The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-21
HUNTING THE ANTELOPE.
rFrom the New York Press1

[
Lazy men who were good rifle shots
made the most successful hunters of an
teiope in the days when that pictures
que animal rOamed the western prairieS
in enormous herds. A good hunter earn
ed d fair salary with his gun in the fall
months, and enjoyed the feeling of be-
ing his own master
An antelope hunters outfit was SIM
pie. Ordinarily he rode a fast walking
horse, who would stand fire, and led a
pack horse on which to load his game.
Across the saddle pOmmeI the hunter
carried his gun, which was generally
Sharp or Winchester As caliber, with
telescope sights, that would kill at l.,
200 yards. The weight of the rifle, some
u or Is pounds, would not permit off
hand shooting. so pair of rest sticks
also hung from the saddle horn These
were two slender rods, Sharpened at one
end, and Joined by thrOng about six
inches from the other extreme. In use
the sharpened ends were spread and
stuck into the ground, forming a crotch
on which the heavy rifle could be rested.
A couple of keen skinning knives and a
steel hung from the broad belt that car
ried the gun cartridges.
Thus equipped the hunter trOtted over
the prairie in search of his prey. When
he sighted a bunch of antelope he inn
mediately sought a position. to the lee
ward of the quarry, when he would eau
tiOUsly approach as close as possible
without detection. At the first sign of
uneasiness in the grazing herd the
hunter would dismount and prepare for
action. His rest sticks" were placed,
cartridges laid the ground within
reach and then, squatting crosS-Iegged
he proceeded to take his sights. His
horses took advantage of the oppOrtun-
ity to crop the grass entirely Indifferent
to coming events. If the hunter had
been seen by the big bucks of the herd,
these would gather the does about
them. and as a general thing slowly
draw the entire bunch nearer the hunt
er. for antelOpeS are intensely curious
DiVining almost the exact spot at which
the brown and white beauties would
stop. the hunter fired as they reached
it. and then popped away as fast as he
could draw the beads. At range of
400 yards the bullet, if well aimed. would
pass through two antelope and proba-
bly, wound a third A cloud of dust
but as fast as the rife could be worked
the deadly bullets would hurtle among
them, and PROSTATE forms or limping
stragglers became tokens of the hunt
er'S accuracy.
Bewildered and panic-stricken, their
speed would soon have placed the sur
ViVors beyond the reach of the brown
lean rifles did not the hunter. realizing
this, pla MT couple of bullets Just ahead
of the fleeing herd. The dust kicked up
by these leaden messengers would often
turn the terrified animals back within
close range, when more would drop to
bleed their lives away.
When al last the herd had passed out
of range the hunter would be kept busy
for hours running down his wounded
game and skinning and preparing the
dead antelope for market Only the
headquarters and loins could be sold,
SO the fOrequarterS provided the hunt
erS with meat for their camps. Then
the quarters would be loaded on the
pack horse, and if he had had a good