A pile of bison and antlered deer skulls sit bleaching in the sun in Albany County, Wyoming, 1870. Skulls were often kept as trophies or for decoration by hunters. Daily MailA herd of American bison drinking at a lake in Yellowstone National Park, 1905. Library of CongressSkins hung up to dry in 1926, The Hides were the most prized body parts of the hunted bison and quite often the only parts commercial hunters took. Daily MailGeronimo skinning a buffalo after a hunt, circa 1900. Photo- Keystone View Co., Museum Of New Mexico, Neg. No. 89405. magazine.wildlife.state.nmA man holds a rifle on top of a dead bison in an 1897 print titled Glory enough for one day’s hunt. Library of CongressBuffalo Skinners at work. Glenbow Archives, Calgary, AlbertaBison hunting in Yellowstone, date unspecified. New York Public LibraryA Teton Native American performs the Hu Kalowa Pi ceremony with a bison skull, 1907. Edward CurtisBuffalo hunt south of Hays, Kansas in 1869 includes George Armstrong Custer, Hill P. Wilson, Captain Tom Custer, and General Samuel D. Sturgis, 1869. legendsofkansasA herd in Montana, 1909. Library of CongressSouth Dakota, 1911. New York Public LibraryToday, because of aggressive conservation efforts, the American bison population has rebounded to approximately 500,000. Pictured- Bison roam the Black Hills of South Dakota in 2001. David McNew: Getty Images
