Readers may recall a recent column I did about the extinction of the passenger pigeons. At one time the most populous bird on the planet, and in less than 100 years they no longer existed. Billions gone. Totally wiped of the face of the earth.

I was recently watching the film "Dances With Wolves" on television, and there was a scene with Kevin Costner and his Native American friends tracking a herd of buffalo. This animal was the lifeblood of almost all of the plains Indians in the history of North America. Their hides and flesh provided shelter for tents, clothing for one's body, and food for a persons health.

Ken Barnes is a record setting shooter and longtime outdoorsman from Kern County. Email him at ken.barnes@aol.com with comments or column ideas.