<P> Bison hunting ( hunting of the American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo ) was an activity fundamental to the economy and society of the Plains Indians peoples who inhabited the vast grasslands on the Interior Plains of North America , prior to the animal 's near - extinction in the late nineteenth century . Even a number of Indians west of the continental divide crossed the Rocky Mountains in traditional tribal hunts on the Northern Great Plains . The species ' dramatic decline was the result of habitat loss due to the expansion of ranching and farming in western North America , industrial - scale hunting practiced by non-indigenous hunters , increased indigenous hunting pressure due to non-indigenous demand for bison hides and meat , and even cases of deliberate policy by settler governments to destroy the food source of the native Indian peoples during times of conflict . Bison have always been hunted for their meat and the coats . Part of quality conservation is thinning out in certain areas . This helps in the overall health and wellness of the herds . When the forest service has to come in and capture and / or kill the bison it is always utilized to help the herd and is often given to the Native Americans in the area to help feed them . </P>
<P> Bison hunting ( hunting of the American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo ) was an activity fundamental to the economy and society of the Plains Indians peoples who inhabited the vast grasslands on the Interior Plains of North America , prior to the animal 's near - extinction in the late nineteenth century . Even a number of Indians west of the continental divide crossed the Rocky Mountains in traditional tribal hunts on the Northern Great Plains . The species ' dramatic decline was the result of habitat loss due to the expansion of ranching and farming in western North America , industrial - scale hunting practiced by non-indigenous hunters , increased indigenous hunting pressure due to non-indigenous demand for bison hides and meat , and even cases of deliberate policy by settler governments to destroy the food source of the native Indian peoples during times of conflict . Bison have always been hunted for their meat and the coats . Part of quality conservation is thinning out in certain areas . This helps in the overall health and wellness of the herds . When the forest service has to come in and capture and / or kill the bison it is always utilized to help the herd and is often given to the Native Americans in the area to help feed them . </P>
which tribes relied on hunting buffalo for survival
which tribes relied on hunting buffalo for survival
Plains Indians
Plains Indians