Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1892-08-29
HUNTING BUFFALO.
WHEN THE SHAGGY CREATURES
WE'RE PLENTIFUL OUT WEST.

OF n fnttO crack 0hois
While buflaloos were still plentiful had
q contract with Chicago man to kill 5000
buiIalocs one winter. In those days there
was no hunting ~ hides alone; the meat
was highly priced and found a ready mar
ket in the east. and as the killing wns done
in the winter It usually reached there in
very good condition
The manner in which we used to 20
about IL was first sight our buffalo and
then start for them; II they were too far
away from the camp we usually endeav-
ored TO ride around them and lead them
back, so as to leave their carcasses as near
the station as possible. We would ride up
to bunch Of buffalo aud cut loose az them,
following them and shooting them down
~ long as our horses would stand the work.
Many q time q small party Of us would en-
tircly wipe out a good sized herd Of buffalo
In one day.
Tho horses | rode were trained bufinlo
hunters and required very little guiding.
They knew the wallow or prairie dog town
as well or better than l did, and their in
stinct made them avoid a charging buffalo
better than If they had been held in check
by the rein and had attempted to guide
them away from the Infatuated animals
that would sometimes turn and show fight.
We usually shot the butfaloes between the
ribs, through the lungs; one shot in this
manner would run few yards until the
throat and luHgs would Gil with blood.
when they would choke up and tumble
over and lie there until the men with the
teams came up to skin them and cut mp
the meat for shipment east.
shot n remarkably big COW that way
one morning, and after being satisfied that
she was hit turned my attention TO an OLD
bull running just ahead on the other side
of the horse. As was watching my OPP
portunity to make a short shot | suddenly
heard snort and then felt as though a
bucket Of water had been dashed in my
face from a distance great enough to make
it reach me as spray rather than as a
solid stream.
Almost at the same instant the old horse
was riding rose and made leap over
something, and ms / turned and cleared my
eyes / discovered that the old cow had
whirled and attempted TO charge, and in
giving her final blow had completely COW
cred myself and horse with blood from her
throat and nostrils going down almost IN
front Of the horse at the same time. If the
old fellow had not been sure footed and on
the watch nothing could have prevented a
bad spill.
The hide hunters pursued very nearly
the same tactics as we observed, having
wagons and skinners 70 follow after them,
the principal difference being that they
would generally kill more buffalo than the
meat hunters as the men with the wagons
didn't have near as much work. We sell
dom had any trouble with the Indians, as
/ We didn't hunt them, and even when on
the warpath they were not looking for buff
falo hunters. Emigrant trains and set
/ tiers were more in their way, as they af-
! forded more plumber and didn't give them
such a tough fight.
The only direct attack that was ever
made on me by an Indianlyas on the Medi.
cine. WINS cnntering around one after.
noon toward a canyon where had seen q
bunch of buiialoes disappear, when heard
and almost felt something strike my hors,
just ahead OF my legs. The poor animal
gave a jump cr two and went down head
foremost on the frozen ground, never e
rise again. looked him over and found
that he had been struck by rife bali.
or course ] Immediately began looking
In all directions for an enemy, but saw
]
the shot had been fired by an Indian from
great distance prpbably not less than a
mile away, where there were some foot.
hills and rocks, in which he had evidently
been hidEg. was in no condition to look
for him, as / was Obliged to carry my sad
die and traps back to camp to get another
horse, and even if there had been another
animal handy probably should not hav,
gone into the foothills. as ! might hay,
found more Indians than / wanted.
II the meat and hide hunters in tn,
early days could only have known as much
as we know now they might have all beer
millionaires by saving the heads and hay
ing them mounted, as / am told that d
good buffalo head now is a very hard thing
TO get, and those that are in the market
are held at from $500 to 81, 900 each.
/ did good deal Of trapping along tn,
springs, principally at the beaver dams
and / am told by some of the boys wh,
have been up along the Republican thai
there are still plenty Of beavers in thai
section One sure way TO get one was Z,
make a hole in the dam and set "a trap yer,
near it underneath the water As soon "a
the leak was discovered some old beaver
would 90 there TO repair the dam and BIZ
pretty sure TO get caught. Another favor
lite place to set traps was along the top o
the dam, as many different animals woult
try to cross the river at night and ge
caught.
One afternoon we had set our traps alonl
the top of the big dam on the Sinking
Water, when the prairie on the other sid
of the river got aire and burned clear ul
70 the waters edge. This fire drove tn
wolves wildcats, coyotes and in fac
everything along the river either into tn
stream or out on the dam, and the howl
and yells that we heard during the nigh
made MS think that we had captured al
entire menagerie. We didn't dare 20 nea
the place until daylight, as we didn't know
what. we had, but sunrise showed us
couple of wildcats, some wolves and al
otter. One mode of getting skins was b.
poisoning wolves.
We would shoot and skin a buffalo ant
poison the carcass and leave il over nigh
aud 10 there the next morning, whei
we would usually find number Of dea'
wolves close to the dead carcass and 10
n trails leading from it in all directions
AS n general thing, it was only necessar
20 follow one Of these trails a very shor
distance when we would come across
dead wolf-Dr. Carver's Interview ia Den
yer News