General Information on the Bison / Buffalo hunting {American Bison}

The buffalo {American bison} once ranged over most of North America from the Atlantic almost to the Pacific, and from Mexico north into Canada. The buffalo {American bison} is the largest terrestrial animal in North America. The males are up to 6 feet high at the shoulder, from 10 to 12 ½ feet long and weigh as much as 3000 pounds. This large big game is what the guides and outfitters will offer on most of the packages that they have set up for trips and guided hunts. Females are about 5 feet at the shoulders, 7 to 8 feet long and weigh up to 1000 pounds.

The head is massive and broad, topped by short, curving, pointed horns in both sexes. Imagine a trophy like this on your living-room wall {if your wife allows it, LOL}. The bison has dark brown shaggy fur over the head, neck, shoulders and forelegs. The fur on the rest of the body is shorter a sometimes lighter brown in color.

Neither nocturnal nor diurnal, bison are active throughout the day. However, they are most active in the early morning and late afternoon. The American bison – buffalo outfitter or guide that you hire should already know the best place to go for a trip or guided hunt. They also show increased activity on moonlit nights. They feed mostly on grasses and sedges and they will also eat lichens and horsetails. During the hot part of the mid-afternoon, they generally rest, chewing their cuds or dust bathing. Dust bathing or wallowing is done to repel insects and control itching.

Mating for this big game animal begins in July when bulls rejoin the herd and start to fight for cows. The bulls stand about 20 feet from each other, lower their heads, and charge into each other at high speed. The heads, rather than the horns, collide. The charges are repeated until one of the bulls retires. Successful bulls form harems of from 10 to 70 cows. Mating takes place in August and September, and calves are born in May.