For a hundred miles or so west of Great Bend, this region was once a famous hunting ground for Plains tribes because its excellent pasturage supported vast herds of buffaloes as well as antelopes and deer. A few centuries ago, about 60 million American bison ranged from Mexico into Canada and were the most abundant grazing mammals in North America. In this part of Kansas, bison migrated by the millions, and in 1871 one herd reported southwest of Dodge City included some four million animals. Plains tribes depended on bison for food, clothing, tipis, and more, and organized their societies around bison movements. Unsustainable hunting in the 1800s destroyed these immense herds, leaving roughly 1,000 wild bison in this country by 1900. Bison no longer roam freely along the Byway, but their historic presence remains visible in wallows, ground depressions formed when they rolled to shed hair and insect pests, sometimes as wide as 30 feet. Other mammals found here include prairie dogs, deer, beaver, muskrat, jackrabbits, and mink, and black-tailed prairie dog towns support species such as burrowing owls that nest in prairie dog holes and use their tunnel systems.