THE GAME FIELD 
Quinnah Parker, Chief of the Comanches; Kiawa 
Dutch Pennah, a man 80 years old, who had been 
captured by the Indians when a child, and had 
lived with them almost continually since then. 
All of these men had hunted buffalo in the early 
days—some of them on the very land now being 
considered for a buffalo range. 
Although I questioned all of them closely, with 
but one exception I was unable to learn that 
buffalo in those days had died of any contagious 
disease. Mr. Goodnight said that when cattle 
came into Texas the buffalo died of Texas fever. 
Aside from this report, all agreed that there were 
few deaths among the herds outside of the regular 
mortality among the old bulls and cows, o~ ‘he 
very young calves that occasionally died d_ ng 
severe winters. 
Texas fever is the only questionable point w hy 
of consideration in connection with propag ng 
buffalo in Oklahoma. Just how serious it ~ ill 
prove to be can be told only after the bulialo 
have been put on the range. There may be ways 
of treating the buffalo so that they will be immune 
to the disease. 
From the time that I arrived at Cache I heard 
of Texas fever among cattle. Naturally the ques- 
tion arose, “Are buffalo susceptible to Texas 
fever?”’ The only way to settle the question was 
to talk with men who had raised buffalo in or near 
the fever district. Accordingly, I decided to visit 
Mr. Charles Goodnight, of Goodnight, Tex., the 
tor Ranch at Bliss, Okla., and Major Gordon 
W. Lillie at Pawnee, Okla. The information 
gained from these gentlemen was as follows: 
While Mr. Goodnight had never lost buffalo 
from Texas fever, he feels convinced that they 
are susceptible to it, basing his belief on the 
experience of others. Mr. C. J. Jones (“ Bufialo 
Jones”’) took two of Mr. Goodnight’s buffalo to 
Sherman, Tex. (in the fever district), and they 
were there just long enough to get the fever, which 
killed them, On the other hand, Mr. Goodnight 
sent four buffaloes to San Antonio, which is also 
in the fever district, and he thinks they are still 
_ living. 
Mr. Joseph Miller, president of the ror Ranch 
at Bliss, bought a herd of buffalo in the fall of 1904. 
He has never taken buffalo into the fever district. 
The fever quarantine line is about a mile west of 
his buffalo pasture,- yet Texas fever has not 
affected his herd. The buffalo that he got in the 
spring of 1905 he bought from the Allard ranch 
in Montana, and soon after arriving they began 
to die, and he had lost 15. They would first refuse 
to eat, stood alone with heads down, and seldom 
lasted more than two or three days. 
All of those that died were examined by a Dr. 
Johnson, of the United States Department of 
Agriculture, who failed to discover any ticks. 
He pronounced their death due to “change of 
altitude, excitement of being transferred and 
“climatic fever.” 
From Major Gordon W. Lillie (‘‘ Pawnee Bill’’) 
I learned more of Texas fever affecting buffalo than 
from any other person. Major Lillie says that in 
1895 he had with his Wild West Show 7 head of 
buffalo. He took them on a trip through Texas, 
267 
entered at Dennison, and traveled through Dallas, 
Temple and Wahatche, coming out at Shreve- 
port, La. The trip consumed six weeks, and all 
seven of the buffalo died. They came originally 
from the Jones herd at Garden City, Kans. The 
State Veterinarian pronounced the cases Texas 
fever. 
In 1905 Major Lillie showed within five miles 
of the Texas line. He had with him five buffalo. 
All were taken sick, and two died. His show was 
about to go into winter quarters, so he hurried the 
three sick ones to Ohio, where, he thinks, the cold 
weather killed the ticks and saved them. The 
Ohio State Veterinarian pronounced the disease 
Texas fever. A taxidermist that examined the 
skins of the two that died said they were. literally 
covered with ticks. 
_ Major Lillie says that cattle die of Texas fever 
all about Pawnee, some but a few yards from the 
range in which his buffalo are kept; but his buf- 
falo in a fenced range at Pawnee have seemed to 
be immune. Thus far Texas fever has not affected 
his herd. To his knowledge Colonel Cody lost 
eight or ten buffalo during one of his trips 
through Texas, and Major Lillie is sure that it 
was Texas fever. The second time that Colonel 
Cody went to Texas with his show he left all of 
his buffalo at Guthrie, Okla. From this it will be 
seen that buffalo are susceptible to the Texas 
fever tick. Buffalo have never been kept in the 
Wichita section of Oklahoma since fever-stricken 
cattle have been brought there. Cattle die of the 
fever in this section by the hundreds. It now 
remains for some of the Government experts on 
this disease to tell us whether there is any way 
out of the difficulty. I have stated the facts*as 
I found them and as they were told to me by men 
of truth and experience. 
If buffalo are brought to this range Mr. W. H. 
Quinette, of Fort Sill, an experienced cattle dealer, 
says that he thinks it advisable to unload them at 
Fort Sill and haul them in from there. The danger 
of the animals becoming infested with the fever 
ticks would be less than if they were unloaded 
elsewhere, for the Government is careful not to 
bring infected cattle on the military reserve through 
which the buffalo would pass. 
Next to Texas fever, the wolf question is of 
greatest importance. Up to the time that Mr. 
Morrissey was appointed supervisor, wolves had 
been held in check by the ranchmen and hunters; 
therefore, there were few complaints of cattle being 
killed. Since then all hunting has been stopped 
and the wolves have increased, until now they are 
one of the worst enemies to the cattlemen. On 
the reserve alone 72 head of stock had been killed 
by wolves within the last six months. 
Mr. Morrissey estimates that there are probably 
ten or fifteen wolves on the reserve. As evening 
draws near the wolves leave the rocks and hills 
and seek the open countries to hunt for stock. 
They seem more active after rain storms. As 
many as four or five have been seen in a bunch, 
but they usually hunt in pairs. Cattle at once 
attack a wolf, and while one wolf leads the cattle 
away the other follows in the rear and picks up 
any calf or two-year-old that has been left behind. 
