The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-09-01
The Buffalo.

In going down the Yellowstone and
across the vast region lying between
Glendve aud Mandan, one is struck with
the evident scarcity OF game. This IA
NOUS region, where, two OF three years
ago, herds Of buffalo, antelope, and
deer were to be seen on every side, ~
now to al appearances stripped OF It's
game. For the entire distance from
Livingston to Mandan only saw two or
three small bands of antelope, and not
slcn of deer or buffalo. The fact is,
the slaughter of buffalo and deer has
been immense for the past two years,
and particularly of the former. 1t is esti-
mated that during the past winter there
have been Il thousand hunters engaged
in the business of. Strengthening buffalo
along the line of the Northern Pacific
! between Mandan Snl Livingston. An
eaglc-eycd hunter cot Oh the train ut
Glendive, and gave me tie following
interesting details rs to the modus OPP
erandi in slaughtering herds Of buffalo:
In the first place, the experienced hun
ter uses the Sharp rifle. 1890 caliber.
| With this he can Kill at thousand
wards. When he sees Il herd of buffalo
he usually slips up with convenient
range, from three hundred to five hum
drcd yards, and always selects u COW
! for his first victim. He does this for
the reason that Il COW is followed by
both her yearling and 2-Nrar-old calves,
and they will usually ,,Ht 10y her to
! the last. But under no circumstances
will the experienced hunter Kill his buff
! falo outright. If hc does. the herd will
stampede ut once. the policy is to
wound fatally, but 50 that the animal
will dash around in n circle before fall
ing. This it always does, where NOR
tally wounded and after u few mo-
ments lies down. The remainder of the
herd are not alarmed at this, but con-
! tinue to gaze or look on, da2ed specta-
tors of the tragedy being enacted. After
his first shot, the hunter pauses until
quiet is restored, and again fires at an
other COW, with similar results. He al
ways aims to put his ball just behind
the fore shoulder, which will cause
death in five minutes ut the furthest.
When the COWS have all been siain he
then turns his attention to the calves,
and lastly to the bulls. The expert
cnccd hunter generally bags his entire
herd unless he is so unfortunate as &c
drop his game Immediately, when al
the survivors stampede at once. The
j buffalo does not scare at the crack of 4;
gun. He has decidedly more courage
than discretion. 1t is only when the
crack is followed by an immediate fal,
) that he realizes its deadly nature and
takes alarm. The policy of killing the
cows first and then the calves has re-
suited in the almost utter extinction OF
the female buffalo. Herds of melan.
choly bulls can still occasionally bC
; seen, sometimes in bands of twenty OF
!! thirty, and often without Il single COW.
; The few remaining cows now have theil
, pick of lovers, and always choose from
the Young blood of the herd
The buffalo bull. after he passes hi.
fourth wear, loses his attractivencss &c
/ the opposite sex. and the aversion seem:
, to be mutual. Gathering about him his
! bachelor friends of equal age he sullen
} " retires into the wilderness, and for.
ever avoids the female members of the
herd, who mate with other and NOR,
l luxurious masculinCs. As | have said
= the bulls are about all that are now left
; of the buffalo. They largely owe theil
= liberty to the fact that their hides are
r less valuable than those of the cows
while at the same time they are fan
5 more difficult to kill. The hide of th'
a bull is only worth to the hunter from
| 81. so to 81, while that of the COW bring,
5 So. %. and that of the 2-year-old calf :
h worth from 81 to $3.50. But of late
2 there has sprung up quite demand
: throughout the east for the head of the
4 buffalo bull. The well-preserved heaC
n of an aged bull, decked out with glas:
: eyes and horns intact, will readily sci
C for go in the eastern markets. Conse
: quently the buffalo hunter of the future
d will wage a destructive war upon the
t bull tribe, and those venerable relies o
G by-gone era will also pass swiftly
y away. Helena MONTY Independent
m