"Said to have killed the last buffalo on the Oklahoma range." -Historia, 1909
"Youngblood has traversed the western plains for eight successive years, and knows it equal to the 'red man,' whom he has met frequently." - Lakin Eagle, August 22, 1879.
A love of the chase is a passion inherent in everyone, and when it is for game that is rare to Eastern people such as Buffalo, Antelope, and Wild Horses, it is rendered doubly so. Charles Youngblood's 1882 book "Adventures of Charles L. Youngblood during Ten Years on the Plains" provides the reader an opportunity to get a vision of those wonderful animals and to almost breathe the pure and exhilarating air of the magical plains of the West.
Born in 1826 Indiana, Charles Youngblood moved to Kansas City, then tried farming, before in 1872 heading out to the Western Plains to earn a living as a hunter, often competing with roving bands of hostile Indians on the warpath for the same buffalo. During his time as a hunter, he became well acquainted the plains from Dodge City to Pueblo and even led hunting parties for folks back east so they could experience the thrill of western life.
His book is full of exciting adventures with the rough western characters, roving plains Indians, and buffalo as well as antelope, wolves, and mountain lions.
In describing one (of many) solo encounters with Indians, who would later rob another buffalo hunter, Charles writes:
"I motioned to them to stop, but they paid no heed and came dashing on. As they hung on the farther side of their horses they would occasionally peep over their horse's withers to see what I was doing and watching for a chance to rush upon me unawares . Scarcely had I started toward the wagon than one of them made a rush toward me, but I was watching him, and turning suddenly around stopped him effectually. It was the most trying time I ever experienced, and I held them in this manner for more than an hour, when they gave up the hope of getting to shake hands with me...."
In those days, winter on the plains was often deadly cold, as Charles nearly found out on one occasion:
"I began to cast about to see how I was going to keep from freezing, as I had left my coat on the wagon when I started after the buffalo, and Riley had driven off with it, leaving me in my shirt sleeves, and the weather was very cold. I finally took the hides of two of the buffalo that I had killed and roiled myself up in them as close as I could, and it was not long until they froze and become as solid as a holler log...."
With buffalo, the plains in those days was teeming with wolves, as Charles would find:
"I made my bed on the ground, and spread the skin of the buffalo over me with the wooly side down. I had hardly fallen asleep, when the wolves, attracted by the smell of the buffalo, began gathering from the thickets. They soon devoured the buffalo, and began to venture near enough to pull and tug at the hide, which I was using for a quilt, and try to take it away from me...."
Buffalo hunting was by no means an easy, safe leisurely sport as Charles relates:
"When I would let it pass me it would make at me for a fight. I supposed I could push it off when it got to me and stood my ground, and it came bowing and shaking its head, and when within a few feet of me made a big dash right at me like an old ram, and before I could do anything knocked me down and began trampling me into the ground...."
