Elk, Deer and Bear Plentiful in Early Days
Wild game was abundant in Audubon County in the 1850's, according to an account written by the late Frank Andrews, Exira pioneer attorney, for the Journal several years ago. It follows:
Elk and deer abounded in Audubon
County and the settlers easily took them in large numbers for
food and for their skins, until the severe winter of 1857, after
which they were never so plenty.
Bear and Buffalo
I have heard Uncle Natty Hamlin tell of killing a she bear and cubs near where Joe Wheeler now lives on the Troublesome. They were traveling from the direction of "towhead" in what is now Section 6 in Audubon Township, southeast towards the timber, and Mr. Hamlin's dogs found and chased them. Other remains of bear were found in "Big Grove" Exira Township, showing positively that bear once lived here.
William Hamlin killed a buffalo on Buck Creek in the early settled time, and Bryant Milliman and John Crane about the same time saw and chased wild buffalo west of where Atlantic is now situated while traveling to Council Bluffs.
I saw in a newspaper in 1856 that a large wild buffalo was killed in Dallas County. It is well known that wild buffalo were found in the northwest part of the state as late as 1866 and probably later. Dwight West and Perk Smith tell me that they found buffalo horns on the prairie during the early years of their settlement here.
There was a well-defined beaver
dam on the Botna about a mile above Exira as late as 1866. Perk
Smith says he saw "beaver signs" there where they had
cut down trees as large as a stove pipe with their teeth.
Deer
and Elk
Uncle John Jenkins once told me that he had counted over 100 elk in a band on the high point west of the Botna river just south of West Exira.
In the spring of 1866 I visited that spot and found a large elk skull with a noble set of antlers attached, partly decayed and gnawed by the wolves-the largest I ever saw, nearly 6 feet in length. Elk horns were found plentifully on the prairie at that time where the animals had been killed or where they had shed them. A large set of horns would weigh 25 pounds or more and it is a fact that they were shed annually in the wintertime; a new set grew each year during the summer.
The last bands of the elk
were in the west and northwest parts of the county on Indian Creek,
Bluegrass and West Botna. Lone Willow Creek was a famous resort.
They disappeared about 1871. Among the last hunters to kill elk
were John Huntley, Stephen Bowdish and Frank Harrington; possibly
Christopher Luccock, and the Indians got some about the same time.
Hunting Dangers
There were many transient
hunters living in the little grove on the West County line in
Section 18, Douglas Township, who killed a considerable number
of elk in 1868-69, in that vicinity, one of whom was killed by
lightning late in the fall or early winter of 1868. His body was
covered with snow and found with his rifle near him the next spring.
A thunderstorm was known to have occurred at the time he was lost
and from the appearance of his body and gun which was broken,
it was reported that he was killed by lightning. There were rumors
that he met his death by foul means. His body was found several
miles north of his camp and it has been said that he appeared
to have been following elk tracks when killed.
Wild
Fowl
Wild geese, ducks, swans and sand hill cranes were more or less plentiful in the spring and fall months for many years. Howard J. Green who came in 1856, told me that he had killed wild turkey in the timber where Walter Temple lives in Exira Township. There were timber wolves here in early times. Several lynx have been killed here to my knowledge and there were some wildcats when I first came.
Prairie chickens were plentiful
at all seasons and in the earlier times could be found and killed
without dogs. Many were trapped in the winter. I have seen them
in the trees along the borders of the timbers in the winter by
hundreds and thousands.
Buck Fever
The deer disappeared in recent times. I know that three deer stopped overnight and bedded in the timber not 30 rods west of the depot in Exira since the advent of the railroad.
I killed several deer during the first years of residence here. The first wild deer I ever saw was in 1865. I was at Uncle John Jenkins place on business and rode out on the prairie horseback with George Jenkins to find some cattle. We jumped up half a dozen deer in a brush patch which scampered off in several directions. We appeared to have gotten in their midst before they ran away. I had a large Colt's cavalry revolver with me but was so much excited at the sight of the deer that I forgot my gun entirely until they got away.
Upon returning to the house, I related my adventure to Mr. Jenkins who consoled me by remarking: "Well, sir, it is a mighty pooty sight to the eye of the hunter, but you had the "Buck Ager". I've had it myself before now and had to bite my finger until it hurt like the very devil to steady my nerves. "
In the year 1868 I took 30
saddles of venison to Des Moines from Audubon County.
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The article above was taken from a clipping
compiled by Iva Milliman, Exira. The main article came from a
scrapbook in the Exira Courthouse Historical Museum reading room.