Restricted space use patterns are common in mobile organisms, yet an understanding of how such patterns are developed is lacking. We conceptualize the settlement process of home range formation as the discovery of patches and subsequent decision to return to them. We then test how forage quality and landscape structure influence this process. Using 5 years of data from reintroduced bison (n = 10), we found patch discovery was influenced by landscape structure, with lower traveling costs, larger patch size, and higher patch connectivity facilitating patch discovery. Once discovered, areas of high-quality were more likely incorporated into regular space use, especially if an individual had recently visited relatively high-quality areas. Overall, landscape structure mainly influenced patch discovery, while forage quality underlined space use refinement. Our work provides a mechanistic understanding of home range development, elucidating the iterative process of settlement as a function of both landscape structure and habitat quality.