Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-07-18
THE BUFFALO.
His Tramp Will Soon Be Heard
No More ON the Plains.

10 going down the Yellowstone an. /
across the vast region lying between
Glendive and Mandan, one is struck
with the evident scarcity of game
This famous region, where, two OF
three years ago, herds of buffalo, ante
lope and deer were to be seen on every
side, is now to all appearances stripped
Of its game. For the entire distance
from Livingston to Mandan only
saw two or three small bands of ante
lepe, aud not sign of deer or buffa
10. The fact is, the slaughter of buffa>
10 and deer has been immense for the
past two years, and particularly of the
former. 1t is estimated that during
the past winter there have been
a thousand hunters engaged
in the business of slaueh>
tering buffalo along the line OF
the Southern Pacific between Mandan
and Livingston. An eagle eyed hun
ter got on the train at Glendive, and
gave me the following interesting de-
tails as to the modus operandi in
slaughtering herds of buffalo: In the
first place the experienced hunter uses
the sharpe rife, 1890 calibre. With
this he can kill at thousand yards
When he sees herd of buffalo he
usually slips up within convenient
range, from 300 to 500 yards, and al
ways selects a COW for his FIRST victim.
He does this for the reason that a COW
is followed by both her yearling and
two year old calves, and they will usu
ally stand by her to the last. But
under no circumstances will the ex-
perieneed hunser kill his buffalo out
right. Ifhe does the herd will STAN.
pede at once. The policy il to wound
fatally, but so that the animal will
dash around in a circle before
falling. This it always does when
mortally wounded, and after a 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 tragedy being en-
acted. After his first shot the hunter
pauses and until quiet is restored, and
again fires at another COW with similar
results. He always aims to put his
ball just behind the foreshoulder
which will cause death in five minutes
at the farthest. When the COWS have
all been slain he turns his attention to
the calves, and lastly the bulls. The
experienced hunter generally bags his
entire herd unless he is SO unfortunate
as to drop his game immediately.
when all tho survivors stampede
at .onoe. The buffalo does
not scare at the crack OF a gun. He
has decidedly more courage than dis.
eretion. 1t is only when the crack is
followed by an immediate fall that he
realizes ita 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 still occasionally be seen
sometimes in bands of twenty or
thirty, and often with single COW.
The few remaining 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 sttractiyeness TO
the opposite sex, and the aversion
seems mutual, Gathering about him
his bachelor friends OF equal age he
sOllenly retires into the wilderness and
forever avoids the female members of
the herd. who mate with other and
and more luxurious maseulines. As
| have said, the bulls sTe about all
that are now left Of the buffalo. They
largely owe their liberty to the fact
that their hides are less valuable than
those of the COWS, while at the same
time they are far more difficult to kill.
The hide Of the bull is only worth to
the hunter from $3.50 to 81, while
that of the SOW brings So %, and that
OF the two year old calf is worth from
81 to 81 80. But Of late there has
sprung up quite a demand throughout
the east for the head of the buffalo
bull. The well preserved head of an
aged bull, deoked out with glass eyes
aud horns intact, will readily sell for
S25 in the eastern markets. Conse-
quently the buffalo hunter Of the fu-
ture will wage destructive war upon
the bull tribe, and those venerable rel
lots OF . bygole era will also pass
swiftly away.