Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-11-22

running at a furious pace; the earth
trembled, and the clicking of their hoofs
could be heard for miles away. BY this
time my horse had me in the tic OF
the herd, for he could run like q racer,
and I had two big buffaloes crippled
and they fell to the rear.
Herd on All Sides
Nov I had gone all of two miles, and
fired q dozen shots, with buffaloes in
front of me n buffaloes behind me
and buffaloes on all sides of me-; in fact,
1 could see nothing but buffaloes. 1t
takes some practice to load a gun while
on horseback and on full speed. How
ever, I was doing this with considerable
accuracy. Now / had my old dragon
loaded the third time, and l took after a
fat young COW. The chase began to
tell on my horse for 1t was as much as
he could do to keep up with this par
ticular buffalo. 500 l had two bullets
in her and one more in my gun; ] was
determined to make a sure shot with 1t.
l now could see that the pace OF the
buffalo was slower. / spurred my horse
and with a squirt he was by her side. AS
quick as lightning the buffalo whirled
around and caught my DOT with her
crooked horn and came near throwing
me out of the saddle and as near gor-
ing the horse. This warned me to be
more cautious. The buffalo started in
another direction, but very slowly. 1
followed it, finally it stopped and
turned, looking directly at me. / was
so yards off. / ook a deliberate aim
at it, and down she came. / was now
in the center of the buffalo herd and all
running like mad and going in one di-
rection; the clouds Of fine snow making
1t very dangerous for a man, being liable
to be run over by the buffaloes. At this
juncture I had to stand in one place,
hat in hand, yelling at the top of my
voice to keep them from running over
me md my horse. Once a big bull, com
ing on at a terrific speed directly to-
wards me. was within ten feet before
he saw me, but made q dodge and at the
same time gave a snort and passed me,
brushing his shaggy coat against my
buckskin suit. 1t was not long before
the big rush had gone by and I had
had my first buffalo hunt"
Hunting for Meat
MIR. Vaughn makes 1t very clear thai
he did not hunt in this instance merely
for the fun of 1t, but also for the meat.
He could easily have kept on slaughter
ing, had he SO desired. Buffalo were all
about him, without doubt he was well
supplied with ammunition n there
were no game laws to prevent his shoot
ing as many as he choose. The Lake
Flats, where the hunt took place, APP
parently rivaled Market Lake as the re-
sort Of game. II this hunter was easily
satisfied. such was not the case with
those who INDUCED in the chase during
the next few years. Neither laws nor
good sense restrained them. Before their
onslaught thousands Of buffaloes were
slain, and the species nearly extermi-
mated.
Alarmed at the prospect. the Bison
society asked congress to appropriate
funds for the purchase Of bison, and
to set aside or buy a range where they
could wander at will within its bounds.
this proposition met with a
more favorable reception than the later
to provide an antelope preserve,
and $40, 900 were set aside for the pur-
chase of 81 buffalo.
Most OF these came from the Conrad
herd near Kalispell; MIR. and Mrs. Good
contributed two, n the Conrad
estate a like number. Three were do
from the Corbin herd at Newport,
the Corbins having formerly been en-
gagged in business in Montana. The range
is in the Flathead valley, not
far from st. Ignatius. Here the original
number lived and thrived to such an ex-
tent that 1t has been necessary to kill
01hS 49, 80 W oHfN
range for the remainder.
No one, so far as / can discover, has
stated whether the variety confined there
Is the same as hat in Yellowstone park,
although quite likely 1t is, this being
the limits Of the mountain buff
falo habitat.
To Preserve Species
DR.. Hornaday sums up indebted
tothe wild animals in these words
our lawmakers should keep in
mind: THE part that the wild life Of
played in the settlement of the
continent was so far-reaching in extent,
SO enormous In potential value, that
t fairly staggers the Imagination. From
he landing of the Pilgrims down to the
present hour the wild game has been
he mainstay and the resourc against
starvation of the pathfinder, settler. the
orospector, and at times even the rail
Dad builder.
I'm view of what the bison millions
lid for the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming
Texas, 1T is only right and square
hat those states should now do some
hing for the perpetual preservation of
he bison species and all other big game
hat need help"
The foregoing should not be limited
big game, but apply to all wild life
hat is not injurious. Through our game
avs this is being done, n 1t is the