AmericanBison_Comanche_Wilkinson_Andy_LubbockTX_12April2002_Reel2237.mp3

Andy Wilkinson [00:00:00] Flores, for instance, and several others are convinced that the Comanche pressure on buffalo numbers was such that, even without the white hunters, at some point that increased ability to take the buffalo, both because they were now mounted and then they also had arrows that were tipped with metal now instead of flint, which were easier to reuse, and they were, they were cheaper. A lot of things that made them more useful.

Andy Wilkinson [00:00:27] And also because the buffalo is a unique species and it doesn't have a self-regulating birth control like a lot of animal groups do. Bison numbers are governed by how many bison there are, and do they die before they have, have more bison?

Andy Wilkinson [00:00:44] You know what, what's the food like? And we know that out here, that even during that period of time, you can say we have this trend of dry, temperate climate. But within that trend, we have enormous variations out here on the Llano, because of the altitude and because of the dryness. You know, that little changes have a big impact in a place like this.

Andy Wilkinson [00:01:07] So buffalo numbers were always, in a sense, sort of critical. If, in a year, or a time of four or five years worth of drought, which we know is a very difficult circumstance here, and numbers are down and hunters come in and take the best reproductive parts of that group, then you have a group of animals that are always on the edge of not necessarily extinction, but certainly on the edge of having a serious problem in keeping their numbers up.

Andy Wilkinson [00:01:38] So, Comanches, they were such good hunters and, and they were growing in number, that they had made a huge impact on the buffalo themselves.