1870s Buffalo hunting observations
Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2019 10:05 pm
Guys,
Being a long time hunter, I have become fascinated in learning about the buffalo hunting in its peak during the 1870s. I had this vision of these expert marksmen shooting these precision Sharps rifles to take Buffalo at extreme ranges. The more I read, it seems that was not the case at all most of the time. Most of these guys were not accomplished marksmen or even hunters. They came from all over the country to the draw of big money. It reminds me of the current Oil boom here in Texas. There was such a demand for pipe welders, that thousands of guys went out and bought new trucks and welding rigs and got minimum training. They were making big money immediately with no previous experience. Seems like it was kinda like that back then. Those guys got outfitted with wagons and teams, and all supplies including rifles. I bet most had never even heard of a Sharps rifle before they arrived. We all spend much time developing precise loads that shoot tight groups, those guys just shot whatever they had. I remember reading where sometimes they would shoot one buffalo with maybe 2 different loads and bullet weights. I do think it is interesting how they figured out how the Buffalo reacted to people, and how to shoot the leader first to keep the herd in one "stand". That kinda reminded me of my days shooting Prairie dogs. We would start hunting at daylight, and always look for the big mature "sentry" dog that would be standing on the mound keeping a lookout. If we got him first, we would have good shooting for hours. Even the reference to the Buffalo hunters barrels getting so hot they had to stop is like the PD shooting. The fact that they tried to get within 200-300 yards makes a lot of sense, and I can understand now how guys who were mostly not experienced marksmen could be successful taking Buffalo. I can only imagine how it felt to slip up on a ridge and see Buffalo as far as the eye can see. And then sit there and shoot until you run out of ammo, or stop so your skinners can keep up. Amazing times for sure.
Being a long time hunter, I have become fascinated in learning about the buffalo hunting in its peak during the 1870s. I had this vision of these expert marksmen shooting these precision Sharps rifles to take Buffalo at extreme ranges. The more I read, it seems that was not the case at all most of the time. Most of these guys were not accomplished marksmen or even hunters. They came from all over the country to the draw of big money. It reminds me of the current Oil boom here in Texas. There was such a demand for pipe welders, that thousands of guys went out and bought new trucks and welding rigs and got minimum training. They were making big money immediately with no previous experience. Seems like it was kinda like that back then. Those guys got outfitted with wagons and teams, and all supplies including rifles. I bet most had never even heard of a Sharps rifle before they arrived. We all spend much time developing precise loads that shoot tight groups, those guys just shot whatever they had. I remember reading where sometimes they would shoot one buffalo with maybe 2 different loads and bullet weights. I do think it is interesting how they figured out how the Buffalo reacted to people, and how to shoot the leader first to keep the herd in one "stand". That kinda reminded me of my days shooting Prairie dogs. We would start hunting at daylight, and always look for the big mature "sentry" dog that would be standing on the mound keeping a lookout. If we got him first, we would have good shooting for hours. Even the reference to the Buffalo hunters barrels getting so hot they had to stop is like the PD shooting. The fact that they tried to get within 200-300 yards makes a lot of sense, and I can understand now how guys who were mostly not experienced marksmen could be successful taking Buffalo. I can only imagine how it felt to slip up on a ridge and see Buffalo as far as the eye can see. And then sit there and shoot until you run out of ammo, or stop so your skinners can keep up. Amazing times for sure.