Buffalo Hill Meats

Gehl’s Buffalo Hill Ranch is owned by Mark and Kathy Gehl. It is located in west central Wisconsin near the community of River Falls. When they started over 20 years ago, Kathy was a city girl and Mark had a farming and construction background. They purchased a ranch, cleaned it up and headed to Denver where they purchased their first buffalo.

Today, they produce the finest Buffalo meats from their award winning stock. Their herd is well cared for in large free range pastures. They are naturally fed and have no growth hormones or other chemicals introduced into them. Kathy and Mark are active members in the National Bison Association, Canadian Bison Association and several state associations and participate in every aspect of the bison industry.

Mark and Kathy welcome visitors, by appointment, to the ranch for close-up tours of their award-winning herd and to shop at their retail store for meat and buffalo related items.

We Know Them As Buffalo!

The American Buffalo is not a true buffalo. Their closest relatives are the European Bison and the Canadian Woods Bison, not the buffalo of Asia or Africa such as the Water Buffalo. Scientifically they are named Bison bison and they are the largest mammal in North America.

In the early 1900’s there were few buffalo left in North America due to extensive hunting by the settling of the west. Today it is estimated that there are more than 350,000 and can be found in every state in the US. The buffalo’s unique personality is what attracts us to the animal. Each one has a different behavior but all have the common denominator that they are WILD animals. While some will eat from your hand, in seconds that behavior can change dramatically if it feels threatened.

While they may appear slow and awkward, they can easily outrun a horse and breakthrough any corral or fence they choose to.

They mature around 7 years old and often live past 30 years old. A mature bull typically weighs between 1800 to 2400 pounds while a mature cow will average around 1100 pounds.

Generally, a heifer will breed when she is two years old and pregnancy is almost 9 months in duration.

Nutrition

Buffalo has been recognized as highly nutritious and flavorful food. It is low in fat and cholesterol.

Buffalo tastes GREAT! People surveyed state that the meat is among the most flavorful meats they have tasted with a slightly sweet and rich flavor. Buffalo can be used in any red-meat recipe without special handling.

The value of the meat is not what you pay but in the nutrition you get in return. More protein and nutrients with fewer calories and less fat.

None of the Buffalo raised at the Gehl’s Buffalo Hill Ranch are subject to stimulants or hormones. These animals have the opportunity to roam freely in large pastures.

Nutritional Comparisons per 100 gram serving of cooked meat
Species	Fat Grams	Calories KCAL	Cholesterol MG	Iron MG	Vitamin B12 MCG
Buffalo	2.42	143	82	3.42	2.86
Beef (choice)	10.15	219	86	2.99	2.65
Beef (select)	8.09	201	86	2.99	2.64
Pork	9.66	212	86	1.1	.75
Chicken (skinless)	7.41	190	89	1.21	.33
Sockeye Salmon	10.97	216	87	.55	5.80
Source: National Bison Association 2002