The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-08-02
THE BUFFALO.

Hta Tramp VIII Soon be Heard No
More on the Plains.
From the Helena (MOntana) Independent.
In going down the Yellowstone and
across the vast region lying between
Glendive and MADAM one Is struck with
the evident scarcity of game. This ia
nous region, where two or three years
ago herds of buffalo, antelope and deer
were to be seen ON every side, IS now, to
all appearances, stripped OF its game.
For the entire distance from Livingstone
to Mandan l only saw two or three
small bands of antelope and not sign
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 es-
timated that during the past winter there
have been q thousand hunters engaged
in slaughteriDg buffalo along the line of
the Northern Pacific between Mandan
and Livingston. An eagle-eyed hunter
got aboard the train at Glendive and
gave me the following interesting de-
tails as TO the 1gOdnS OpeTGHdE in slaugh-
tering herds of buffalo: In the first
place, the experienced hunt6r uses the
Sharpe rifle, 1870 calibre. With this
he can kill at 1000 yards. When he
sees a herd of buffalo he usually slips
up to within convenient range, from 800
to 500 yards, and always selects COW for
his first victim. He does this for the
reason that the cow Is followed by both
her yearling and two year old calves,
and they Will usually stand by her to
the last. But under no circumstances
will the experienced hunter kill his buff
falo outright. II he does the herd will
stampede at once. The policy is to
VuOnnd fatally lint an thor thu q al
wall dash around in u circle before fall
ing. This 1t always does when MORALLY
wounded, and alter few moments lies
down. The remainder of the herd are
not alarmed at this, but continue to gaze
or look on dazed spectators of the trag-
edy being enacted. AfLcr his first shot
the hunter pauses until quiet is restored,
and again fires at another COW with SIM
liar results He always aims to put the
ball Just behind the foreshoulder, which
will cause death in few minutes at fur
thest. When the cows have all been
slain he then turns his attention
TO the calves. and lastly to
the bulls. The experienced hunters gen.
orally bags his entire herd, unless he Is
90 unfortunate as to drop his game I'M
pede at once. The buffalo does not
scare at the crack of a gun. He has
decidedly more courage than discretion.
Il Is only when the crack is followed by
an immediate fall that he
realizes its deadly nature
and takes alarm. The policy OF
killing the COWS first, and then the
calves, has resulted in the almost utter
extinction of the female buffalo. Herds
of melancholy bulls can occasionally be
seen, sometimes in bands of twenty o!
thirty, and often without a single COW
The few remaining cows now have theil
pick of lovers. and always choose froHl
the young blood of the herd.
The buffalo bull, after he passes hii
fourth year, loses his attractiveness tC
the opposite sex, and the aversion seems
1 TO be mutual. Gathering about him hi
bacherlor friends of equal age he sullen
| lY retires into the wilderness and foreT
er avoids the female members of thl
herd, who mate with younger and nor
luxurious maeculines. As I have said
the bulls are about sll that are now lef
OF the buffalo. They largely owe thei
safety 10 the fact that their hides are les
Valuable than those Of the COWS, while q
the same time they are far more difhcul
/ 10 XIII. The hide of the ball Is onl,
worth 20 the hunter from $160 20 g. 0O
while that Of the COW brings 1926 an
that of the sWo.Year-old calf Is wort
from 81 % 81 Sc. But OF late there ha
sprung up quite demand throughou
the east for the head of the buffalo bull
Inc well preserved head Of an aged bul
decked With glass eyes and horns intac
will readily sell for $25 IN the easter
markets Consequently the buffalo hui
tar Of the future will wage deatructiv
war upon the bull tribe, and these yer
cradle felics Of bYgone era will ais
pass swiftly away.