The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1889-01-30
HUNTING IN RUSSIA.
How the Car and His Companions Pursue
Lively Game.

Lively Game.
A correspondent who has accompa-
MED the Gar on his visit to the Cau-
casus, sends from Eladikavkas an in
teresting account of the sport to be had
in that part OF his Imperial Majesty's
domiuions. The whole of the southern
and eastern part of Russia. he says.
consists of great undulating steppes.
not unlike the South Downs in places
The nndulations yield many pleasant
surprises to the sportsman in the shape
of dense oak-coppices. which make ez-
cellent covert for wolves. foxes and
woodcock. The result is that good
sport may be had. The correspondent
gives the following description of
wolf-hunt:
My host, Count Peter Schouvaloff,
keeps pack of fox-hounds here. and
some forty or fifty gray-hounds and
wolf-hounds. For those who can not
| or do not care to ride, the way is to
stand at covert-corner and shoot the
| game as the fox-hounds drive it by.
The real sport. however, is to ride
| with three great wolf-hounds held by
| thong. fastened across the shoulders.
passed through rings in their collars.
and the loose end wound around the
| left hand. When the wolf breaks
covert, running carelessly enough be-
fore the noisy pack, which he knows
could never catch him, you slip your
dogs, who have been for n moment or
two nearly dragging you out of the
saddle, between him and the covert
and then begins the race for life or
death. The other horsemen slip their
dogs in turn, and unless there is A good
covert near, the wolf is doomed. do
not believe that single dog will
tackle full-grown wolf. but two will.
Even then they would come off second
best unless the hunter, with his short.
loaded stick Chung to the wrist). came
to the rescue The first man up has
to Jump down. bestraddle the wolf.
and hold him by the ears till the next
arrives and gays him. The operation
is generally left to the huntsmen. and
it is not u pleasant one. for though the
wolf can not bite once you have got
hold Of his ears. the dogs have a nasty
habit of swapping at his neck, and
often enough their sharp teeth meet
in the hunters hand.
One night, after an exciting days
wolves and captured four. we heard q
| fearful yelling. On inquiring what
was the matter, we learned that one
, of the huntsmen had ''funked" during
the day, and refused to gag wolf
which another pluckier fellow wa.
valiantly bestriding and holding b,
, the ears. while the hardly less savage
! dogs snapped all around. He had OF
return been Immediately tried ant
condemned, and was now undergoing
l severe thrashing at the hands Of hi
fellow-servants. We thought it nj
case for interference. especially as tn
e other mans hand had been severel,
: bitten. Another form of the sport i
g to form in line about three hundre'
- yards apart. each man with his dog
whether wolf or gray-hOunds, and il
this way sweep over twenty or thirt
: miles of country, running down al
Y you see. The only danger in ridin
:. lies in the numerous marmot-holes
which also now and then afford a rel
. uge to some fox C hare just about t
a be seized by the dogs. The state c
# things below, when first a hare an
= then q fox bolt into the midst Of tn
marmot family party, must be curl
Gus. The woodcock alight in consid
cradle numbers in their autumn pass
age south. and We shot many in tn
u very garden, including one completed
s. white Other noble birds are tn
h greater and lesser bustard, of whic
, large quantities roam the steppet
q The former are very wary. but 20
e. can get within shot by driving an OF
= vain slowly to and fro or round an
round, each time coming little nearer
n o.,dnsa Standard