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Species authority page

American bison

Bison bison · Big game

American bison (Bison bison): Largest land mammal in North America; bulls about 900 kg, cows about 500 kg. Dark chocolate-brown with long hair on the head, shoulders and forelegs and short hair on the flanks and hindquarters. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the american bison map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: Saskatchewan. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Herd of American bison grazing on open grassland below distant mountains
Photo by Nils Huenerfuerst on Unsplash
Scientific name
Bison bison
Family
Bovidae
Range
Once widespread from Alaska and western Canada across the U.S. into northern Mexico; now in isolated herds within and outside the historical range. Yellowstone is the only place in the lower 48 states with a continuously free-ranging population since prehistoric times.
Biology

How to identify it

Largest land mammal in North America; bulls about 900 kg, cows about 500 kg. [1][2]

Dark chocolate-brown with long hair on the head, shoulders and forelegs and short hair on the flanks and hindquarters. [1][2]

Protruding shoulder hump. [1][2]

Both sexes carry short, upward-curving horns. [1][2]

Calves are reddish-tan at birth and begin turning brown after about 2.5 months. [1][2]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Do not identify American bison from colour alone. Compare structure, size, range and the listed similar species before making a field decision.[1][2]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Open plains and grasslands in the south; boreal forest openings, meadows and river valleys in the north; attracted to recently burned areas. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Herds of cows and young appear to be led by older females; groups average about 20 in winter and about 200 in summer [1][2]

Rut in July and August: bulls bellow, wallow and fight [1][2]

Grazes grasses and sedges 9–11 hours a day; swings its head to clear snow [1][2]

Rubs on trees and rocks and uses dirt wallows [1][2]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Once widespread from Alaska and western Canada across the U.S. into northern Mexico; now in isolated herds within and outside the historical range. Yellowstone is the only place in the lower 48 states with a continuously free-ranging population since prehistoric times.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. U.S. National Park Service · reviewed 2026-09-30

    U.S. National Park Service

  2. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe