Wyatt Earp - the Buffalo Hunter

Wyatt Earp - The Buffalo Hunter

Wyatt Earp, one of the most notable gunfighters of all time, was also a savvy businessman. He realized the importance of gains after expenditures and quickly proved to be a financial success. Wyatt used critical thinking, coupled with experience, to develop a unique method of hunting buffalo that made him the envy of all the other hunters.

Wyatt's Hunting Style Compared to the Old Timers

The older buffalo hunters approached the hunt with five four-horse wagons, one driver, a stocktender, a camp watchman, cook, and four skinners--all paid from the hunters share of the profits. Wyatt recounted that these hunters followed the Indian way of shooting buffalo from the back of a horse, galloping at the edge of the herd. He realized that shooting from horseback could not be as accurate as from the stand and the animals killed during a run would be strung for miles across the prairie. Wyatt was also aware of the fact that every buffalo left alive would be stampeded clear out of the country and the hunters would have to move camp or wait for another herd. The hunters also used the Sharps "Fifty" rifle--it weighed more than twenty pounds, the ammunition was experience, and its accuracy was seriously affected by continued rapid fire.

Wyatt use one wagon, four sound animals for harness and one to ride. He cut expenditures by hiring an experienced skinner who also served as driver and cook. Wyatt paid the skinner in a straight profit-sharing scheme. Wyatt further reduced expenditures by financing the hunt, assisting in skinning, and butchering. At the end of the hunt, he kept the team and wagon and deducted all other expenses from the gross receipts. Wyatt shared any net equally with his skinner. He approached buffalo hunting with a calculated skill. Wyatt hunted on foot to put him closer to the herd. Contrast to the old-timers' choice of weapon, Wyatt used a shotgun. He knew that he could fire an accurate shot at any range under one hundred yards. Once he was within fifty yards of the buffalo, he shot until he had killed all he and the skinner could handle that day.

The Key Elements of Wyatt's Success

The key elements of business success as demonstrated in this case are: efficiency, innovation, and effectiveness. Wyatt used innovative thinking to devise a hunting method that allowed him to get close enough to the buffalo without scaring them away. This method also proved to be effective in that he was close enough to shoot without missing. Wyatt was able to kill a large number of buffalo before the other buffalo knew that any were dead. He demonstrated efficiency by hiring one person to perform several jobs and by conducting a lot of the labor himself. This allowed Wyatt to retain much of the profit from the sale of the hides.

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