Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-14

stockmen Organizing Party Of Hunters
IN shoot hem.

Wild horses have become so numerous
on the plains, says Cheyenne letter to
the New York Sun, that some Of the
stockmen in this vicinity have organized
a hunting party whose object viii be to
thin them cut. The hunters are provided
with Iong-range rifles, feet ponies, and
supplies and forage enough to last all
winter. and they Will endeaTOr to make a
clean Job Of il. These horses have ex-
listed on the plains for many years, but Of
late they have been increasing very fast.
They are quick to scent the approach Of
foes. feet as the antelope that may often
be seen brOWsingin security at their side,
( and as unmanageable as the wind Ma
tive animals wnen turned loose on the
( prairie soon become wild, and If allowed
u run without being disturbed breed very
rapidly. Horses continually break away
+ from their owners and Join the Wild
I horses. and this is the reason why stock
men are aroused over the subject. Men
{ VINO crossed the plains il 1919 encountered
. many Wild horses. and for years after
ward they must have increased rather
than diminished. Horses stand the WIZ
ter much better than cattle, and unless
the weatheris unusually severe viii come
out fat in the spring.
Every wear large numbers Of domestic
. horses escape from the settlers. Some Of
them are found. but when mares escape
F they are never reclaimed. In wandering
over the plains they encounter the wild
bands and from that time forward are as
wild as the others. Tire wild stations
are the guardians Of the bands. Always
On sentinel duty, they give the alarm
when any enemy approaches. In mo
mem the straggIers are rounded In
fleet-tOOted stallion leads the van and
with others at the fanks away they 20 IN
a laundering charge. Nobody has yet
been able TO OveTtake them. Sometimes
they are lassOed or shot, but such thing
as heading them on IN a race IS out OF
the question.
The range Of the Wild horses at present
extends from Texas 70 the southern
Dakota line. They are more numerous
in Northern Colorado. Wyoming. and
Western Nebraska than anywhere else on
the plains. On the Republican river. on
the divide between the South Platte
aud the Lodge Pole and the
North Platte, and as far east
as the heads Of the LOup and Dismal
rivers the horses range at viii. Five or
six years ago they could be found on the
divide between Sidney and sterling in
punches Of nifty or seventy-dve, but now
a bunch Of twenty-five is considered
large. Sometimes there is more than one
always acknowledged as chief. winning
this distinction by many hard-fOught
battles with his rivals. One bunch OF
eleven horses recently seen near Sidney
was entirely composed Of stations, but
this Is explained on the theory that they
were PROBABLY driven out Of various herds
when young and gradually herded to
get1eT as old buffalo bulls are in the habit
II doing. from tie horse ranch Of y. L.
Post, about - miles north Of this city
nearly 200 mares have wandered away,
ana il is believed that a least One-half OF
them have joined the wild horses.
Ile wild horses are compact little
an mails, weighing from 80 70 l,l0Q
pounds. The majority Of them weigh
about 80 pounds and stand about fourteen
hands high. In color they arc usually
brown. sO.rel, or bay. j gray IS seldom
seen, unless II Is horse that mas sIrayed
away from civilization. Their tails grow
long, frequently dragging the ground, bu,
their names are Ike those OF other horses. T
and not flowing % the knees as they are
represented il some books. TIE eve. pro
badly fgon being constantine On the watch.
Is larger than tie ere Of the domestic
horse, ard even when tanned the eye
remains a distinctive mark Of the horses
origin. Wild horses, when captured and
trained. are superior to any other horse Of Z
the same size. Many Of them are used
by the cowboys, and others are broken TO |
harness and driven as carriage horses,
icing entirely trustworthy.
several men living In sidney make J
A.ing oy catching vii, vii, horses. Until !
* years ago no one knew how 70 !
do IL, and very few outsiders now under ]
stand the methods adopted. Mr.. Living |
SION Of that town describes the process as |
follows: Two men always work to- /
geIher. Let them start out from Sidney,
either north or south, and they are almost |
certain to find a bunch within Is miles. |
Inc plan is then TO pitch a tent and make !
a camp, and one Of the men, mounted on |
his best horse, carrying with him a few |
cold biscuits or something else convenient !
10 eat, starts after the bunch. He does
not ride very fast, and at first does not
attempt to get near them, but is content |
10 keep the bunch moving, not allowing !
them 10 stop and eat. The horses may 20
only ten or a dozen miles, as they may 90
fifty OF sixty. but, no matter how far they
run. they will turn back and seek the
range from which they started. II they
20 far the mettle Of the rider and his
morse will be tried TO the utmost. The
bunch must be kept moving, and there is !
no chance to change saddle horses until /
they turn, of their own accord, and pass J
near the camp. Day and night, on they /
20. If the weather be clear and the |
HiZuE5 HUI ELDLL44 Tic A4AAEA " III NOuksnAAE /
close after the animals, sometimes half
mile behind and sometimes within a
hundred yards. 1t makes no difference !
whether II be dark or light, the horse that !
Is ridden and that is trained 10 the BUSH |
ness, follows alter the herd. When the |
first rider succeeds IN turning the bunch |
and bringing them back to the camp, he |
Is relieved by the second, who, with a |
fresh horse, starts after them, while his |
frrn ~ nj n aud takes a OnUf.h- I
needed rest. This time they wilInOt pro- |
badly 20 so far. After while they be- !
come tanner, and the hunter can turn I
them at pleasure. This may require a |
wees, or 1t may be done in couple of |
days. If the horses do not become scared |
theywill not run so far, and are more easily |
managed. When the bunch becomes |
worried and starved out, it is driven to- |
ward the nearest corral. Formerly !
cO-rals were erected specially for the pur- /
pose, but now ranches are so numerous |
that they are not needed any more. Once |
inside, the widest Of the band are caught, |
and chains are fastened to their legs. |
Men walk among them and treat them |
kindly, and they soon learn that there IS |
nothing to be feared. They are turned |
loose in any ordinary pasture, and when |
they are wanted they are driven to the |
corral and roped. If two men can gather !
bunch of ten or a dozen horses in a |
week. they, of course, make good sum |
OF money out OF the transaction, as the |
animals WIll sell at from $50 to $50 each;
but misfortune emetimes cyertakes them
when in pursuit. A bunch may ruin !
avav from their pursue. entirely, and not |
be found for several days, or a storm com
ing up in the night may prevent MS toI-
loving them and compel him TO give up
the chase, or possibly he will overesti-
mate the strength of his horse, and ride
the faithful animal until he drops. Then
he can only pack his saddle on his back
and seek the camp.
The present movement of the stock
raisers threatens to put stop to TINS
business. Mounted upon their grained
horses the hunters VIII pursue the Wlld
bands when they are somewhat weakened
by the rigors of winter. Riding as close
as possible the men will shoot the stall
lions, from time to time. 1t is hoped that
by spring nearly all the stations will
have been killed and that the capture OF
the mares by the wholesale will then be
made possible.