European bison

Scientific name: Bison bonasus

How weight is recorded: Carcass weight

Field notes

Appearance

European bison are massive, dark brown animals with a pronounced shoulder hump, thick neck, and shorter horns than American bison. Males are noticeably larger and more robust than females, with a darker coat and heavier build.

Size and weight

Males: 800–1,000 kg, females: 500–700 kg. Body length 250–350 cm at the shoulder.

Habitat

European bison inhabit mixed temperate forests with clearings, preferring areas with deciduous and coniferous trees interspersed with grassland. They occupy lowland to moderate elevation zones (0–1,500 m) with access to open feeding grounds.

Distribution

Historically extinct in the wild, reintroduced populations now exist in Eastern Europe (Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine). They favour lowland deciduous and mixed forests with adjacent grasslands.

Diet

European bison are grazers and browsers, feeding primarily on grasses, sedges, leaves, bark, and twigs; they favour grasses in summer and turn to browse and fallen leaves in winter.

Behaviour

Primarily diurnal and crepuscular, moving to open ground to feed during dawn and dusk. They are gregarious, living in small herds (3–20 individuals) with predictable seasonal movement between forest shelter and meadow grazing areas.

Hunting tips

Look for deep, rounded hoofprints (7–9 cm wide) and large, fibrous droppings along forest margins and feeding paths. Approach from downwind through thick cover to within 100–150 m, moving during low-light hours when animals feed in open meadows. Glass clearings at dawn and dusk from elevated vantage points, then stalk slowly toward animals using forest cover and terrain folds.

Carcass weight

This species is logged by carcass weight — the animal weighed dressed, the way hunting teams normally report it.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 6 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.