Would Game Driving be a viable strategy for dragons?

The Game Drive system, perhaps best exemplified by the "Buffalo Jump" of the North American Plains Indians is a hunting strategy in which large animals are chased into a preselected kill zone, such as being chased off a cliff.

Animals were scared with fire, loud noise, and the simple presence of a dangerous predator (humans).

Hundreds of animals could be killed this way with relatively little effort, which allowed hunters to feast for weeks at a time. There were jumps so deep that it was said that buffalo meat could be preserved for weeks at a time in the pile (still wouldn't trust it).

So that brings me to the dragon. Dragons by virtue of being a large flying predator would require very considerable amounts of meat to survive. Flight is calorically expensive, as is fighting. The dragons in my setting are more realistic, having only four limbs and weighing less than 100 kilograms.

So my idea is

"¢Dragons use fire to cut off escape routes

"¢Because dragons fly they are immediately visible to their prey and can easily keep pace, ensuring that the hunt goes on.

"¢ Dragons don't engage in direct combat or just incinerate their prey in the interest of energy saving.

"¢They feast on the pile of carcasses at the base of the cliff

So does the idea of a game drive system make sense for a dragon? Could it possibly explain the purpose of fire breathing and an intimidating appearance?

posted almost 5 years ago

NixonCranium‭

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