What is ignored is that prior to the US expanding westward, a herd estimated at upwards of 40 million bison roamed the central Great Plains. Given the weight of these large animals (a male bison can weigh over 2,500 pounds), when compared to the weight of cattle and the number of cattle, the Great Plains today are supporting just as much mass of animal meat as it historically sustained.
Given these facts, it is just silly to assert that cattle are bad for the planet.
You’re exactly correct.
There’s one additional factor in beef vs. cattle: bison are mighty hard on the range. Bison like to create these “dust wallows” - where they tear up a 10’ diameter hold in the sod/grass/cover and they use this to roll around in the dust to cover themselves with dust to discourage ticks, mites, fleas, etc on their hides.
Cattle don’t tend to do this. Cattle rub themselves on everything that stands up off the ground (fenceposts, trees, parked cars, barbed wire, you name it), but bison are in a whole new league when it comes to “gotta scratch that itch” behavior.