The North American Buffalo, known as the Bison, is native to North America, appearing in the fossil record around 5,000 years ago and is the largest land mammal on the continent. They once ranged from Interior Alaska south to northern Mexico and east to New York and Georgia. Now there are 19 managed wild herds of bison in 12 states. In Texas, most bison to be hunted are on private ranches. Both males and females have short curved horns that can grow up to 2 feet long. Males typically weigh between 1,600 – 1,800 lbs and females are close to 1,000 lbs. Bison are grazing animals and as such their diet mainly consists of grasses. Their gestation period is about 9 ½ months long with the breeding season occurring in August and September. Bison can be hunted year-round.