The Portland daily press., 1872-02-13
THE PRESS
TUESDAY MORNING, FEB. 1s, 1872.
Going for Wolves.

EXPLOITS OF THREE DETROIT HUNTERS IN
THE WOODS OF NORTHERN MICHIGAN
LIVE HORSES USED FOR BAIT.
lFrom the Detroit Free Press, Jan. 30.l
A young man named Oscar NJ. Perry, ar
rived in this CITY,. Saturday, from Gladwin
County, having as baggage about seventy-five
wolf SKINS, three or four bear skins and
large number of deer skins, coon skins, musk
rat and mink skins. Last fall he, in COM
pany with two other young men, went from
Detroit to the county named, with the inten-
ton of taking up permanent residence for
the winter as hunters and trappers. Perry
wintered there year ago, and made his stay
among the wild animals very profitable one.
He was yesterday making arrangements to
return, and was, for one place, at the brick
yards in Springwells, inquiring after worn out
horses, purchasing several equines at his own
sleigh, as he is to take quantity of provis-
ions, and leaves this morning with the inten-
ton of remaining in the woods until spring.
His purchase of old horses is where the finn
comes in, he says, as he is to use them for
batting wolves.
Last fall the party constructed stout log
cabin in the woods, near large marsh, pro-
posing to make it permanent camp. The
house is a two story one, and the hunters live
and sleep in the second story The lower
story is inclosed only ON two sides, but the
other sides are large doors, so arranged that
they can be drawn up or let down, at the will
of those above. The construction of the cab
in in this manner was to make of the first
story wolf trap on a wholesale scale, and it
has been tested several times to the satisfac-
tion of the builders. In addition to deer
shooting and trapping the men proposed to
make wolf-catching speciality. They found
that by using strychnine they lost many of
the victims, who ran away and hid where
they could not be found, and in time wolves
got shy of the meat flung around.
After the trap was completed an old horse
was purchased at the nearest settlement as a
bait That afternoon bits Of meat were flung
about, and some bloody pieces of fresh kill
tions that the wolves might get the scent.
The men remained on the watch all night,
but were disappointed. The wolves came
within pistol shot, but were afraid to ap-
proach nearer, and finally went off, The old
horse got no food the next day. and at night
was complaining about it in a series Of neighs
which could be heard half mile. More meat
WAS SCdttcIcu dDOut, anu dDOuL 1Q1QQlgQL Ine
wolves came up. After careful survey to
see if trap existed, one of them ventured in,
then another, and at length a dozen wolves
surrounded the old horse and began swapping
at him. Frightened out of his horse sense
the equine kicked and plunged, and was max
ing it warm for the wolves, when down went
the doors and the animals we've trapped.
Part OF the pack were tearing at the horse at
the time, having him down, but they left off
bnrra hi b. a. -
them found corner where the door did not
fit well, and all rushed to the hole with such
force as to take the door off its fixtures, es-
Gaping to the woods. The men found the old
horse so badly bitten that he was killed to end
his sufferings. The body was left three
nights, but the wolves would not touch it,
though one or two ventured into the trap
without much fear.
Finding that the palates of the animals
yearned for old horse living, instead of old
horse dead, another jaded animal was pur-
chased, and this time, under the same cir
cumstances as before, he was made to decoy
several wolves into the trap, and the doors
held them. By taxing up a board in the
floor the hunters had an easy job to shoot the
animals. The wolves got suspicious the next
night and would not cutter the trap, and so on
the next night the horse was tied to a tree in
the woods, and two wolves were killed by the
ambushed hunters. The next day a smaller
pen was constructed about two miles away,
and by taking old horses from one pen to an
other, with an occasional night in the woods,
Perry and his companions have done wolf
ish business. He stated that one horse stood
them about eight wolves generally, but mem
toned two cases wherein the equines had
been inconsistent enough TO give up the
ghost after one nights work. Animals were
purchased in Bay City and Saginaw, and
about ten have been used up since last fall.