New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1883-08-15
Hunting the Buffalo.

In going down the Yellowstone, in
Montana, and across thenyast region
lying between Glendive and Mandan,
one is struck with the evident scarcity
of game. This famous region, where
two or three years ago herds of buffalo.
antelope and deer were to be seen on
every side, is to all appearances stripped
of its game. The factis, the slaughter of
buffalo and deer has been immense for
the past two years, and particularly of
the former. 1t is estimated that dur
ing the past winter there has been
thousand hunters engaged in the busi-
ness of Strengthening buffalo along the
line of the Northern Pacific between
Mandan and Livingston. An eagle
eyed hunter gave me the following in
teresting details as to the modus oper-
andi in Strengthening herds of buffalo.
In the first place, the experienced hum
ter uses the Sharpe rifle, 1890 calibre.
With this he can kill at 1000 yards.
When he sees herd of buffalo he usu-
ally slips up to within convenient
range, from 800 to 500 yards, and al
ways selects a COW for his first victim:
He does this for the reason that the
COW is followed by both her yearling
and tw0-year-old calves, and they will
usually stand by her to the last. But
under no circumstances will the expert
enced hunter kill his buffalo outright
If he does, the herd will stampede at
once. The policy is to wound fatally.
but so that the animal will dash around
in q circle before falling. This it al
ways does when MORALLY wounded,
and after 4 few moments lies down.
The remainder of the herd are not
alarmed ut this, but continue to Craze,
or look on dazed spectators of the trag-
edy being enacted. After his first shot
the hunter pauses until quiet is restor-
ed, and again fires at another COW,
with similar results. He always aims
to put his ball just behind the fore
shoulder, which will cause death in five
minutes at furthcst. When the cows
have all been slain he turns his atten-
ton to the calves, and lastly TO tho
bulls. The experienced hunter gener-
ally bags the entire herd unless he is SO
unfortunate as to drop his game imme-
diately, when all the survivors STAN
pede at once. The buffalo does not
scare at the crack of gun. He has
decidedly more courage than discre-
ton. It is only when the crack is fol-
lowed by an immediate fall that he re-
Allies 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 fe-
male buffalo. Herds of melancholy
bulls can still occasionally be seen,
sometimes in bands of twenty or thirty,
and often without a single cow.
AS have said, the bulls arc about
all that are now left Of the buffalo.
They largely owe their safety to the
fact that their hides are less valuable
than those of the COWS, while at the
same time they are more difficult TO
kill. The hide of the bull is only worth
to the hunter from 1,8O to 81, while
that of the COW brings SO, 25 and that
of the 2-year old calf is worth from 81
to $3.50. But of late there has sprung
up quite demand in the East for the
head of the buffalo bull. The we'll pre-
served head of an aged bull decked out
with glass eyes and horns intact will
readily sell for 1925 in the Eastern mar
kets. Consequently the buffalo hunter
of the future will wage destructive
war upon the bull tribe, and these ven
cradle relics of a by-gone era will also
pass swiftly away.-Helena (M r. In
lleDe7atlent.