The hunters were not hunting for food.

They were hunting for hides, which could be sold to Eastern tanneries for a few dollars each.

A skilled hide hunter with good equipment could kill dozens of animals per day.

The hides were taken; the carcasses were left to rot.

The consequences for the Southern Plains peoples were catastrophic in the most literal sense.

Buffalo were not simply a food source.

They were the foundation of an entire material economy.