On Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:50:00 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

On Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:11:17 GMT, (Richard
Casady) wrote:

On Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:01:31 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

I believe you're correct. I think the buffalo were mostly wiped out
by "sportsmen" on shooting sprees.

Of course not. It was market hunting for the hides. This with the
connivance of the gov who wanted to force the indians to eat gov beef
on a reservation. They killed all but 500, but now there are about 600
000, many in private herds. I guess they have to harvest them with
guns. Too big and mean to walk up a ramp into a truck.

Didn't know there was a big market for those hides.
'Course I wasn't there (-:
I do recall reading accounts of buffalo being shot from train windows
and Buffalo Bill shooting some hundreds in a day, in which cases the
buffalo were left to rot where they fell.
But maybe that was exaggerated by the "bleeding heart" crowd.
When I'm in the mood I'll look it up.
Seems fencing the range, cattlemen, and farmers would have had a big
effect too.

--Vic

I've seen photos of buffalo bones piled higher then a steam train
engine for what looked like hundreds of yards and there are
contemporary writings reporting what the buffalo hunters shot. I don't
think your numbers are exaggerated.
Cheers,

Bruce
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)