Species Use Database

Bison, Plains Bison
Bison bison

Used for Food and feed and Ceremony, religious, and ritual expression in South Dakota

A. Species

Scientific name: Bison bison

Common name(s): Bison, Plains Bison

Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Near Threatened


B. Location of use

Geographic location(s):

  • South Dakota

Country/Region:


C. Scale of assessment

Scale of assessment: Individual Site

Name/Details of location: Badlands National Park for the protected bison population, and in two locations on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (Yellow Bear Pasture and Slim Buttes Pasture) for the hunted bison populations​


D. Timescale of use

Start Year: 2013

End Year: 2013


E. Information about the use

How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat

Type of use: Extractive

Practice of use: Hunting and/or Trapping of live terrestrial and aerial animals

Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism and Only parts or products of the organism

Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed and Ceremony, religious, and ritual expression

Motivation of use: Income generation from trade (individual/household/community) and Traditional/Cultural/Spiritual

Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law


F. Information about the Users

Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people, Non-local Internal and National / local government


G. Information about the sustainability of use

Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The study does not make a definitive judgment on the ecological sustainability of hunting in these bison populations but raises concerns regarding the potential long-term impacts on behavior and reproduction, which could influence ecological sustainability indirectly. Specifically, the observed reduction in bellowing rates among hunted bison bulls is seen as potentially problematic for mating success and, by extension, population dynamics

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded


Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species

The authors suggest that wildlife managers could consider altering hunting rates, duration, and timing. They also recommend possibly increasing the time interval between hunting events to help ensure that bison can express their natural mating behaviors, such as bellowing, which are crucial for reproductive success. They emphasize the need for more extensive, long-term studies across different geographical areas and time periods. This would help to understand the broader impacts of continuous hunting on bison behavior and reproduction. Such data could then inform sustainable management practices​


Record source

Information about the record source: scientific_pub

Date of publication/issue/production: 2017-01-01T00:00:00+0000

Source Reference(s):

Sarno et al. (2017), The association between continual, year-round hunting and bellowing rate of bison bulls
during the rut. PeerJ 5:e3153; DOI 10.7717/peerj.3153

Date of record entry: 2024-11-08


Records from the same source material: