As early as 10,000 years ago bison were hunted without the use of horses or bow and arrow. A bison kill site dating back to 6,500 B.C. is so well preserved, we know things about it such as, the time of year it took place, what direction the wind was blowing that particular day, what cuts of meat were eaten right away and maybe even how many hunters it took to make the kill. During this time, Bison were the main economic resource all over the U.S. and Canada. Mammoth remains have been found with large projectile points that are leaf-shaped with short broad grooves on both sides of the base. Clovis points and some artifacts made of ivory and bone have also been found.
At the Bison kill site, whole untouched skeletons were found piled on top of each other. Most of the 39 whole skeletons also were facing either southeast, south, or southwest. This tells us that the wind must have been coming from the North because the hunters had to approach the herd from downwind so they would be unable to catch their scent. Almost 200 animals were killed; 46 adult bulls, 27 immature, 63 cows, 38 immature, and 16 calves. Some of the calves only being a few days old, and knowing the breeding season of the bison, it can be said with confidence that the stampede happened in late May or early June. Nine piles of bones and partial skeletons were found to be the bison which were butchered on the site. The whole skeletons found on the very bottom of the pile were harder to get to and were left. With the methods the Paleo-Indians used to kill and butcher the bison, we can tell there was a great deal of organization involved. Something that was found different about the butchering site of the Paleo-Indians is that they must not have used the brain of the animal for anything like the Plains Indians did. No skulls were found cracked open to suggest this. By calculating how many pounds of meat a person can eat in a day, and using the number of skeletons that had been butchered from the stampede, we can come to the conclusion that it took about 150 people about a half a day to do the butchering. (They also ate some of the fresh meat, such as the liver and tongue, as they worked)
Bison Occidentals (now extinct)