Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-05-24
HUNTING BUFFALO.
EXCITING SPORT OF STE aLING
BABY BISONS.
Shameful Slaughter of These Pictur
esque Brutcs-An Encounter
With an Infuriated Moth
CIR on the Plains.

Until within the last five years it was
not strange or uncommon for buffalo
cows and calves to be found herded with
the wild cattle of the ranges and the
spring round-ups always reported
more or less sport for tho daring
and reckless ''cow punchcrs" with
buffalo calves. Western men have
at last, however, begun to realize,
with more than little regret, that
the large droves of buffaloes roaming
ing at will over the trackless plains Of
the Territories formed sights that are
forever to be lost and to realize also TINT
the shameful slaughter of these pictur-
eslue brutes has been waste of gold.
The fact that the domesticated buffalo
and the cross-brecds are both very valu-
able and easily herded is, just now,
giving new zest to the sport Of buffalo
hunting, and the dangers of the
chase arc increased ten fold by the
fact that the object now is not to
Kill, but to capture. To make prisoners
OF the young, or to bring upon ones
self the fierce avcnging fury of buffalo
COW, by throwing a rope over her calf,
requires the utmost self-possession MS
well as that peculiar reckless familiarity
with saddle and horse which are found
so fully developed in the range riders of
the Western plains. The hunt is profit
less if the calves are in ,ured, and the
preparations for the care of the captives
arc not only minute, but necessarily on
pensivc. Domestic COWS are provided
rs wet nurses, and constant watchful.
ness is observed over these compulsory
foster mothers until they have overcome
not unnatural repugnance TO their new
charges. The calves, however. when
captured and placed In corral with
their nurses, display no excessive mod
esty in foraging for milk, and their i'm
petuous raids upon the new commissary
are extremely amusing.
An important element in the buffalo
hunting of to-day is the fact that
the females give birth to their young
very carry i'll the spring, and the hunt
must be accomplished before the be
ginning of the spring roundup of cattle.
or the calves become too strong to can
ture alive.
Several months ago two our-horsc
teams, with heavy wagons behind them.
pulled slowly out of the town of Raw
Inns, Wyoming. In the first wagon, and
In charge of the expedition, was Il gentle.
man known rs ''the Colonel" whose
weather beaten and genial face was
aglow with the pleasures of anticipation
and whose wagon was packed with COM
Portable bedding, grub" cooking
utensils, and last, but not least, varied
assortment, consisting of sour mash,
Martel, cigars, tobacco, pipes, rifles, etc.
Beside him sat John, rotund, smiling
and evidently content with the world rs
It Is. The rear wagon contained
two thousand pounds of balcd hay and Il
quantity of rope to be used for lariats.
and was manned by notable jehu, who.
the Colonel swore, could transform n
jack rabbit into n pullet, or, if the very
worst should befall him, could broil the
harness leather SO that it would be as
good us tcnderloin.
For three hours the wagons iolted
slowly along over n rough trail, while
the smiles of the Colonel and his com
panions attc.ted their faith in the things
hoped for. The constant "chuck, :"
CHUCK, OF the heavy wagon was n lit
tic wearing to the Colonel, but the bot.
ties IN his wagon were well packed and
easily accessible, so that Bell Springs
was reached without any occurrence 10
mar the p! asu;c of tho trip
Three days travelling carried the party
to the northern boundary Of the led
Eescr;, where were waiting the hunters
.-Wrigh, Chapman and Gomez. n
Mexican va uero. Each hunter had q
"string" o eight horses. TWENTY-FIVE
dollars was the stipulated price of each
ali which shoald G caught uniniured.
and bound by the .eot. 1t four o'clock
on the following morning breakfast was
annonnc d and at its finish all hands
but the COX saddled their horses and
hit the trail. driving the extra saddle
horses before them.
After quietly riding for an hour & One :;
called attention to buffalo trail and
followed it n; some distance in advance
OF tie others, carefully watchi q ahead.
The trail lead through sage brush, over
the plains across innumcrnbc draws,
uutl ome% rcach;d the summit of n.
low range Of hills, when he suddenly
wheeled his horse and returned to the
party. instantly all was excitement
the game WAS in sight One cnormou
bull, four cows ana three calves were
brows rg, unsusp;cious Of DANCE, about
half mile away from the party. Fresh
horses were roped and saddied. n d the
hunters separated to surround the herd
with as little noise rs possible. At n
signal from Wright, given when each OF
the hunters had crcpt as close rs rossi-
bic. the three horses made da.h for
ward. With snort o. fear the bull
threw up his he'd, aud seeing Wright
rushing upon him he wheeled in blind
terror and plunged head ong toward
Chapman. whose no Sc reared and fell
backward. AS hapman swung himself
out of the saddle unhurt the terrified
brute went past him like a cyclone.
Meanwhile Come: had thrown his rono
oves calf and was in the act of getting
out of his saddle TO tie the calf's lcgs
when the mother came dashing through
the sage brush with savage bellowinr
Tor her young AS the infur ated brute
rushed toward him Come dropped his
rope and swung his Horse around. and
the COW, finding 9th Come. an Wright
grllopins towurd her from the rear, fed.
panic stricken. aud her calf was secured
BY this time the others of the herd were
mile away with Chapman wing after
them. Another calf was run down and
tied before it mother had sufficiently re.
covered from her fright to notice its alb
sence. The three hunters then put their
| horses to q Gallon to run down tho ~