The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-14
HUNTING FOR BISON.
Dr. Carver Gives Some Account of
His EXP sr!eacss.
~. %, the Deuf,eT Netra

| His Exp srleacsS as.
From the DeHUer News.
"While buffaloes were still plentiful"
said DR. Carver yesterday, 81 had a con-
tract with Chicago man to kill 5, 900 buff
al es one winter In those days there was
no hunting for hides alone; the meat was
highly priced and found a ready market in
the east, and as the killing was done in the
winter, 1t usually reached there in very
good condition.
1.-The manner In which we used to get
about il was, first sight our buffalo, asd
thou start for them; If they were too far
| away from the camp we usually endeavored
| TO ride around them and lead them back so
| as 10 leave their oarcasses as near the sta
ton as possible. We would ride up TO a
bunch of buffalo and cut loose at them,
| following them and shooting them DOM as
| long as our horses would stand the work.
Many a time a small party of us would en-
tirely wipe out good sized herd OF buffalo
| In one day.
The horses rode were trained buffalo
hunters aud required very little guiding.
| They knew the wallow or prairie dog town
| as we'll or better than | did, and their in
stinct made them avoid charging buffalo
| better than If they had been held in check
| by the rain and had | attempted TO guide
them away from the Infatuated animals
that would sometimes turn ami snow fight.
| We usually shot the outfaloes between the
| ribs through the lungs; one shot in this
manner would run few yards until the
throat and lungs were filed with blood,
when they would choke up AID tumble
over aud lie there until the men with the
| teams came up to skin them and cut up the
| meat for shipment east.
THE BUFFALO COW sHo WED FIGHT
81 shot remarkably big COW that way
| one morning, aud after being satisfied that
she was hit, turned my attention to an old
| bull running just ahead on the other side
| OF the b orse. As / was watching my op-
| portunity to make a short shot, l suddenly
| heard a snort, aud then felt as though a
| bucket Of water had been dashed in my
face from a distance great enough to make
1t 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 as | 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
| bad SPILL
The hide hunters pursued very nearly the
| same tactics as we observed having waR-
ons and skinners to follow after them, the
| Doluk Iuhb lu6I WOulO
! generally kill more buffalo than the meat
| hunters, as the men with the wagons didn't
have near as muon work. We seldom had
any trouble with the Indians, as We didn't
hunt them, and, even when on the war
path, they were not looking for buffalo
hunters. Emigrant trains and settlers
we're more in their way, il they afforded
more plumber and didn't give them such a
tough fight.
SHOT AT FROM AMBUSH.
THE only direct attack that was ever
made on me by an Indian was up on the
Medicine. was cantering around one
afternoon toward a canyon where | had
seen bunch OF butfaloes disappear, when
heard and almost felt something strike my
horse just ahead Of my legs. The poor an
lmal gave a jump or two and welt down
head foremost on the frozen ground, never
to rise again. looked him over and found
that he had been struck by rife bullet
''Of course immediately began looking
In all directions for an enemy, but saw
none, consequently the conclusion is that
the shot had been fred by an Indian from
a great distance, probably not less than a
mile away, where there was sOme foothills
and rocks In which he had evidently been
hiding was in no condition to look for
him, as l was obliged to carry my saddle
and traps back to camp TO get another
| horse, and even il there had been another
animal handy. probably should not have
gone into the foothills, as might have found
more Indians than l wanted.
'If the meat and hide hunters in the
early days could only have known as much
as we know now they might have all been
| millionares by saving the heads and having
them mounted, as / am told that good buff
falo head now is very hard thug to get,
aud those that are in the market are held at
from $500 to 81, 900 each.
81 did a good deal Of trapping along the
| springs, principally at the beaver dams
and am told by some OF the boys who
! have been up along the Republican that
! there are still plenty of beaver in that Sec
tion. One sure way to get one was to MAKE
a hole in the dam, and set a trap very near
| 1t underneath the water. As soon as the
leak was discovered some old beaver would
go there to repair the da n, and be pretty
sure to get caught. Another favorite place
| 90 set traps was along the top of the dam,
as many different animals would try TO
Gross the river in the night and get caught.
THEY TRAPPED A MENAGERIE.
| "One afternoon we had set our trans
along the top of the big dam on the Stink
| ing Water, when the prairie on the other
side OF the river got atire and burned clear
/ TO the waters edge. The fire drove the vol yes,
wild cats coyotes and, in fact, everything
| along the river either into the sire im or
/ out on the dam, and the bowls aud yells that
! we heard ring the night made us think
! we had captured an entire menagerie. We
did II dare go near the pla until daylig ht
| IS We didn't know what we had, but sun
rise showed us a couple OF wild cats. some
wolves, aud an otter. One mode OF getting
skins was by poisoning wolves.
1--WE would shoot and skin a buffalo and
poison the carcass, leave 1t over night and
20 there tho next morning, when we would
usually find a number Of dead wolves close
70 the dead care ass, and "a lot Of trails lead
ing from - in all directions. AS general
thing. it was oaly necessary TO follow one
OF these trails "A very short distance when We
would come acr ms u dead wolf.
~ here would probably be- some money
ia hunting and trapping now, but nothing
Ike what there was dfteel years ago, as
even 10 lhe most remote localities FUR Is get
! tlgg mighty scarce"