The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1888-06-09
THE WOLF CHASE
Exciting and Popular Sport Of
Hunters in tho West.

hounds where these animals abound
in the West" said Benjamin Reed, of
Lycoming County, who recently re-
turned from a thirty years residence
in the Northwestern Territories, ''has
grown TO be, next to coursing antelope
with greyhounds, the favorite sport Of
the hunter for pleasure. The wolf
chase Is especially popular in Idaho.
In a fair stand.up fight a gray. white.
or black wolf will whip any dog. no
matter how bold or game he is These
species of the wolf know their own
powers, and seem to like nothing bet
ter than 10 have a set-to with dog. l
never knew a gray wolf to run from a
single dog in all my experience. But
the coy ote. Or prairie wolf, is an en-
rtirely different product. H. is too
,cowardly to engage in a fight with
ever a mongrel cur, and l have seen
him more than once samper away
with his tail between his legs at the
approach of a playful months old
puppy. Dogs that have been any
time in camp come to know the differ
ent characteristics of the wolves and
do not hesitate to 60 out singly and
give chase to a whole pack of coyotes.
but they will never voluntarily attack
.singly a gray wolf, and it is rare, even
with the presence and encouragement
of the hunter. that a single dog can
be urged to modest the dreaded gray
wolf. A pack of three or more
hounds, however, will not hesitate to
give the wolf chase, and the wolf will
not try the gage Of battle with more
than one dog at a time unless brought
at bay and forced to fight, and then
one or more of the pack Of dogs will
bite the dust before the wolf is killed.
IL was one of a party that camped
between the head waters of tho Nc
Arthur and Malade rivers, near the
base Of the Salmon mountains, in
idaho, in the days when buffalo was
still plenty. but wolves were SO nu-
merous in that region, and we found
the chase of them on horseback so ex-
citing. that many n buffalo owed his
life at our hands to that woliish pres
sence. 1t seems hardly reasonable
that hunters should have given the
chase Of such grand game US the buf-
falo the go-by 10 hunt an animal so
much despised as the wolf. but there
was a variety and fascination in fol-
lowing the hounds on the trail Of a
flying vulpine prowler that did not
attend the ride on a buffalo trail.
fierce and dangerous as was the dash
over the prairie after some laundering
old bull.
The Idaho method ofhunting wolves
Is exactly a counterpart Of the En-
glish sport of fox hunting. depending
for its full enjoyment on excellent
horses, fleet, strong-scented hounds,
and the ever.present spice of danger
attending a break-neck charge across
rough and ever-changing country
Then, there need be no sentimental
feeling Of pity. that will now and ther
arise on being in at the death OF a fox
accompanying the running to earll
and killing Of a wolf, for while tn
wolf hunt has all of the elements o
.exhilarating sport that the fox hun
has, its results are beneficial and
service to the community, as the vol
is the greatest Of all enemies OF tn
ranchman and stock raiser and a per
sistent and successful destroyer Of al
kinds Of wild game.
Il remember in particular n vol
hunt we had while camped In tn
Salmon Mountain region. We wer
mounted on the best buffalo .huntini
horses we could buy, and when
horse is a good buffalo hunter he is a
good as a horse can be. Our pack Q
hounds was large and every dog
thoroughbred foxhound. The seaso
was early fall. Our route led to tn
rocky rises of the Salmon range. whic
are famous lurking places for tn
gray wolf, the rocks and dense under
growth giving them the best OF shelter
and the numerous streams MI ordin
them unusual opportunities to captur
game animals that seek the water t
drink and feed ON the tender root
and plants that grow on the border
of the streams.
I'VE had ridden several mile
through this rough country before tn
dogs succeeded in starting a vol, bu
at last they gave tongue in a thicke
off to the right and quickly followih
the excited baying a very large oV
gaunt she wolf with q litter OF whelI
tumbling after her broke into tn
opening. She dashed past US like
fash, and her litter Of young ones hue
died close to her, evidently finding n
difficulty in keeping pace with hel
although she went like the wind. a
tho wolf passed us she was 50 clos
that a pistol shot could have droppe
her. but not a man raised his nan
oro;cst b,,. ThorA was n StrOtCn