OK Bison

Bison meat is a very popular food in the United States of America. This is very near to beef but the nutritional value of Buffalo meat is better than beef. Bison are very similar to cows in their body structure and food habit. They are mainly fed on green grass, leaves, and so on. For a very long time, buffalo meat is very popular among food lovers and is in high demand in supermarkets. Bison meat is indeed a bit more expensive than beef, chicken, and others in its category. At the same time, this is also a fact that bison meat is far more advantageous than others.

The health benefits of the meat of grass-fed animals are always higher. The comparatively high prices of buffalo meat are justifiable because of several reasons. Fresh buffalo meat has more potential concerning nutrition than others. According to scientific studies, the amount of calories in that meat is very low in comparison to beef and chicken. In 100g of cooked buffalo meat, one would find around 2.42 g of fats along with 82mg of cholesterol and 143 calories. In the same amount of cooked skinless chicken, there will be around 190 calories along with 7.45g fat and 90mg cholesterol. The same amount of cooked beef will provide around 9.30g of fats and 85mg of cholesterol with more than 210 calories.

Buffalo meat is also a better source of iron per serving than other meats like beef, chicken, and pork. It is also better than other meat products in its cleanliness, texture, hygiene, taste, and quality. The presence of Omega 3 Fatty Acids makes it even more rich and healthy food. So there would be less fat and more activeness in all those who consume bison meat regularly.

Along with the health issues, buffalo meat is also a treat for our taste buds. It has a sweet flavor and is very light in comparison to others in the category. There are a few misconceptions about this meat like it has some off flavors and is very greasy. These are nothing more than rumors because with much less fat and cholesterol, this meat cannot be greasy at all and for the off-flavor, it can be said that it is a bit sweeter than meats like beef and pork.

There are few stories more tragic and redemptive than the bison also known as the buffalo. It is said that a few hundred years ago if you had roamed from the East to the West of North America, you would return to your homeland speaking of the bison. They were the symbol of the land in many ways, including the natives who lived and thrived through the use of the bison.

They roamed the grasslands of America in herds numbering tens of thousands. So numerous were they during the American settlers heading West that it was said they could travel by wagon for an entire day and never pass the herd.

By the 19th century due to commercial hunting by many of the Easterner’s desire to have a piece of the West in a fashionable robe or hide, they became nearly extinct. With the tension and wars between the Natives of the land and the new settlers, the bison or buffalo were seen as related to “savages.” Instead of honoring the animal, man welcomes its destruction. The preferred meat was the European cows brought over. Even though the bison was a much more hardy animal and better suited to its natural landscape, it was never seen as an animal to be respected. Reduced to nearly a few hundred by the mid-1880s. It is one of the great tragedies that animals so symbolic of the region almost were wiped out.

Due to conservation efforts by many, including the National Parks and Theodore Roosevelt, the few remaining bison were preserved and re-introduced into National Parks to breed. They have since become a great success story in our country with their re-population.

What makes the bison such a wonderful leather for shoes is their genetics. Since leather is a product of the animal, it’s important to think about the function of those animals. While cows have been readily available brought over by our European ancestors, they are more frail animals. But the buffalo can survive in freezing climates reaching -50 degrees in the Dakota during a winter or up to 110 degrees in the Arizona hot climate. This survivability and adaptability is part of the hide. It provides the unique hide fiber structure that after thousands of centuries became the perfect leather that was resilient and tough.

When it comes to a shoe, you need rigid leather that will hold its form but also stretch to the individual’s feet. This is what makes bison leather so unique. While cow leather has horizontal fibers, bison hides and leather has an interlocking fiber structure so it stretches out, and then after its use fits back together. It is truly the ultimate leather for shoes.

The American bison is one of several big game animals in Alaska. The bison was transplanted to Alaska from Montana in 1928, after becoming almost extinct in America. Twenty of these animals were delivered to an area around Delta Junction and by 1985 the population had grown to approximately 700.

The bison is a spectacular animal in size, measuring six feet at the shoulders, almost ten feet long, and weighing over a ton. The head and front quarters are the largest part of the body, making this section look out of proportion to the hind quarters, which are smaller.

The bison sheds its coat in the spring of the year after winter is over. Then, in the fall, it grows its winter coat, which is a rich, dark brown color. The coat changes color during the winter and by spring is a lighter color. Bison bulls have large, heavy horns that curve upward. Cows’ horns are lighter and not as large.

Calves are born anytime from May to August and at first have a brownish-red coat. At ten weeks old, this brownish-red coat starts to darken and about five weeks later, turns to a dark brown color. They are very active almost immediately after birth, being able to run and kick their hind legs up in the air about three hours after birth. They also begin grazing at an early age – about six days old. They will stay with their mother, following her until the next spring, when they are about a year old before they venture out on their own.

These animals are natural grazing animals, but in Alaska, their food is only found along rivers and areas where fires have burnt old vegetation growth and created fresh foliage. They eat various types of grass, also silverberry, willow, and ground birch. Since Alaskan winters are extremely severe, it can be hard for the bison to survive. Their thick layers of hair and plenty of stored fat are an advantage to them in surviving the cold winds and temperatures. Strong winter winds tend to benefit the bison, as the winds will blow the snow, preventing it from accumulating and becoming too deep. The healthy bison usually survives the winters.

They migrate to a winter range in the northwest around Farewell Lake, where there are many small rivers and ponds with vegetation available for them to eat. They can smell food beneath deep snow and they use their huge bodies to push the snow away to get to the food.

Bison hunts have to be controlled to prevent the population from overburdening the limited range areas. Hunting bison is a challenge, as stalking them is difficult; and bringing them down also is quite a feat. They are the hardest of all Alaska’s big game to bring down. Their meat tastes much like beef and is delicious to eat.

Bears and wolves are predators of bison calves but usually do not have much luck, as the adult bison will fight to protect the calves. All predators will leave adult bison alone, because of their size, which intimidates them, and their large horns, which they use to fight with, and can easily kill another animal. They are second only to the black bear for viciousness towards any threatening creature.

Approximately sixty million bison roamed the Great Plains from Mexico to Canada and north into Alaska up until the nineteen century. Then came the insurgence of settlers crossing the United States. They killed thousands of bison mainly for their hides. Before this, the Plains Indians depended on bison for their food and hides. The Indians used the hides to make their clothes, their tents, etc. The bison had a great economical value for the Indians.