The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-02-24

Noble and Rare Sport - Capturing
Wolves.
/ learned from the old ranchman
some curious facts about the wild horses
of the plains. Every effort to destroy
them has proved futile, and the aid of
the Territorial Government is now to
be asked to graduate their bands. They
have increased so wonderfully during
the past few years that they have be-
come an unbearable nuisance to the
-stock-growers of the plains. They
Craze in bands Of twenty, fifty and
even one hundred, and are very diff
cult to approach. An old stallion gen.
orally occupies some elevation. and he
will trumpet an alarm to the herd if he
sees any one coming. In times of dan
ger from wild beasts the stations form
Il circle, and the mares and colts are
put inside. The colts are often attack
ed by wolves or Rocky Mountain lions.
but they never succeed in killing a colt
without battle with the horses. and of
ten the wolves and lions are kicked and
beaten so badly that they have to beat
Il retreat without securing their prev
The stations cross and recross the
country looking for mares, and even
proselyting for horses to enter their
band. If cow ponies stray too far from
the cattle or camp the first thing they
know they are rounded up BY an old
stallion and driven off into the hills
Often a wild herd will discover a tame
band of horses grazing quietly in the
valley with no intention of leaving
their range, but the band of wild
horses. led on by their stations. dash
down into the valley. capture them
and carry them away. The wild stall
lions are shot without mercy BY the
ranchmen. If one is seen grazing on
n hill he IS sneaked upon and dropped
in his tracks. They are very alert and
difficult to approach, but like the tame
horse are easily killed. 4 bullet in al
most any part of the body will cause
the horse to drop on the plain.
The Indians are the best wild horse
hunters. bat shey do not like TO be out
il stormy weather. and they can not
stand the cold Of winter as we'll as
white men. In storm is the best
time to hunt wild horses. for then they
bunch, and can not see any one ap-
preaching until il is too late TO get on.
of the way of the bullets. 1: is gener-
ally useless for hunter to attempt to
run down Il wild horse with a tame one.
The tame horse. weighted down by the
burden Of the hunters BODY. soon tires.
and the wild horse easily escapes
Sometimes the hunters discover the
tracks of wild horses near \ stream.
and they then hunt for their
watering-place. The band always
water at the same place. and, al
though right on the stream, the
horses will go up or down the
stream for mile or more in
order to drink ct their accustomed
watering place Hiding in the brush
or crawling 10 the bluff. the hunter
lies in wait until the horses come TO the
water, and then shoots them. 1t is
-difiiculs to catch them. IS they seem to
know instinctiyely whom hunters are
about and if they even suspect danger
they will st once leave the locality.
"A smoke or any thing unusual will
stampede them. and they viii run for
~ or fifty miles before letting up.
Their sense of smell IS very acute. and
ha I'll -, =
close as hunter can get before being
discovered BY his odor. and the horses
are off in jiffy.
The winter is the best season for
wild-horse hunting IN Wyoming. The
animals get discouraged by the deep
SHOWS and become hungry and poor.
They are apt ST such times to bunch in
the cottonwood groves. where they
cat the bark of the trees and chew up
all the small limbs they can reach. In
winter, too. the horse-hunters can
unite with it the business of ..wolfing."
Perhaps some people do not know
wha; ".woltinC" is Well, ..wol.er"
is simply 4 pot-hurter. or a man who
kills wolves for their hides and the re-
ward offered for their destruction. In
earlier years wolves Oh the plains were
killed only for their pelts. but now
they are killed to save the game and
sheep as well as for their pelts- Mex. to
man the wolf is the greatest destroyer
of game. The gray wolf is dangerous.
too. and will attack any thing. from a
chipmunk to man. They used to
hunt in gangs and destroy great
many buffalo. They would follow an
old bull. biting him until they had ham,
strung him. and then they would kill
and eat him. The buffalo being gone.
the sheep, cattle and small game of all
kinds suffer annually great loss from
wolves. Some counties offer as much
as two dollars per head for wolf-scalps.
A weller goes out into the section of
country where the wolves are thickest
and builds aim 3 cabin. He will then