The hunters tried to find a small herd feeding in a spot where they could approach from behind a small hill or up a coulee. If this brought them quite close they dashed into sight on a dead run, but if they were still some distance from their quarry they rode slowly and quietly until the first old cow took fright and began to run. If the terrain was favorable for such a maneuver, the men divided and approached from two directions, causing confusion in the herd and a momentary delay in running. On occasion part of the herd would start away from each party of hunters and run into each other, where they would mill around in hopeless disorder while the hunters shot them down.
Once the herd started to run, the fleeter, more agile cows and the younger animals took the lead, with the calves and old bulls bringing up the rear. In the spring and early summer before the calves were old enough to run well, they tired quickly, and dropped in the grass to hide. Then boys too young for the big hunt followed along and practiced their hunting skills on the helpless animals.
The hunters selected the more desirable animals for the kill. From April to September these would be the young bulls or the heifers, but in the fall they chose the fat cows. From midwinter to April the large, middle-aged bulls were in the best condition for camp use. The aged, outcast bulls were never hunted except in times of extreme want.
As he dashed into the herd, each hunter guided his mount toward the animal he wanted to kill. The horse dashed up on the flank of the chosen animal, on the right side for a hunter armed with a bow, on the left for one with a lance.
A buffalo is a large, tough, hardy animal and very hard to kill. Fatally wounded animals have been known to run a mile or more before dropping. The most effective way for the hunter to bring down the animal quickly was to pierce the diaphragm with either an arrow or a lance, collapsing the lungs, or to thrust between the ribs into the lungs or heart, a much more difficult task.
A lance head or an arrow point had little chance of passing the rib barrier, for the ribs are wide and the spaces between them are narrow. The slender lance point and the arrow point, both of chipped flint or similar material, would break if they struck a rib, giving the buffalo only a superficial wound. The lancer would be disarmed, while the bowman would have lost a valuable arrow. Paintings showing the Indians attacking the rib cage are more artistic than accurate.
An Indian hunter knew every organ, bone, muscle, and sinew in the game he hunted. He knew the vulnerable areas, and strove to reach them in the most direct and effective manner. Hence he aimed his blow at the side of the buffalo, just behind the last rib and about a third of the way down from the backbone to the belly. An arrow or lance striking here had only to pierce the hide and a thin muscle layer before penetrating the intestinal cavity. If it ranged forward and downward, it would certainly pierce the liver and probably the diaphragm, while the weapon would be undamaged. If the initial blow seemed ineffective, the hunter would strike again, sometimes needing three or four blows to bring down his prey.
Once the arrow or lance found its mark, there was a real danger that the wounded buffalo would try to gore the horse, so the horse was taught to swerve away at the twang of the bowstring or when the lance was withdrawn. Then at a signal from the rider, the horse moved into position for a second blow or went on to a new victim.
Dashing through a milling mass of buffalo in a cloud of dust at full speed had its dangers for both horse and rider. A wounded buffalo might fall in their path, or one might swerve unexpectedly. A prairie-dog hole, a stone, an old skeleton, or a dry wash could not be seen in the dust and excitement, and any one of them could easily throw the horse. There was little the rider could do to escape death under the churning hooves, although now and again a hunter was able to grab a buffalo and ride it out of the melee before dropping to the ground.
The chase was exciting, packed with action, and soon over. Then the hunters checked their winded mounts and rode slowly back across the plain, now dotted with dead and wounded animals. The wounded might still be staggering along, or they might just be standing with braced feet until they died. These were finished off with another arrow or a lance thrust. Such clean-up work was usually done by the less successful hunters.
A number of women followed the hunters from camp, keeping out of sight until the chase was over, then moving out with their pack horses to the kill. Each was eager to find any animals brought down by her man, identifying the carcasses by the marks on the arrows. A woman could claim the hides and all the choice cuts from these buffalo, but she was expected to share the ordinary cuts and trimmings with any less fortunate person, especially a widow with no close relative in the hunt.
A good hunter with a good horse could kill enough animals to keep several women busy with the meat and hides: there would be enough to feed and clothe twelve to fifteen people. Since the men lived more dangerously than the women, their death rate was much higher and there were many widows. Each year men died in hunting accidents, in war, and in handling unruly horses. Their widows and orphans had to be cared for. In many tribes each good hunter was expected to provide for two or three wives, a widowed mother or aunt, and some children, all in a cooperative group living in two or three tipis. Often each wife had her own tipi.
The first wife approved of the polygamy, for there was always a great deal more work than she could manage, in addition to the burden of producing and raising children. In a cooperative group there was work for all, but few were overworked by Indian standards. Also, the women enjoyed working in groups. Usually the first wife had complete charge of the group, although she might have an older relative to help.
Such a social arrangement had not been possible under the earlier hunting patterns, for one hunter could not provide meat for so many people. In those days there were fewer children, and the older widows might die of want or neglect in hard times. Such tragic situations are found frequently in the old folk tales and legends.
The women had two major tasks in addition to their family duties and camp chores: taking care of the meat and tanning the hides. In the late summer and fall they dried the excess meat, pounded and packed it in buffalo paunches or sections of the large intestine, then poured in melted fat to fill the air spaces. This was the pemmican of the plains, and would keep indefinitely as long as it was kept dry. Or the meat could be left in strips and stored in parfleches. The strips of back fat would keep well if lightly smoked.
None of these methods of preserving meat was new, but now for the first time the tribes had plenty to spare for the winter. They had all the robes they could use, and large tipis for more comfortable living, equipped with inner linings for greater warmth and comfort. All this was made possible by the use of pack horses to move all the reserve food and extra camp gear from place to place.
Strict controls were necessary to prevent any of the village hunters from scaring off the buffalo before a big hunt. In most of the Plains tribes a crier went about the camp announcing the ban on hunting by individuals, and there was one group of young warriors whose duty was to enforce the rule. This method of control was brought to the plains from the eastern woodlands.