The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1885-06-10
BUFFALO HUNTERS.
THEIR HABITS-sCRNES AM INCL
DENTS or Early BAYS
Miles City In the First bays OF It's Ex-
Istenee.


The total determination Of beaver am
kindred itir-bearine animals, incTease'
tile value Of woli-hides, and for year
"wpilingr Was carried on with hatter
ing result in ti.e rs.Rinn s'f the Yellow
stone, By men to'lghened by lie .
out of doors anil fearless of danger be
cause Of its can>tsnt close proximity.
In the winter, wolfers usually travel
| ing in pairs, would travel over wid'
expanse of country, killing buffalo ane
betrewing the meat plentiously with
strychinne In the winter the noun
tain wolves sought the snow covered
prairies in search of food, scenting the
hunters bait they would soon fell vie
ts<y = 49, ..'.l,tl~ I-.ss -. ~ssd In thl
spring time the prairies would by strewn
with the bodies of these animals. Then
the hunters started forth, removed the
hides aud secreted them in convenient
caches. Returning they would gather
up the hides, pack them on horses and
convey their property to the nearest
steamboat landing, often hundreds of
miles.
The mountain wolf. who, in the sum
mer feasts on the dainty young rabbit,
fawn or young elk, in the winter was
forced to bolders deeds TO gain subsist-
ance. The hardy buffalo was therefore
often disabled by body of these snap
ping and fierce marauders, who would
jump upon his back, bite his neck and
often ham-string him. The immense
number Of bats, spread from Colorado
to the British possessions, soon encom-
passed his total destruction, while the
wary coyote left the bats untouched and
still roams over his favorite grounds,
unvalued by the trapper, harmless
sneak
The Blackfeet Indians were not slow
in leaning that 10 eat meat found on
the pinrie meant death in its most hor-
rible fprm, and whenever a cache of
hides we're found they lost no time in
cutting or burning them mp. It is esti-
mated that these Indians in one season
destroyed 5000 of these furs, the work of
two men. Heretofore the buffalo had
been killed solely for his meat. as there
were no means of transporting his bulky
hide to the Missouri river steamboats,
This difficulty was obviatcd, however,
in April. 1873, by the appearance Of the
STEAMER KEY WEST.
CAPT. Grant Marsh, on the Yellowstone
river near Miles City, bearing Stanley's
exploring party and large number Of
soldiers who were 10 accompany the
party. The Indians endeavored to dis
lodge the doughty captain from his pilot
.ho1se hnt failed and were compelled to
witness the disqualification of the party,
who prepared the WAY me grvaV
transcontinental railway.
Ascertaining the practicability of
steamboat navigation on the Yellowstone
river, the fur dealers of St. Paul, Chicago
and New York, soon had buyers in the
field, or rather in the towns nearest the
buffalo grounds.
The migrating buffalo had their here
ditary paths in every intricate defle,
across every hill and in any direction
one might look from the Yellowstone
river, the well-worn paths could be seen
leading to its banks The gigantic arm
les were constantly moving, sometimes
slowly but when frightened following
the leader they pressed straight for
ward, regardless Of all obstacles. Their
favorite feeding grounds would be coy
cred as far as the eye could reach. In
the summer time the main bodies were
to be found in the British possessions,
but after the first furry of snow these
animals descended
IN COUNTLESS HERDS
to feed on the succulent bunch grass of
the Yellowstone, and often passing
through the mountain defiles reached
the plains beyond.
Buffalo hunting, for the hide, tongue
and hump, had been carried on exten-
sively and proftably in the southwest
territories for several years, and when
che first news of the great herds feeding
in the northwest came to the ears of
these hunters they mounted their horses,
slung their large guns over the pummell
of the saddles and started for the new
hunting grounds. These men formed
the greater portion of the band, who, up
till 1882, killed buffalo. fought Indians
and Lied life full of adventures and
privations,
The hunter first selected q range,
where he excavated "dug-out'' in the
side Of the hill and made the habitation
as warm as possible with buffalo hides.
In this he placed his winter supply Of
-four, bacon and other luxuries, kegs OF
powder and immense bars of lead. A
camp usually was composed Of four men,
one to kill and the others to skin. The
hunter, who is an experienced marks
man. shoulders his fourteen pound rife
and cautiously approaches to the wind
ward Of The nearest herd. Having got
within gun shot unobserged. he drops to
6 kneeling position, carefully aims be
hind the fore shoulder and fires. By
killing, with the first shot. the leader q
small band Of twenty or thirty not tn-
frequently he would secure the entire
band Disconnected BY the loss Of their
guide, the residue Of the band perform
what is called IN stockmen's language
the act Of milling revolving in small
space as If confined within circle. The
hunter then finds it an easy task 70
DISPATCH THE ENrIRE HERD,
and liz he has killed as many as the skin
/ .,ss..s' s, s....r., !, bes spott,is,e n his