and positioned himself between the bison herd and the cliff. Then he'd started bleating like a lost calf, and this began to attract bison mommies at the edge of the herd. They'd start moving toward him. Then other hunters would jump up from the sides of the herd and start a stampede. If all went well, the bison would run in the direction of the most recent movement --toward the fake calf. So the runner had a whole herd running full-on toward him. He would turn and run for the cliff, then jump down to a ledge on the side. Over the edge the bison went, and the tribe had food and clothing for the winter. Anyway, probably a lot more detail than anyone needs, but it's some interesting history from my neck of the woods. Enjoy!

I've heard about this! They found a site that was a V-shaped cleft in the landscape, at the bottom and around the mouth of the cleft they found evidence thousands of buffalo being slaughtered on a fairly regular basis....fascinating stuff! It wasn't a high up as you seem to have made it but there ya go! Great stuff!

The jump I've modeled this one after (the rocks, anyway) is a fairly short jump (about 75 feet), but the bluff the cliff sits atop is several hundred feet above the surrounding plains; it never occurred to me that this image would look like I'm having the buffalo fall the full several hundred feet! D'oh!