Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-11-16
A RIDE AFTER A WHITE WOLF.
Exciting Sport With Horse and Hounds
Among the Mountains of Idaho.

Exciting Sport With Horse and Hounds
Among the Mountains of Idaho.
With seven hounds and four hunters,
says a Snake Run letter, we left campyes-
terday morning at dawn for a days run
after wolves. When an hour out of camp
the bayIng OF the hounds in a cOppice to
the right of is told that something was
started, and the next minute a lank gray
wolf, with six cubs streaming after her,
dashed out into the open ground and ran
past US so close that we might have killed
her with a revolver; but something like
pity stayed every mans hand,
and we let her go by us
without a shot. The cubs were evidently
four or five months old, and kept we'll up
with the mother, who moved over the
prairie like a gray streak. When the
dogs finally broke cover she had disap-
peared arOun the face of a hillock, to the
top of which we spurred our horses in Or
der to see the remainder of the chase. In
the curse Of a few minutes 1t was plain
to see that the cubs were losing their
wind, one of them falling behind so
rapidly that he was almost in the jaws of
the foremost hound, and the others, while
keeping ahead, giving every evidence of
distress.
Inc mObu6r NOlI was nOb moving at QoT
best by any means, and if she would
abandon her cubs to the dogs might easily
escape, but instead of doing that she
suddenly wheeled around, while the cubs
kept on forward, and doubling square on
her racks closed with the hound who was
in the lead, and not more than ten PAGES
from the exhausted young one. Before
the dog could recover from his surprise
she had him by the throat, her long, white
A.oAI- go, aIE- A-I -,,L-ol.o
then closing n tearing out w~ind-pipe,
jugular vein and gullet. 1t was only a
single bite, but the spread and strength
of her jaws, as we'll as the sharpness of
her teeth, made it fatal. Then she
bumped up her back, and in ten bounds
had regained the lost ground, and
was again in full retreat in the centre of
her family. In the nature of things, how
ever, the cubs could not stand the killing
pace; they fell behind in ones and twOes
and the result was a fOreg0ne conclusion
at least it was so until the mother
adopted a new set OF tactics. She started
of at right angles with the line pursued by
the clubs, swerVing in her course so as to
bring herself very near to the hounds, ap-
parently with the purpose of attracting
the chase to herself. Three OF the dogs aC-
cepted the invitation, and presently were
out OF sight in the rough country to which
o4O ~ N6SbAT aAA0 IN w
busted themselves with the cubs now lett
to their w devices.
At a rafting pace we set off across the
country in the direction taken by the old
wolf, and presently from an elevation dis
covered the chase not far ahead. The
dogs were rapidly gaming on the prey,
and we spurred on in order to be in at the
death. In its essentials this method of
hunting wolves is similar to the English
sport of f~OX-hunting, largely depending
for its pleasure upon good horses, fleet,
sharp-nOsed hounds, and the spice Of
danger always attending a b~reak-neck
ride over a rough country. But our
sport was not marred by any sentimental
pity for the victim, as the killing
OF wolves is a utilitarian service,
appreciated as we'll by hunters as ranch
men, They not only kill and MAIN enor-
nous quantities of wild game, but do not
scrupie at entering a ranchero's barn
yard and carrying away young hogs,
sheep n even young calves. The East
err method of getting rid Of troublesome
domestic animals is in vogue here against
wild beasts to a great extent, and thou
sands of wolves are yearly killed through
d~evouring poisoned meat prepared for
them by the farmers.
The run las but a short one. and be-
fore one drew near enough for the effect
i've use Of our shOtguns the dogs had
dragged the tired animal to the ground
and were tearing at her throat. Wolf
skins in the frontier market bring from
81 80 to So each, and as every pelt we cap
tured during TIE hunt was to fall to the
share of Jim, our cook, he was probably
the most eager member of the chase. He
rode into the thick of the fight, and kick
ing the dogs to the right ana left had the
skin stripped from the animal before the
blood had done flowing from bis throat.
In the curse Of the morning we ran
down three other gray wolves, and sue
ceeded in shooting a coyote as well as an
antelope fOf dinner.