Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-07-07
THE BUFFALO,.
His Tramp VIII soon He Heard No
More On the Plains.

From the Helena (Mont) Independent
In going down the Yellowstone and across the
vast region lying between Glendive and Man.
dan, one Is struck with the evident scarcity OF
game. This famous region, where, two or threo
years ago, herds of buffalo, antelope and deer
were to be seen on every side, is now to all ap-
pearances stripped of Its game. For the entire
distance from Livingston to Mandan only saw
two or three small bands Of antelope and not
sign Of deer or buffalo The fact il, the
slaughter of buffalo and deer has been immense
tor the past two years. and particularly Of the
former. 1t is estimated that during the past
winter there have been thousand hunters en-
gagged In the business OF Strengthening buffalo
along the line of the Northern Pacific between
Mandan and Livingston. An eagle eyed hunter
got aboard ofthe train at GIendve. and he gave
me the following interesting details as to the
n,Odus Operdndi in Strengthening herds of buffalo:
In the first place, the experienced hunter uses
the Sharpe rife, 40 80 Caber. With this he can
kill at one thousand yards. When he sees herd
OF buffalo he usually slips up to within conve-
nient range, from three to five hundred yards,
and always selects a COW for his first victim.
He does this for the reason that the COW is fol-
lowed by both her Jearling and two year old
calves. and they will usually stand by her to the
last. But under no circumstances will the eX-
perienced hunter kill his buffalo outright. II he
does, the herd will stampede at once. The
policy is to wound fatally, but SO the animal
Will dash around In circle before falling.
This it always does where MORALLY wounded,
ana after few moments lies down. The re-
mainder OF the herd are not alarmed at this, but
continue to gaze or look on dazed spectators of
the tragedy being enacted. After his first shot
the hunter pauses until quiet is restored, and
again fires at another COW with similar results
He always aims to put his ball just behind the
minutes at furthest. When the COWS have all
been slain he then turns his attention to the
calves, and lastly to the bulls. The experienced
hunter generally bags his entire herd unless he
is so unfortunate as to drOphis game Immediately,
when all the survivors stampede at once. The
buffalo does not scare at the crack of q gun.
He has decidedly more courage than discretion.
1t is only when the crack ia followed by an i'm
mediate fall that ne realizes its deadly nature
and takes alarm: The policy of killing the cows
almost utter extinction of the female buffalo.
Herds of melancholy bulls can still occasionally
be seen. sometimes in bands of twenty or thirty,
an d often without single COW. The few re-
naming cows now have their pick of lovers,
and always choose from the young blood OF the
herd
The buffalo bull. after he passes his fourth
year loses his attractiveness to the opposite
sex. and the aversion seems to be mutual.
Gathering about him his bachelor friends Of
equal age he sullenly retires into the wilderness
and forever avoids the female members Of the
herd, who mate with younger and more uxu-
rlOus masculines. AS have said, the bulls are
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 far more diff
cult to kill. The hide of the bull is only worth
to the hunter from 81 80 to g. while that Of the
cow brings $3.25, and that of the two year old
calf is worth from 81 tos1.5O. But of late there
has sprung up quite demand throughout the
east for the head Of the buffalo bull. The we'll
preserved head of an aged bull decked out with
glass eyes and horns intact, will readily sell for
S25 in the eastern markets. Consequently the
buffalo hunter of the future will wage a destruc-
tive war upon the bull tribe, and these venerable
relics of bygone era will also pass swiftly
away.