IT goes like this. Get between a female and her calf: she'll kill you. Get between a bull and his cows when it's mating season: he'll kill you.
Try to touch a baby calf at any time of year: the entire herd will not only kill you, but they will also stomp your bones to dust.
And forget using horses to muster them. Bison are incredibly agile and have an amazing turn of speed, which can put the horses and stockmen in danger in a split instant.
That's the reality of running bison, those prehistoric-looking creatures that once roamed across the North American continent in their tens of millions.
For Ken and Denice Childs on the Star B Ranch at Ramona in southern California, bison have proven an excellent alternative to cattle on their 480ha ranch.
Located about 50 kilometres north-west of San Diego in the hilly chaparral country, the Star B bison are part of a larger niche red meat supply chain ingrained in US culture.
"Bison fit in well with the farm-to-plate concept," Ken said.
"They're a native North American animal and they have health benefits that appeal to health-conscious consumers."
All of the bison carcase has value. As live animals they are worth $1600 at six to eight months of age.
The meat sells for about $5.50/kg ($2.50/lb) live, and the hide and the skull also has significant value because of the religious connection to native Americans.
"The industry is based on the demand for healthy, lean, nutritious bison meat," Ken said.
Prime meat animals are bulls between 18 and 30 months old and are worth at least twice what prime beef demands.
The bison are run in three areas on the Star B Ranch. The paddocks - or meadows as they are called - are fenced with 1.8m (5ft 5in) high five-strand barbed fences.
"We make them 5ft 5 because bison can jump five foot," Ken said.
The yards are constructed from slightly higher high-tensile woven wire fences.
"Our approach to managing the bison is about keeping everything as calm as we can," Ken said.
"We want the bison in and out of the yards with the minimal amount of stress."
Part of the stress minimisation strategy has been to educate the animals to follow the ranch's pickup truck.
Lucerne cubes are offered as an incentive to follow the vehicle to the yards or from paddock to paddock.
The yards also have an extensive system of walkways so people do not come in direct contact with the animals in an unprotected situation.
It is estimated there were about 60 million American bison in 1800 spread over much of Canada, the US and into Mexico.
However, the animal was hunted to near the point of extinction by 1900.
"Bison have thrived on the North American continent for thousands of years - they are adaptable to a wide variety of climates," Ken said.
"Winter storms and summer heat are not problems for this animal. The key to remember is that well-fed, content bison will not roam."
Bison are also long-lived animals. Cows generally have their first calf at age three and will deliver a calf every year thereafter.
"Most producers plan on a 20-year reproductive life, and some producers have 30-year-old cows still delivering healthy calves," Ken said.
Bison have a gestation period of about 280 days and usually produce one 18 to 23kg calf. One bull will service 10-15 cows.
Bison producers can now be found in all 50 US states, every Canadian province, and many countries around the world.
Daughter Amie and son-in-law Eric March also work on the ranch.
In addition to working with the bison, the couple are developing an on-farm brewery, similar in concept to an on-farm winery.
"We can see an opportunity for people to come to the ranch and eat bison and drink beer," Eric said.
"What could be better?
"Everything that goes into beer comes from agriculture."