Richland beacon., 1888-03-03
HUNTING WILD HORSES.
A PECULIAR WESTERN PAST1ME
GRAPHICALLY DESCRIBED.
The Singular Habits of Wild Horses
How They are Hunted by In
dians and "Wolfcrs."


General Brisbane writes from Montana
70 the New York Horldthat he has learned
from an old ranchman some curious
facts about the wild horses of the plains.
They have increased so wonderfully /
within the past few years that they have
become an unbcarablc nuisance TO the /
stock growers of the plains. They Craze .
in bands of twenty, fifty and even one I
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 sees any one
coming. In times of danger from wild
beasts the stations form Il cir-ls and the
mares and colts are put inside. The colts
are often attacked 10y wolves or locky
Mountain lions, but they never succeed III
killing a colt without il battle with the
| horses, and often the wolves and lions are
kicked and beaten so badly that they
/ have to beat a retreat without securing
their prev. Often Wild herd will dis
| cover tame band of horses grazing
quietly in the valley with 10 intention
of leaving their range, but the band Of
wild horses, led on by their stations,
dash down into the valley, capture them
and carry them AVN. The wild stations
are shot without mercy by ihe ranchmcn.
| If one is seen grazing on a hill lic is
sneaked up TO and dropped IN his
tracks. They are very alert and difficult
to approach, bat like the tame horse a"c
easily killed A bullet in almost any
part of the !oody will cause the horse TO
crop on tn plain.
The Indians are the best wild-horse
hunters. but thy do not like to be ont in
stormy weather and they cannot stand
the cold of winter as well as white men.
In storm is ,hc 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 thc way Of the bullets.
1t is generally useless for hunter 20 at
tempt TO run down a wild horse with q
tame one. The tame one, weighted
down by the burden of the hunters body,
soon tires and the wild horse easily es-
capes. Sometimes the hunters discover
the tracks of wild horses near 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 go up or down il
for mile or more in order to drink al
their accustomed watering place. Hiding
in the brush or crawling to bluf tho
hunter lies in wait until the horses come
to the water, and then shoots them. II
: is difficult to catch them, as they seem tC
know instinctivcly when hunters ar
about, and if they even suspect DANCE
they will at once leave the locality. q.
smoke or anything unusual will stamped
them and they will run forty or ii t.
miles before letting up. Their sense
10 smell is very acute, and on the wind sid
about mile is as close as hunter ca
get before being discovered by his odor
: and the horses are OF in lilly.
G The winter is the best season for wild
I horse hunting in Wyoming. The AM
y mails get discouraged hy the deep snow
s and become hungrt and poor. They AZ
! apt at such times TO bunch in tie cotton
d wood groves, where they eat the bark o
9 the trees and chew up all the small linn
l. they can reach. In winter, too, IL
6 horse hunters can unite with 1t the bus
IL ness of "wolfing." Perhaps some peop
2 do not know what ''wolfng' is. Wei
l. "wolfer' is simply wolf-hunter, or
le man who kills wolves for their hides an
D. the reward offered for Their destructio!
l. In earlier years wolves on the plains we
< XII led only for their pelts. but DOW the
Di ar, killed to save the game aud shecp
he we'll as for their pelts. Next to man Il
L. wolf is the greatest destroyer of 9 IN
= The gray wolf is dangerous, too, an
st will attack anything from chipmunk
O. a man. They used to hunt in gangs al
o. destroy a great many bulIalocs. The
is would follow an old bull, biting III
n until they had hamstrung him, and thu
ce they would kill and eat him. The bu
nd falo being gone, the sheep, cattle al
he small game of all kinds suffer annual
nd great loss from wolves. Some count
ct offer as much as So per head for We
er scalps. A wolfer goes out into the Sc
To- ton of country where the wolves
OF thickest an builds him cabin.
he will then kill one or two antelopes, SIX
ia them and drag the bloody carcass
he pieces all about the country. The mt
ar is then poisoned with strychnine a
er left near his cabin. The wolves get
II the bloody trails and follow them up l
ge til they come to the meat, Oi which IN
IN eat heartily. an'l Of course that is the last
aid them. The wolfer has his bats in all p
ho of the country and goes from one to pli
AN another ''skinning up" A wolf pelt
Dut worth from 81 to 80 and some large q
'nd wolf skins bring rs much rs 81 and
my apiece. There are many different way
b'.t setting wolf bats, but the poisoned c
'ot cass of an antelope, deer, elk or COW
Is the most popular method. Sometlr
eel wolf bait is set in candles, the wick
the pulled out, the hole filed with styr
the nine, and then the candle is cut up
Xix pieces two or three inches long and
ends sealed or plugged up. This bait
set by putting bit of stick in
ground, splitting it at the top and I
les. ting the piece of candle between
can split portions of the stick. \ vol
ave very fond of candles, and when he co
the along he jerks the bait out Of the 81
that and swallows it, When the candle IN
lave in his stomach, which it does in a
ght minutes, the released strichnine IA
lists hold on the VOLTS vitals, and then II
nen. is music The wolf always biames
ally trouble on his tail, and he will {
oc. round and round trying to catch s
thu. in his mouth, as have seen dog
s SC when at play. He will next stand NJ
ont his hind legs and walk about and da
vans but il all does no good. His shr.eks
He cries of pain are terrible to hear,
her about the last thing he dos is to
tent, two or three somersauits in the air
re. fall dead. The strychnine kills I
every time Indians do not Ike to
wolves; they think it is ''ba ! mcdici
but never knew an l; dian yet To