Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1888-02-18
HUNTING WILD HORSES.
A PECULIAR WESTERN PASTIME
GRAPHICALLY DESCRIBED.
The Singular Habits IF Wild Horses
How They are Hunted by In
dians and - WoIE.tS.

Facts about the Wild horses Ol tHc plalnS.
, They have Increased 80 wonderfully
within the past few years that they have
become an unboarablc nuisance to the
| stock growers Of the plains. They Craze
III bands Of twenty, fifty and even one
, hundred and are very difficult to ap
proach. An old stallion generally occu-
pie, some elevation, and he will trumpet
an alarm to the herd if he secs any one
coming. In times Of danger from wild
/ beasts the stations form a circle and the
mares and colts are put inside. The colts
are often attacked 10y wolves or Rocky
Mountain lions, but they never succeed III
Killing colt without battle with the
horses, and often the wolves and lions are
kicked and beaten 50 badly that they
| nave to beat a retreat without securing
| their prey. often 4 wild herd will dis
| cover 4 tame band of horses grazing
! quietly IN the valley with no intention
4 OF leaving their range, but the band of
! wild horses, led on by their stations,
1 dash down into the valley, capture them
and carry them away. The wild stations
are shot without mercy by the ranchmcn.
4 If one Is seen grazing on a hill he is
encakcd up to and dropped in his
tracks They are very alert and difficult
to approach, bat like the tame horse are
easily killed A bullet in almost any
part Of the body will cause the horse to
crop on the plain
The Indians are the best wild horse
hunters, but TIL Y do not like to be out in
stormy weather and they cannot stand
the cold of winter as we'll rs white men
In storm IS the best time to hunt wild
horses, for then they bunch and cannot
see any one approaching until it is too
late to get out Of the way of the bullets.
1t IS generally useless for a hunter to at
tempt to run down u wild horse with
tame one. Ehe tame one, weighted
down by the burden Of the hunters body,
soon tires and the wild horse easily es-
capoe Sometimes the hunters discover
the tracks Of wild horses near q stream
and they then hunt for their watering
place The band always waters at the
same place and although right on the
stream, the horses will 50 up or down it
for mile or more III order to drink at
their accustomed watering place. Hiding
III the brush or crawling to a bluff the
hunter lies i'll wait until the horses come
to the water, and then shoots them 1t
is difficult TO catch them, as they seem to
| know in>tinctivcly when hunters are
about, and if they even suspect danger
they viii at once leave the locality. A
smoke or anything unusual Will stampede
them and they VIII run forty or tiltv
! miles before letting up Their s. nsc Of
smell is very acute, and On the wind side
; about mile is as cl $50 as Il hunter can
get before being discovered by his odor,
and the horses are OIL III u IlY.
H.,
horse hunting in Wyoming. The AMI
9 mals get discouraged by the deep SHOWS
aud become hungry and poor They are
apt at such times to bunch in the cotton
wood groves, whore they cat the bark off
t the trees and chew up all the small limbs
| they can reach. In winter, too, the
horse hunters can unite with it the hus
ness of ''woltng" Perhaps some people
: do not know what woHing' IS Well,
0 a ''vofer" IS simply 4 wolf hunter or a
man who Kills wolves for their hides and
the reward offered Tor their dc,trl. ton.
In earlier years wolves on the plains were
k led only for their pclt> but now they
| are Killed to >avt-lhe game and sheep as
| well as for their pelts Next to man the
!, wolf is the greatest destroyer of game.
The gray Wolf is dangerous. too, and
viii attack anything from chpmunk t.
{ a man. They used IL hunt IN gangs and
d,.lr,v .er,,,t m,nv hntr,Ia7. rhar
v,nll f,li4w an nI1 MI h;,,n, h;,,
nnt;l tb,.v h.,I l,mStrun, Inn, .,nI ,lan
Il thcy would Kin and eat linn Tb. Inf
: iaIo helng gone, the >i,cp, cattlr and
{ small game ii III klni> sutfcr annually
+, great loss from wolves ~ome countlt,
nt,rr !. nnoh j < ,.r b,',a fnr ~,
{ ,'.lf.r - a., -" 80 49, -,
i ,;nn os (~.-.,r ,b.,. ,Ia ,,,l,'....r.
i ,h;nLn.t ,nI ,n;la. l,,,, NV, H.
uiI th.n L,ll ~. t.tv,. ,nr I.,.,. i :,
,brn ,rd dr. in. hlaa,}r ,.f,,..'.. !,
/ ,i.ce. III ,hon, IN, ,onntr, r.. -. ;,
= ,l.,, ,,,,;.,'n..,I ,,;.I, .tr,,l.,,:,,.
# i..f, ,..,r h,.c,l,;n IN. vnfy,. 80. '',' =,
>
the bloody tr1ll> and follow them ~ IN
y I'll they come u the meat, ei which tn
z eat i1e'l'lIyand Ct '"ur~' li't i tie last !"
,! -ih.m.- NJ Voter has M, p't'> III All part