1. Bison are the largest land animal in North America. A male bison, or bull, can reach a weight of 2400 lbs. A female bison, or cow, weighs between 900-1200 lbs. Bison range in heights between 5 and 6.5 feet tall.
2. All bison have horns, not just the males, which they use to help forage for food and for defense.
3. Bison can live up to 25 years old.
4. Bison consume approximately 30 lbs. of roughage a day.
5. Bison need approximately 30 acres per animal to roam and feed on. They are not stationary while feeding, but rather continually move as they consume prairie grasses and roughage thus preventing overgrazing.
Bison Family
6. Female bison, or cows, typically begin calving at 3 years of age. They will have on average 1 calf per year for up to 17 years, with a gestation period of 9½ months. A calf will stay with its mother for 2 years if possible.
7. Bison spend time in family units within the herd, usually numbering between 12-24 individuals. Bulls, however, are only typically found in the herd during breeding season.
8. Bison on average can run up to 30mph. Their speed along with their incredible size can make bison a formidable force for predators.
9. Bison will grow a new coat annually. Their coat is made up of course outer guard hairs and a soft undercoat. Bison need their thick coats to help protect them from severe weather during long winters.
10. Bison are a keystone species of the Great Plains and critical to the health of the prairie ecosystem. Their presence in an area allows the land and other species to thrive.
Comments 11
Xlnt info! Love your product too. Expensive however. Is there a way to get this great food to regular people? I mean it shouldn’t be available to the rich and fortunate. Rather not American to take Bison from the Original People merely to feed the fortunate. Don’t you think?
James – We appreciate your comment. Cost is complicated. Many look at it only from the front end and just see expensive, but if you pull the current back and you factor in: *Goverment subsidized crops raised to feed animals in feedlots, which produces unhealthy food, creating unhealthy people, not to mention the contribution the above has to native prairie loss (prairie grasses are a great carbon sequester),the loss of those prairies leading up to the loss of specie diversity, the impact the above contributes to global warming and costs to restore the above. When all factors are considered, it becomes clear that we all pay for these costs in oneway or the other. Comparatively, the cost of eating moderate portions of delicious, healthy, sustainable meat is fairly inexpensive. Thank you for allowing us to explain.
Jill makes a great point. Our idea of what is “affordable” and “reasonably priced” are skewed by a simple misunderstanding of the food and meat market, which she so eloquently explains. The issue is not with the “expensive” buffalo meat, but with the McDonald’s Dollar Menu, which suggests that “food” and “meat” is not expensive to produce. Industrialized meat manufacturing may keep the costs down, but the steroids and antibiotics and corn diet make for a strange, awful product that no one should eat. I say that not as a vegetarian (which I’m not), but as someone who has seen the horror of a modern feedlot. Also, I imagine that the workers at Wild Idea receive some form of health benefits and reasonable compensation. “Cheap” is the near-sighted rally cry that is going to cost us in the long run through disease, obesity, global warming, and destruction of environments everywhere for the sake of increased grazing. Finally, I believe that the Original People continue to play a huge role in the success of the bison. In fact, many tribes maintain herds for all sorts of reasons, food for their people being one.
Affordability has to do with how much money we have, not subsidies, etc. Pricing is defined by these things. Slick wording.
There is nothing slick about the truth.
Hello Jill!
And I thank you for taking the time to explain 🙂 I received my first
order today, and wish to say how impressed I was with not only the
excellent product, but also the meticulous care to packaging and
speedy delivery!
In reference to the complaints regarding your pricing, I find them
quite reasonable. Fact is, I chose to support your Company over and
above the hundreds of dollars wasted supporting Big-Pharma and Monsanto!!
Having had 2 heart attacks within 5 years, I am happy to say that it
was by personal choice to eliminate all toxic medications with the
blessing and approval of my cardiologist. The past 3 months have
been spent eating “clean” organic foods. As a result, feel better than
I have felt in years, 16 lbs. lighter and looking forward to losing many more.
There are SO many other websites advertising Bison, however, how
healthy i.e. (genetically pure) Bison will be found in Florida, Indiana,
or any other state non native to the Bison habitat?
I prefer your products over Orange fed, Feedlot hybrids any day!
The choice is perfectly clear,…..there are always options. It is up
to each individual to make, not your doctor, and certainly not our
government!
So, thank you, for a very pleasant experience, and for the many
back breaking hours you devote to providing us with Top-notch
quality product. Look forward to my next order soon 🙂
Wild Idea is a steward of the prairies and takes excellent care of their animals. They provide an exceptional product you can serve your families with confidence.
They deserve our praise and thanks for taking a stand against conventional meat processing.
I am so happy I found Wild Idea.
I can’t believe the posts here. “….a way to get this food to regular people”??!! It’s called a great company supplying a great product that you can either choose to buy or not. If you want it badly enough, then prioritize your spending. “…take Bison from Original People…”??!! So you’re accusing the people at Wild Idea of stealing??!! They PAY costs just like everyone else. And pricing defined by how much you can afford??!! I feel badly your schooling failed you so horribly on business and economics. To the people at Wild Idea: thank you for putting in the incredible amount of work it must take to humanely raise, feed, and provide to the market such a delicious and healthy product. I admire entrepreneurs, especially ones like yourself who refuse the easier path. I’m on the East Coast, so I’m one who is glad I found you and can buy your product……not a lot of Bison here!!
Interesting blog responses…I have to say that I am a divorced mom of 2 and not in the “wealthy” category, but I will choose this “expensive” meat over any other. The fact is that people eat way too much meat and it is not needed. I raise my own organic produce and buy only bison and wild-caught fish and my 2 girls are strong and healthy. We do not eat meat for every meal, but when we do we eat small quantities and I certainly feel much better giving my family meat that I feel good about buying…no matter the cost. I see people in the grocery store and they are buying tons of this mass-produced cruel meat that has who-know-what in it. People need to think about quality, not quantity. And spending money on the good stuff and being careful in your food choices makes all the difference! You get what you pay for in terms of nutrition…so kudos to you Wild Idea for giving us this great product:)
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this is so cool