Huntsville gazette., 1888-02-25

/ learned from the old ranchman
some curious facts about the wild horses
Of the plains. Every effort to destroy
them has proved futile, and the aid of
the Territorial Government is now to
be asked to eradiate their bands. They
have increased SO wonderfully during
the past few years that they have be-
come an unbearable nuisance to the
Btock-growers of the plains. They
Craze in bands of twenty, fifty and
even one hundred, and are very diff
cult to approach. An old stallion gen.
orally occupies some elevation, and he
will trumpet an alarm to the herd if he
sees any one coming. In times of dan
ger from wild beasts the stations form
circle, and the mares and colts are
put inside. The colts are often attack
ed by wolves or Rocky Mountain lions,
put they never succeed in killing colt
without a battle with the horses, and Of
ten the wolves and lions are kicked and
beaten so badly that they have to beat
retreat without securing their prey.
The stations cross and recross the
country looking for mares, and even
proselyting for horses to enter their
band. If cow ponies stray too far from
the cattle or camp the first thing they
know they are rounded up by an old
stallion and driven off into the hills.
Often a wild herd will discover tame
band of horses grazing quietly in the
valley with no intention of leaving
.heir range, but the band of wild
horses, led on by their stations, dash
down into the valley, capture them
and carry them away. The wild stall
lions are shot without mercy by the
ranchmen. If one is seen grazing on
hill he is sneaked upon and dropped
in his tracks. They are very alert and
difficult to approach. but like the tame
horse are easily killed. A bullet in al
most any part of the body will cause
the horse to drop on the plain.
The Indians are the best wild horse
hunters, but they do not like to be out
in stormy weather, and they can not
stand the cold of winter as we'll as
white men. In a storm is the best
time to hunt wild horses, for then they
bunch, and can not see any one APP
preaching until it is too late to get out
of the way of the bullets. 1t is gener-
ally useless for hunter to attempt to
run down wild horse with tame one
The tame horse, weighted down by the
burden of the hunters body, soon tires,
and the wild horse easily escapes
Sometimes the hunters discover the
tracks of wild horses near stream,
and they then hunt for their
watering-place. The band always
water at the same place, and, al
though right on the stream, the
horses will 60 up or down the
stream for mile or more in
order to drink at their accustomed
watering place. Hiding in the brush
or crawling to the bluff, the hunter
water, and then shoots them. 1t is
difficult to catch them. as they seem to
know instinctively when hunters are
about, and if they even suspect danger
they will at once leave the locality.
A smoke or any thing unusual will
stampede them, and they will run for
ty or fifty miles before letting up.
Their sense of smell is very acute, and
on the wind side about mile is as
close as hunter can get before being
discovered by his odor, and the horses
are off in ajiffy.
The winter is the best season for
wild-horse hunting in Wyoming. The
animals get discouraged by the deep
SHOWS and become hungry and poor.
They are apt at such times to bunch in
the cottonwood groves. where they
eat the bark off the trees and chew up
oil the small limbs they can reach. In
winter, too, the horse-hunters can
unite with it the business of ''wolting. /"
Perhaps some people do not know
what "wolfng" is. Well, ''wolfer
is simply pot-hunter, or a man who
kills wolves for their hides and the re-
ward offered for their destruction. In
earlier years wolves on the plains were
killed only for their pelts, but now
they are killed to save the game and
sheep as well as for their pelts Next to