The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-18
THE EXTINCTION OF THE BISON.

DR.. Carver, the Great Shot, Talks About
It-Some Breezy Stories.
As the Indians hunted them, the
race of bison would probably have
lasted forever, but about 1866 the
white men turned their attention to the
shaggy monsters of the plains. Large
eastern firms organized hunting par
ties and paid the shooters 81 for
each bison where he lay dead on the
plains. | then went to southern Ne
braska and became a professional
hunter. The bison consisted of two
large divisions, the one living in the
south and the other in the north.
Their only common feeding ground
was along the Republican river and
its branches in Nebraska. The Indians
were well aware of that fact, and hos
tile tribes have had many fight for
that territory. 1t was not until 1873
shat the government put an end to
this by sending the Pawnees south
and the Sioux to their nOthern reSer-
vations. Prior to that time we had to
do all of our hunting at the risk OF be-
ing scalped at any time,o
Our favorite gun waShn army
model of the Springfield rifle, As cali
Der and loaded with ninety grains of
powder. The whites patterned after
the Indians and hunted on horseback.
Having wagons to haul our game, we
did not care to ''circle" them as the
Indians did. When herd was located
we would mount our best horses and
as quietly as possible approach the
herd from the Reward side AS soon
as they saw us the fun would begin.
Although of low build, the bison
will make a very interesting race with
a horse for ten miles. We would press
up on the right flank of the herd and
ride SO close to the animals that our
guns would touch the side when fired
The most deadly shot was to fire quar-
tering through the lungs so that the
animal would bleed to death. In this
way we would follow the herd as long
as our horses could stand it. On one
of these runs | killed 113 bison, none
of which were more than 100 yards
apart. In riding back an awful sight
was presented to the eye The trail
was marked by dead and dying ami
mails. An occasional big bull would
have broken back so that he could
not get up on his fore legs, and moth
ing could look more furious than his
shaking head, with coal black eyes
glaring in a death stare from his
shaggy front. We received our pay
for the animals dead on the plains,
and wagons followed us up, quartered
the animals and shipped the saddle
and tallow to eastern markets.
About 1871 the hide hunting be-
gan. Prior to this time little or no at
tention was paid to the skins, but
when the demand for them created
high price the meat was allowed to rot
on the plains, and this magnificent
race was extinguished simply that ex
travagant tastes might be satisfied
With the improvements in firearms an
entirely different mode of hunting
was adopted The Springfield army
gun was superseded by a Sharp 81
caliber and loaded with 10 grains OF
powder. The hunter used his horse
only in finding a herd. This done
we would go to the leeward side SO
that the scent of the powder and report
would not reach the animals, and find
a suitable shelter about 1000 yards
distant from them. | have killed them
at a distance Of a mile. Hunting
in this way we had to be very par
ticular, and watch the herd closely
Like herd of cattle, the bison are al
ways on the 60 and are apt to WALL
out OF rifle range in short time. In
moving, however, they always have a
leader and the trick was to kill any one
that started to lead the others off. By
thus killing the leaders, we could of
ten shoot for all hour from behind one
clump of grass, and when they had
moved out of range, the ''skinners''
would come up, cut the hide in the
ordinary way for SHINING, tie the
animals head to stake, hitch a team
of horses to the hide, and jerk it of
No one will ever know what Immense
numbers of bison were killed by these
hide hunters, but to my certain know
ledge 100000 hides were shipped
from the Frenchman river in one win
ter. The hide hunters, by system of
fires, kept the bison from the streams
until many of them persisted and thou
sands of others were easily killed. AT
the close of that winter a man could
go along the banks of the Frenchman
for fifty miles by simply jumping
from the carcass of one bison to that
of another. Considering facts of this
kind, it is not surprising that small,
tame herd and few old circus ami
mails represent the great herds which,
less than quarter of a century ago,
blackened miles of prairies as thun-
der cloud darkens the sky.-Inter.
view in The Kansas City Times.