Tribe population

[RavenStarver]

Writing up an area and I'd like to have a tribe of nomads of mixed races in the plains the party is passing through. The area is about two hundred and fifty square miles that they hold, all plains and rolling hills with only scattered copses of trees.
About five hundred of them in the tribe, but here's where I'm stuck, how many of them would be combat-ready? How many warriors and hunters would a tribe need? It's the eastern territories they are in so its a lot of wilderness and various other tribes

[kiralon]

depends on how harsh the terrain is. If food is plentiful and winters mild you would have ~200 women and ~200 men and ~50 kids (from baby to teen)
With mild conditions there would be more old and young so there would be less fighters.
So maybe 120-170 hunter/fighters
maybe 10-30 craftsmen
about the same gatherers and homemakers
30 to 60 elderly

Harsh conditions kill off the young and old so then it would be more like
230 hunters
230 gatherers
40 kids and elderly.
5-10 craftspersons from either main groups.

[RavenStarver]

depends on how harsh the terrain is. If food is plentiful and winters mild you would have ~200 women and ~200 men and ~50 kids (from baby to teen)
With mild conditions there would be more old and young so there would be less fighters.
So maybe 120-170 hunter/fighters
maybe 10-30 craftsmen
about the same gatherers and homemakers
30 to 60 elderly

Harsh conditions kill off the young and old so then it would be more like
230 hunters
230 gatherers
40 kids and elderly.
5-10 craftspersons from either main groups.

Hadn't thought about the availability of food and harshness of terrain, thanks!

[tmikesecrist3]

Also it depends on if they are doing any Agriculture, Some of the villages if there not nomads they would be likely to grow things like Wheat (when tends to do well in grasslands) But even if there nomads (this also applies to the farmers as well) could raise domestic Animals, for the both Cows, horses, sheep, goats, dogs, for the farmers you can add pigs, chickens and geese. but if a tribe of nomads has herds or flocks some one will have to tend to them.