Bison eat grasses and sedges, moving continuously as they eat so that they rarely overgraze an area. Bison live in herds of 20 to 50 animals. The females, or cows, lead family groups. Bison travel as a group and roam great distances in the wild. They can reach speeds of up to 30 mph.
Females produce one calf after a gestation period of nine and a half months.
Calves are born in late April to mid-May. The cow protects the young. The offspring may remain with the mother for as long as three years after birth. Shooting bison for their hides was a favorite frontier sport in the 19th century. Hunters practically eliminated the bison by 1890.